He was taught metal work at school by the actor Steve Coogan's dad, and like Coogan he was an altar boy. He proposed to his wife Susan on one knee outside 'Andy's Records', because it was the first place where they kissed. He's worked everywhere, in a factory packing toilet rolls, in a supermarket, in a video shop, at a bingo hall, at a cash and carry, as a mobile disc jockey and at a garage for six years in between all the other jobs. He claims he lied to get into college, he told them he'd two 'A' Levels and five GCSEs and apparently they never checked up.

He won the 1997 So You Think You're Funny contest at Edinburgh and the North West Comedian of the Year award. In 1998 Peter took his own hour-long show to the Edinburgh Fringe and was nominated for the Perrier Award. Peter actually has a qualification in stand up, which he got as part of his Btec in Media Performance Studies. His childhood ambition was to be a bin man.
Son, Charlie Michael Kay born on 12 January 2004. Attended Mount St Joseph School in Bolton, Lancashire His mother hails from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He attended the University of Salford on a Higher National Diploma in Media and Performance in the mid-90s Found his way to the top of the UK music singles chart in March 2005 after spending less than two weeks promoting Tony Christie's standard "Is This The Way To Amarillo?", as used in an episode of "Phoenix Nights" and his "Live at the M.E.N Arena" show. He worked at the Manchester Evening News Arena in 1996 as a steward. His experiences there were the bases for the episode The Arena which followed a steward around on their first day of work. The episode belongs to the series That Peter Kay Thing In spite of fronting a number of adverts for beer on British TV he is actually teetotal Became teetotal after alcoholic father John Kay died suddenly aged c. 59, in April 1999. Peter declared the death on his father's certificate.