The Bolton-born comedian Peter Kay won a Bafta nomination for his Channel 4 series Phoenix Nights (2004) in which he played the wheelchair-bound owner of a northern night club. He’s working on his third book and preparing for 20 dates in the MEN Arena, Manchester this autumn. His act is peppered with references to his beloved Bolton where he once worked in a bingo hall and a toilet roll factory. “I can’t wait to get back working nights,” he says. RGT
Birthdays today
Dame Lynne Brindley, chief executive, British Library, 61; Kenneth Clarke, politician, 71; Jerry Hall, model, 55; Lord Mackay of Clashfern, Lord Chancellor, 1987-97, 84; Anton Edelmann, chef, 59; Geoffrey Goodman, journalist, 90; Chris Huhne, politician, 57; Ahmad Jamal, jazz pianist, 81; Mark Kermode, film critic, 48; Dennis Marks, general director, English National Opera, 1993-97, 63; Ferdinand Mount, author and journalist, 72; Mchael O’Hanlon, director, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, 61; Jeffrey Rose, chairman, Royal Automobile Club, 1981-98, and RAC Motoring Services, 1980-98, 80; Maurice Slevin, oncologist, 62; Elspeth Thomas, chairman, British Red Cross, 1995-2000, 74.