Peter Kay Rejected Netflix Deal Over Trigger Warning Request for ‘Phoenix Nights,’ Comedian Says
LOS ANGELES – Comedian Peter Kay reportedly turned down a licensing agreement with Netflix to stream his early 2000s comedy series Phoenix Nights after the streamer requested a trigger warning be added to the episodes,Kay revealed on UK radio station Capital this morning. The show, officially titled Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights, originally aired for two seasons in 2001 and 2002 on channel 4 and has remained largely unavailable for streaming.
The disagreement highlights a growing trend of content reappraisal through modern sensibilities, prompting platforms to consider adding warnings to older shows that may contain material now considered insensitive. kay, who co-wrote Phoenix Nights with Neil Fitzmaurice and Dave Spikey, stated he “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.'” he added that Netflix afterward sent him an air fryer.
Phoenix Nights is a comedy centered around a working-men’s club in Bolton, England, and its colorful cast of characters.kay acknowledged the show “is not very politically correct now,” reflecting tropes and attitudes prevalent in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The incident echoes similar discussions surrounding other classic comedies. Actress Jennifer Aniston noted in 2023 that younger audiences revisiting Friends have found some jokes “offensive.”
Kay’s other television credits include the BAFTA-winning Peter Kay’s Car Share, Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere (a phoenix Nights spin-off), That Peter Kay Thing, and the Channel 4 special britain’s Got the Pop Factor… and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice. He has also appeared in Wallace & Gromit films,Inside No. 9, Doctor Who, and Cradle to Grave.
Kay is also known for his reluctance to allow frequent repeats of his shows, potentially contributing to the limited availability of Phoenix nights despite its continued popularity. Netflix declined to comment on Kay’s claims.