Peter Kay's Car Share

Peter Kay's Car Share
Genre	Sitcom Adventure Light entertainment
Created by	Paul Coleman Tim Reid
Written by	Paul Coleman Peter Kay Sian Gibson Tim Reid
Directed by	Peter Kay
Starring	Peter Kay Sian Gibson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	10
Production
Producer	Gill Isles
Running time	30 Minutes
Production company	Goodnight Vienna
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	29 April 2015 (2015-04-29) – present

Peter Kay's Car Share is a British sitcom set around supermarket assistant manager John Redmond (Peter Kay) and promotions rep Kayleigh Kitson (Sian Gibson), and their participation in a company car sharing scheme.

The first series was filmed in and around Greater Manchester, notably Peter Kay's native Bolton, Manchester, Trafford and Salford.

In December 2015, Kay confirmed that a second and final series had been commissioned. It began airing on 11 April 2017. Filming locations for the second series included: Blair Drummond Safari Park, Bury, Burnley, Wirral and Southport. Peter Kay's Car Share won Best Comedy at the 2016 National Television Awards, and the BAFTA TV Awards for Best Male Comedy Performance and Best Scripted Comedy at the 2016 BAFTA TV Awards.

Plot

The series focuses on supermarket assistant manager John Redmond (Kay) and promotions rep Kayleigh Kitson (Gibson), who are participating in their work's car sharing scheme.

The first half of each episode shows John picking up Kayleigh from her home in his Fiat 500L and the pair having conversations about each other's lives as they arrive at work. The second half of the episode sees the pair on the car journey home and they discuss what they did at work.

As they travel to and from work, John and Kayleigh listen to Forever FM; a fictitious radio station which has music alternating with terrible advertisements and promotions. In each episode, one or both of them (mostly Kayleigh) have a daydream featuring them singing to a song played on the radio.

Surprising billboards at the roadside and on vehicles provide an additional source of interest ("Brazilian wax while you wait", "One meal for the price of two", "No pies left in this van overnight" and others), as well as the radio adverts and announcements.

Cast

• Peter Kay as John Redmond (10 episodes)
• Sian Gibson as Kayleigh Kitson (10 episodes)
• Danny Swarsbrick as Ted 2 (8 episodes)
• Gemma Facinelli as Rachel (2 episodes)
• Simon Greenall as Dave Thompson (1 episode; voice only)
• Reece Shearsmith as Ray (1 episode)
• Guy Garvey as Steve (3 episodes)
• Conleth Hill as Elsie (1 episode)

Production

The series was commissioned in 2013 by the BBC, and was initially made available on BBC iPlayer. Inspiration for the show, for co-creators Tim Reid and Paul Coleman, included Alfred Molina and Dawn French in the BBC's Roger & Val Have Just Got In and The Smoking Room. Paul Coleman pitched the idea to Peter Kay, whom he had previously worked with on Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere. The programme was mainly filmed in and around Manchester, Farnworth (Bolton), Westhoughton, Horwich, Swinton, Bury, Walkden, Altrincham (Trafford) and Little Hulton (Salford).

John and Kayleigh's place of work was portrayed as being the Manchester Fort retail park in the city's Cheetham Hill area, but was in reality filmed around the goods entrance and car park at the back of the large Halfords Autocentre off Viaduct Way in the Broadheath area of Altrincham. The exterior was dressed with fake windows containing large images of fresh fruit and vegetables, with car park features, trolleys, staff uniforms and signage in the style and colours of Tesco. In episode 3 of series 1 two members of Halfords staff in their gold and black uniforms can be seen in the unloading bay as John and Kayleigh drop off their colleague "Stink" Ray (Reece Shearsmith) the fishmonger.

The Forever FM presenters are voiced by Rob Charles (Mike on the "Mike and his Morning Muesli" breakfast show), and Martin Emery (Andy on the "Big Drive Home" drivetime show). The fictional radio station was created by Salford-based audio creative company Kalua, and its tagline is "Forever FM: playing timeless hits, now and forever".

