Peter Kay to make TV return after two years away to raise money for coronavirus fight

Peter Kay is set to return to TV for the first time in two years as part of a charity fundraiser for Comic Relief and Children in Need.

The Bolton-born comedian will return to the nation’s screens in April with an appearance on the BBC’s The Big Night In, which aims to raise money and lift spirits during the coronavirus outbreak.

The project, which sees the two charities merge for the first time, will consist of a three hour show on 23 April and was launched by Lenny Henry during an appearance on The One Show on Tuesday night.

The comedian, who is a co-founder of Comic Relief, told presenters Alex Jones and Alex Scott: “Comic Relief and Children in Need, for the very first time, are merging to raise money and raise spirits in this terrible crisis.”

Promising that the night would include prize giveaways and surprise guests, Henry revealed that Kay would be joined by Catherine Tate and Gary Barlow for the charity special.

With both Comic Relief and Children in Need supporting smaller charities across the UK, Henry admitted that the current world health crisis was putting a strain on donations.

“We’ve been contacted by lots of small charities who are desperate for any financial help we can drum up. This is our way of saying to them, ‘we’ll do our best for you,’” he said.

Kay was last on our screens in the comedy Car Share, which ended in May 2018. The year before, he cancelled his tour due to "unforeseen family circumstances".

He was due to return to the stage with his new Dance For Life tour to raise money for Cancer Research UK, but he was forced to postpone it due to the coronavirus pandemic.