Peter Kay looks dramatically different in rare public appearance
British comedy legend Peter Kay unintentionally upset US Netflix executives with a quintessentially English expression.
The Lancashire funnyman recently featured in the festive Wallace and Gromit film Vengeance Most Fowl, marking one of his few appearances after a temporary retreat from the spotlight despite a sterling career.
In his first TV role in four years, Kay took on the part of Chief Inspector Mackintosh. Alarm bells rang for Netflix chiefs when they heard him use the Northern English idiom "flippin' Nora", fearing it was offensive slang.
The benign exclamation "flippin' Nora" was employed by Chief Inspector Mackintosh as the notorious baddie Feathers McGraw, the cunning criminal penguin, escapes yet again.
The author of the adored series from Aardman Animations, Nick Park, spoke to The Sun: "Peter ad-libs quite a lot. At one point, he's astonished at something and shouts, 'Flippin Nora'."
Merlin Crossingham, the creative director at Aardman Animations, clarified the context behind a particular line delivered by Kay.
This line, improvised during the recording, had raised some eyebrows among the American executives involved in the production. Crossingham felt it was necessary to address their concerns by explaining that Kay's phrase was utterly harmless.
He elaborated to the puzzled American bosses that the expression wasn't offensive but a mild and innocuous exclamation of surprise.
Crossingham emphasised: “We had to explain to them that it's not rude, it's not an expletive; it's an innocent turn of phrase.”
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In the meantime, Netflix is preparing to stream the latest instalment of the beloved Wallace and Gromit series globally, following a successful premiere on Christmas Day on BBC One.
The premiere captivated an impressive audience, drawing around nine million viewers and generating considerable excitement for the upcoming streaming release.
Kay, a comedy sensation from Farnworth, is acutely aware of the unique challenges he presents to American audiences.
This realisation dates back to 2009 when he found himself on stage in Los Angeles, where he had to apologise to a visibly confused crowd.
His performance, rich with British cultural references and humour centred around things like car boot sales – a concept foreign to many outside the UK – left the audience scratching their heads as they struggled to grasp the intricacies of his jokes.
He answered the baffled spectators: "I'm sorry if you found that hard to understand, but there was comedy somewhere."
In his return to the big screen, Kay stepped into the shoes of Chief Inspector Mackintosh, climbing the ranks from his former role as a police constable in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
But fans are now excited as he announced his long-awaited return to live comedy, marking his first stage appearance in over a decade.