In May 2016, filming began on the second and final series. On 3 December Peter Kay announced that the second series will be broadcast on BBC in April 2017. An exclusive scene was aired during Peter Kay's Christmas Comedy Shuffle on BBC One on Christmas Eve 2016. The first two episodes of the second series were given an advance screening at Vue Cinemas for Red Nose Day 2017. The full series was made available on BBC iPlayer from 11 April 2017.

On 2 May 2017, Kay announced that there would not be a third series or a Christmas special, however, on 17 November 2017, it was announced that a final episode would be broadcast in 2018, in addition to a one-off unscripted episode.

Reception

An exclusive screening of all six episodes of the first series was held in Blackpool on 28 March 2015, in aid of Chorley children’s hospice Derian House. The entire first series was briefly available on BBC iPlayer where it became the most watched series to be released as a box set. Critic Grace Dent wrote "I laughed over and over again, loudly and gracelessly, during BBC1's Car Share".

Episode list

Series	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	6		29 April 2015 (2015-04-29)	22 May 2015 (2015-05-22)
2	4		11 April 2017 (2017-04-11)	2 May 2017 (2017-05-02)

Series 1 (2015)

Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original broadcast date	UK viewers (million)
1	"Episode 1"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay, Sian Gibson & Tim Reid	29 April 2015 (2015-04-29)	6.85
A new car sharing scheme at the supermarket that assistant manager John Redmond and promotions rep Kayleigh Kitson work at, pairs them together commuting to work and back home; whilst listening to the radio. They get to know each other's background, with John telling Kayleigh about his ex girlfriends, Charlotte and Anna, and Kayleigh talks about one of her own exes, a drug dealer who cheated on her with her cousin. We also discover she is 36 and wants to meet the man of her dreams and have babies asap as she feels she is running out of time. John corrects a rumour spread by Diane off non-foods that he is gay. Kayleigh spills a bottle of piss all over John, resulting in him having to change his clothes. And Kayleigh gets animated with the shop's Christmas plans. At the end of the episode they agree they want to continue car sharing with each other. Forever FM Playlist: Martika - Martika's Kitchen, Spagna - Call Me, Tina Charles - I Love To Love, Texas - When We Are Together, R.E.M. - Losing My Religion, B*Witched - C'est la Vie, Erasure - A Little Respect, Anastacia - I'm Outta Love {Day dream}, Sad Café - Every Day Hurts
2	"Episode 2"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay, Sian Gibson & Tim Reid	30 April 2015 (2015-04-30)	4.56
John and Kayleigh are forced to take the morning off work due to the death of a long-standing colleague, the trolley pusher Old Ted. Kayleigh quizzes John about his funeral, but he says at 39, he's never thought about that. Kayleigh's friendship with her elderly next door neighbour Ken becomes a hot topic when Kayleigh misunderstands the definition of "dogging", assuming it means walking a dog. She insists the new trolley wrangler will never replace Old Ted, but when she sees him, he sparks some interest from her. Forever FM Playlist: They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse in Your Soul, R. Kelly - Ignition, Johnny Hates Jazz - Turn Back The Clock, Duran Duran - Ordinary World, Stiltskin - Inside, Blue - All Rise, Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles, Cyndi Lauper - True Colors {Day dream}, Alicia Bridges - I Love the Nightlife, Laura Branigan - Gloria, Kylie Minogue - I Believe In You
3	"Episode 3"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay, Sian Gibson & Tim Reid	6 May 2015 (2015-05-06)	6.3
John collects Kayleigh, who is still suffering side-effects from a late night partying. They are annoyed when they run into supermarket fishmonger Ray, who they both nickname "Stink Ray". To make matters worse, Kayleigh has a lunchtime date with a Japanese man she has connected to on on-line dating site heartsearchers. She has learnt the language especially, but it turns out Jap Si wasn't even Japanese. John's lovelife comes under scrutiny, and we discover he was engaged to Charlotte but broke it off as he cannot commit. Forever FM Playlist: The Mock Turtles - Can You Dig It, Olivia Newton-John and the ELO - Xanadu, Whitney Houston - How Will I Know, Ini Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper, Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up, Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock 'n' Roll, Boy Meets Girl - Waiting for a Star to Fall, The Smiths - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want {No day dream}
