Peter Kay Turns Down Netflix’s Offer for ‘Phoenix Nights’ Over Trigger Warning Request
British comedian and actor Peter Kay recently revealed that he rejected a licensing offer from Netflix for his early 2000s sitcom Phoenix Nights due to a request to include a trigger warning.
In a conversation on UK radio station Capital, Kay detailed how Netflix had approached him about bringing the show, officially titled Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights, to its platform. The sitcom aired for two seasons from 2001 to 2002 on Channel 4. He humorously noted that the streaming service even sent him an air fryer, implying it might have been part of an effort to sweeten the deal.
“They got in touch with me last year because they wanted to put Phoenix Nights on Netflix,” Kay stated. Upon reviewing the agreement, he discovered a provision requiring a trigger warning at the start of the episodes.
Kay subsequently declined the offer, saying, “I 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.’ Anyway, they sent me an air fryer.”
Watch on Deadline
Co-written by Kay with Neil Fitzmaurice and Dave Spikey, Phoenix Nights is set in a working men’s club in Bolton, England, and features a diverse cast of characters reflecting the culture and sensibilities of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Kay acknowledged, “Basically, it’s not very politically correct now.”
The trend of reappraising films and TV shows for modern audiences has gained traction, often revealing discomfort with past content. In 2023, actress Jennifer Aniston pointed out that younger viewers are revisiting episodes of Friends and finding them offensive.
Kay is known for other successful projects, including the BAFTA-winning Peter Kay’s Car Share, Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere, which is a spin-off of Phoenix Nights, 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 various episodes of Wallace & Gromit, Inside No. 9, Doctor Who, and Cradle to Grave.
Additionally, Kay has expressed a dislike for his shows being replayed too frequently, which may contribute to the continued scarcity of Phoenix Nights despite its lasting popularity.
Netflix has not commented on Kay’s statements.
