"Actor: Dave Spikey"

• Peter Kay - Live At The Top Of The Tower | DVD | (22/11/2004) from £4.43   |  Saving you £15.56 (351.24%)   |  RRP £19.99

  For his first video Live at the Top of the Tower, Bolton comedian, actor and Channel 4 star Peter Kay returns to his roots--both as a stand up and by performing live in Blackpool, his childhood haunt. Bolstered by the acclaim heaped on his two television series (That Peter Kay Thing and Phoenix Nights), Kay is very much at the top of his game. Odd then that his live routine suffers from something of a false start, relying on characters from and references to his TV show and an awkward batch of jokes. Once settled though, Kay happily emerges as one of the funniest men in the country. His humour is fairly traditional in its sources but succeeds by its very universality. Much is made both of his family life and growing up in the 1980s, the reasons why he makes such a great guest on the rash of television shows dissecting the decade. His style will be very familiar to fans of Phoenix Nights (his words on the Northern club circuit: "tomorrow's acts at yesterday's prices, today"--are straight from his Brian Potter character) and his acting and writing have obviously been hugely influenced by his life as a stand up. He emerges from the video as a great visual comic, a brilliant mimic and an inspired observationalist--his piece on the perils of Teletext is one of the highlights. Those who have taken to the likes of Mark Park, Cheryl Avenue, Jerry Sinclair and Kay's countless other creations should not hesitate when it comes to Live at the Top of the Tower, nor should anyone else with a sense of humour. --Phil Udell

• Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £9.98   |  Saving you £10.01 (100.30%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Some comedies secure cult status after just one episode. The first series of Phoenix Nights, created by and starring Bolton-born comic Peter Kay, is one of those rare gems that few saw on first showing but that everyone was soon talking about. Wheelchair-bound Brian Potter (Kay) runs the Phoenix, a shabby social club populated by an assortment of wonderfully observed characters. It's grim up North and despite the best efforts of the staff to inject life into the proceedings--be it an alternative comedy night, a version of Robot Wars in Potter's beloved Pennine Suite or a Wild West extravaganza--each evening's entertainment always ends badly. Undaunted, the Phoenix denizens continue to strive for their dream: a world in which "clubland never dies". Even though Kay is the focus of the show (having also directed and penned the series), this is no star vehicle; the hapless security guards, the club entertainer Jerry, and Ray Von the dodgy DJ all combine in an ensemble comedy the like of which hasn't been seen since Fawlty Towers. You have to watch it a couple of times just to catch all the visual gags, let alone pick up on all the nuances of the brilliantly written script. If you missed it first time round, now's your chance to own one of the best British sit-coms of recent years. On the DVD: Phoenix Nights on disc comes with a plethora of extras to enjoy. "One Man and His Horse" is behind the scenes footage of Trigger and his handler (who is almost as entertaining as his charge); there are some great deleted scenes, trailers for the first series and an episode-by-episode sequence of outtakes where the cast hilarity is definitely contagious. A commentary from Kay and some of the team consists more of reminiscence than information, but is well worth a listen. --Kristen Bowditch

• Phoenix Nights 2 | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £10.08   |  Saving you £9.91 (98.31%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The beginning of the second series of Phoenix Nights sees Brian Potter's beloved Phoenix Club lying in ashes and the staff scattered to the four winds. Even club compere Jerry St Clair is reduced to singing "Come get your black bin bags" to the tune of Men in Black in the local supermarket. But not even being barred from having a licence for the rest of his natural life can deter the northern Svengali from reopening the club and making it bigger and better than before--even if that means making Jerry the licensee and offering up-market Chinese nosh. This second instalment of Peter Kay's cult sit-com is more upbeat than the first, with some genuine success coming to the characters and club, but it still has its hilariously subversive undertones: a botched hit job; an inflatable castle with an extra appendage; and Brian stuck on his stair lift for a day after a power cut, to take just three examples. The script remains brilliantly surreal and incredibly funny. All the favourite characters remain, with club bouncers Paddy and Max featuring in a couple of the meatier storylines (perhaps setting them up for their own spin-off series?) and Jerry continuing to wow the crowds with his original vocal stylings, the highlight being the grand Stars in Their Eyes final in which he offers his own unique clubland take on Eminem. It's brilliantly original stuff: roll on Series 3. --Kristen Bowditch

• Phoenix Nights: Series 1 and 2 | DVD | (10/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Created by and starring Bolton-born comic Peter Kay, Phoenix Nights is one of those rare gems that few saw on first showing but that everyone was soon talking about. The first series introduces wheelchair-bound Brian Potter (Kay), who runs the titular Phoenix, a shabby social club populated by an assortment of wonderfully observed characters. It's grim up North and despite the best efforts of the staff to inject life into the proceedings--be it an alternative comedy night, a version of Robot Wars in Potter's beloved Pennine Suite or a Wild West extravaganza--each evening's entertainment always ends badly. Undaunted, the Phoenix denizens continue to strive for their dream: a world in which "clubland never dies". The beginning of the second series sees Brian Potter's beloved Phoenix Club lying in ashes and the staff scattered to the four winds. Even club compere Jerry St Clair is reduced to singing "Come get your black bin bags" to the tune of Men in Black in the local supermarket. But not even being barred from having a licence for the rest of his natural life can deter the northern Svengali from reopening the club and making it bigger and better than before--even if that means making Jerry the licensee and offering up-market Chinese nosh. --Kristen Bowditch