4	"Episode 4"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay, Sian Gibson & Tim Reid	13 May 2015 (2015-05-13)	6.04
While John is excited about his new hands-free phone kit, Kayleigh is more excited about the Beyonce concert she attended yesterday night. John gets road rage at a school crossing, which causes a builder to throw his egg sandwich at the car when John makes him angry. This results in a visit to the car wash to clean the now dirty windscreen, and while they are there, Kayleigh's unusual fear of water is discovered when she suffers a panic attack. Thankfully, John's support and a daydream to MMMBop gets her through. (The dream sequence features a Bedknobs and Broomsticks style animation featuring Kayleigh swimming under water). During the work shift, Kayleigh falls out with boss Dave Thompson over an incident with fruit and veg, leaving repercussions for the journey home. Forever FM Playlist: Hue and Cry - Labour of Love, Five - Keep On Movin', Hanson - MMMBop {Day dream}, R. Kelly - Bump n' Grind, OMC - How Bizarre, Sydney Youngblood - If Only I Could, Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World, The B-52's - Love Shack
5	"Episode 5"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay, Sian Gibson & Tim Reid	20 May 2015 (2015-05-20)	5.92
It's John's Nan's birthday but he's forgotten to post her card. He tries to put things right on the way to work but falls while posting her card, and badly injures his arm. To make matters worse, Kayleigh has agreed to take her niece Chloe and nephew Alfie to school, meaning they will share the car that morning too. When they finish work Kayleigh must drive an injured John home, but colleague Rachel's interest in John and some bad news from her brother Kieran are on Kayleigh's mind. As John drifts off in a daydream, he imagines himself, in a leather jacket and Beatle cut, singing Cliff Richard's "Devil Woman" with Rachel from work as a lithe, cat-suited red devil-woman, dancing tauntingly around him. Both John and Kayleigh's day goes from bad to worse when the car breaks down after Kayleigh fills it with petrol instead of diesel. Forever FM Playlist: Madonna - Cherish, ABC - When Smokey Sings, Kylie Minogue - Put Yourself in My Place, INXS - New Sensation, Stereophonics - Have a Nice Day, Enrique Iglesias - Hero, Boyzone - Picture of You, Cliff Richard - Devil Woman, The Cars - Drive, Aretha Franklin & George Michael - I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), Aztec Camera - Somewhere in My Heart, Donna Summer - This Time I Know It's for Real, Johnny Cash - A Thing Called Love
6	"Episode 6"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay, Sian Gibson & Tim Reid	22 May 2015 (2015-05-22)	5.49
Kayleigh has a lot on her mind as she is moving into her sister Mandy's tomorrow, so the last thing she needs is to be dressed as a blackcurrant for National Jam Week. Luckily John is on hand to give her some encouragement. They decide to have a goodbye breakfast Fat Boy to commemorate their last car share day together. As they drive home, Kayleigh ponders how much she'll miss the journeys to work with John. The episode features a 1950's faux fantasy sequence to the 1988 song Rush Hour by Jane Wiedlin. After an awkward exchange of gifts, where John gives Kayleigh a novelty heart lamp, and gets a kiss on the cheek from Kayleigh, the episode ends with John playing Pure and Simple by Hear'Say on Now 48, his CD gift from Kayleigh, with a handwritten note telling John she dedicates the song to him. Forever FM Playlist: John Farnham - You're the Voice, Deacon Blue - Chocolate Girl, Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy, Steve Winwood - Valerie, Rick Astley - Cry for Help, Right Said Fred - Don't Talk Just Kiss, Haircut 100 - Love Plus One, Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - Ebony and Ivory, Joan Jett - I Love Rock 'n' Roll, The Feeling - Never Be Lonely, Amy Grant - Baby, Baby, Extreme - More Than Words, Jane Wiedlin - Rush Hour Other songs played: Compendium - In The City, Hear'Say - Pure and Simple

Short (2016)

Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original broadcast date	UK viewers (million)
N–A	"Peter Kay's Christmas Comedy Shuffle"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay & Sian Gibson	24 December 2016 (2016-12-24)	4.28
Kayleigh gets John to play her Now That's What I Call Christmas album on their journey to work in the height of Summer. This previously-unseen three minute scene was exclusive to Peter Kay's Christmas Comedy Shuffle. (Peter Kay's Comedy Shuffle also included various Car Share out-takes.) Forever FM Playlist: Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

