Comedian Peter Kay has revealed that he turned down a Netflix offer to stream his sitcom Phoenix Nights after the platform insisted on adding a trigger warning. Speaking on Capital radio, Kay said the streaming giant contacted him last year about licensing the show, which originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2002.
Kay explained that after reviewing the agreement, he noticed a clause requiring a warning at the start of each episode. 'I just said, ‘I’m not keen on that. I don’t really want a warning before it,’ so, I just said, ‘No, I’ll leave it.’ Anyway, they sent me an air fryer,' he added.
The series, which Kay co-wrote with Neil Fitzmaurice and Dave Spikey, is set in a Bolton working-men’s club and features characters reflecting late 1990s and early 2000s tropes. Kay acknowledged that the show 'is not very politically correct now.'
Kay is known for disliking frequent repeats of his work, which may have contributed to the show’s limited availability despite its popularity. His other credits include Peter Kay’s Car Share, Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere, and appearances in Doctor Who and Inside No. 9.