• Phoenix Nights Box Set | DVD | (20/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Series 1 and 2 of Peter Kay's acclaimed TV comedy Phoenix Nights. Legendary social club owner Brian Potter and his band of staff and regulars are determined to make the Phoenix Club successful no matter what. Nothing will get in their way...

• Phoenix Nights: Series 2 | DVD | (19/06/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Legendary social club owner Brian Potter and his hapless band of staff and regulars are determined to make Phoenix Club a success no matter what. Not even a racist folk band an unforeseeable psychic or a drunken horse will get in the way of their dream that 'Clubland will never die'. The complete second series of Peter Kay's award winning show.

• Dave Spikey - Overnight Success Tour | DVD | (17/11/2003) from £6.41   |  Saving you £13.58 (211.86%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Live comedy from the star of 'Phoenix Nights'. The critics raved that you should sell your first born to get hold of a ticket to see 'The Brilliant Dave Spikey' live at the Leeds City Varieties Theatre. Here's your chance to see his comic genius again and again on this his first live stand up video. Find out why grannies can't suck eggs and meat pies have little holes on the top. Discover the joys of duck cabaret dobber clobber toilet brushes and pushing a terrier upstairs. Dave's

• Dave Spikey - Live 2 | DVD | (07/11/2005) from £7.98   |  Saving you £14.00 (233.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Dave Spikey star of Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights (as co-writer and club compere Jerry 'The Saint' Clair) hits the road for the first time since his award-winning 'Overnight Success' tour. Away from Phoenix Nights Spikey is an established comedian in his own right. He won the prestigious 'Performance of the Year' at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards in 2003 for his 'Overnight Success' show and took the 'Best Comedy Performance' award at the Leic

• Phoenix Nights: Series 1 | DVD | (19/06/2006) from £14.43   |  Saving you £5.56 (38.53%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Legendary social club owner Brian Potter and his hapless band of staff and regulars are determined to make Phoenix Club a success no matter what. Not even a racist folk band an unforeseeable psychic or a drunken horse will get in the way of their dream that 'Clubland will never die'.

• Dave Spikey - Best Medicine Tour Live | DVD | (09/11/2009) from £9.29   |  Saving you £10.70 (115.18%)   |  RRP £19.99

  They say that Laughter is the Best Medicine and Doctor D Spikey is here to administer a massive dose straight onto your funny bone. Humour lies in the antics of everyday life and Spikey's 'Best Medicine' is full of brilliant anecdotes and observations - it's quite amazing just how funny the world around us really is through the eyes of one of Lancashire's finest. Spikey spent over 30 years in the NHS and so amongst the stories of school days cheese addiction monkeys on bikes llamas on the loose dancing dobbers and a crash course in jollyphonics he delivers hysterical stories about hospital life including his recent experiences as a patient with a below the waist problem. Our former 'biomedical scientist' bears all and quite literally holds nothing back...

• Dave Spikey - The Overnight Success Tour/Living The Dream Live | DVD | (27/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Living The Dream: Dave Spikey star of Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights (as co-writer and club compere Jerry 'The Saint' Clair) hits the road for the first time since his award-winning 'Overnight Success' tour. Away from Phoenix Nights Spikey is an established comedian in his own right. He won the prestigious 'Performance of the Year' at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards in 2003 for his 'Overnight Success' show and took the 'Best Comedy Performance' award at the Leicester Mercury Awards in 2004. The Overnight Success Tour: Live comedy from the star of 'Phoenix Nights'. The critics raved that you should sell your first born to get hold of a ticket to see 'The Brilliant Dave Spikey' live at the Leeds City Varieties Theatre. Here's your chance to see his comic genius again and again on this his first live stand up video. Find out why grannies can't suck eggs and meat pies have little holes on the top. Discover the joys of duck cabaret dobber clobber toilet brushes and pushing a terrier upstairs. Dave's comedy steamroller will have you laughing so much you'll cry!

• Bolton Wanderers - Season Review 2003/2004 | DVD | (07/01/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  This is the definitive story of Bolton Wanderers' remarkable 2003/2004 Premiership campaign. The season that surpassed all expectations and witnessed the Whites' remarkable rise to Premiership prominence and not to forget a second Cup Final appearance in nine years. With only one win in the opening ten league matches the Wanderers looked to be heading for an all too familiar relegation dogfight. But as the summer breeze gave way to the autumn wind on one fateful afternoon in North