Kay’s cheering for comedy pal Steve
COMEDIAN Peter Kay is a big fan of Britain’s Got Talent and is rooting for his pal to win tonight.
Entertainer Steve Royle, who has been a pal of Peter’s for years, is a semi- finalist on the ITV show.
Kay, right, calls him “a brilliant comedian” in his autobiography Saturday Night Peter and invited him to appear in his TV shows Phoenix Nights, Max And Paddy’s Road To Nowhere and Car Share.
Now it’s the turn of former warm- up man Steve to step into the limelight on Britain’s Got Talent.
The 51- year- old from Lancashire said: “Peter knows I’m doing BGT and he is loving every minute seeing what I do and seeing my journey. He’s right behind me and has sent me good luck messages.
“Peter comes to see me when I am in panto every year and says I’m one of the only ones he’d pay to watch.
“I never know when he’s coming but then he has such a distinctive loud laugh – I soon know when he’s in the audience.
“It’d be my dream to get to the final and win. I’d love to see my name in big letters on a poster at theatres.”
Steve is one of eight acts in the semi- finals – hosted by Ant and Dec – which are being pre- recorded due to social distancing rules. Judges Ashley Banjo, David Walliams, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon will be seated at least two metres apart at separate desks. And the audience has been replaced with a virtual crowd watching from home via a bank of 500 TV screens around the studio. Canned laughter and applause is being played to create an atmosphere. Steve said: “It’s vital we get a reaction from the audience otherwise we don’t know how well we are doing!” BGT is on ITV tonight at 8pm.