Series 2 (2017)

Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original broadcast date	UK viewers (million)
1	"Episode 1"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay & Sian Gibson	11 April 2017 (2017-04-11)	9.43
After moving in with her sister Mandy and her family, Kayleigh is now travelling to work on her own by bus, but cannot resist temptation and repeatedly calls John. Eventually, after at least 8 phone calls between them, John secretly gives Kayleigh the directions to his car and the pair are reunited and back where they belong. Road rage leads to a video of John verbally abusing and threatening a cyclist going viral, much to the amusement of Kayleigh. It is raining after work so John offers her a lift home, where he meets her brother in law Steve and tells Kayleigh he will keep giving her lifts to work every morning even though it will take him an extra 45 minutes to do so. Forever FM Playlist: Jermaine Stewart - We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off, Enigma - Sadness, The Spinners - Working My Way Back to You, Bardo - One Step Further, Ronan Keating - Life Is a Rollercoaster, Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape, Wet Wet Wet - Sweet Little Mystery, REO Speedwagon - Can't Fight This Feeling Other songs played: Hear'Say - Pure and Simple, S Club 7 - Never Had a Dream Come True, Pointer Sisters - Jump (For My Love) "On Yer Bike Remix"
2	"Episode 2"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay & Sian Gibson	18 April 2017 (2017-04-18)	7.66
John and Kayleigh are full of high spirits as they head off on their annual works do, with him dressed as Harry Potter and her as Hagrid, but things don't go according to plan when John is lumbered with taking both drunk Elsie off deli who is dressed as Smurfette, and also a drunk Kayleigh home. Elsie's mischievous nature makes John feel uncomfortable, along with Elsie's constant spilling of store gossip - including some about John and Kayleigh. After taking Elsie home, John and Kayleigh begin to get close but their moment is interrupted when Elsie rings up to say that she has left her inhaler in the car and can't breathe, leaving a flustered John with no other choice but to drive all the way back to her home. Forever FM Playlist: Divinyls - I Touch Myself, JX - Son of a Gun, Livin' Joy - Dreamer, Crazy Frog - Axel F, Urban Cookie Collective - The Key the Secret, Kelis - Milkshake, Fat Larry's Band - Zoom, Minnie Riperton - Lovin' You, Phyllis Nelson - Move Closer, Scorpions - Wind of Change, Spice Girls - 2 Become 1, Martine McCutcheon - Perfect Moment, Madonna - Crazy For You, Champaign - How 'Bout Us, Will to Power - Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley, Phil Collins - A Groovy Kind of Love, Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever, Scritti Politti - Oh Patti
3	"Episode 3"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay & Sian Gibson	25 April 2017 (2017-04-25)	7.45
Kayleigh has had enough of work and fancies a day off but John isn't having any of it as he has to visit the store manager and best friend Ian "Litchy" Litchfield, at the Wigan branch. Eventually he agrees to ditching work (after visiting his friend Litchy at the Wigan store) and decides to go to Seaview Safari Park with Kayleigh. As the pair enjoy a picnic in the car, they become startled as monkeys fight and begin to use John's car as a climbing frame. When John and Kayleigh share another moment by the coast, a mysterious yellow substance pours down the windscreen, which John realises is one of the monkeys who has followed them from Seaview Safari on the car roof, pissing on the roof of his car. The baby monkey attacks John and Kayleigh, but they eventually manage to get him in the car, where he causes more trouble. They fail to send him back to Seaview Safari as it has closed for the day. Before the end of the episode, Kayleigh is sad as John finally manages to get the baby monkey sent away. Forever FM Playlist: Sophie B. Hawkins - Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Wilson Phillips - Hold On, INXS - Disappear, Lloyd Cole - Lost Weekend, Salt-n-Pepa - Push It, Climie Fisher - Love Changes (Everything), The Pretenders - Don't Get Me Wrong, Train - Drops of Jupiter, Edwin Starr - H.A.P.P.Y. Radio (song), Shakira - Hips Don't Lie, George Michael - Monkey
4	"Episode 4"	Peter Kay	Paul Coleman, Peter Kay & Sian Gibson	2 May 2017 (2017-05-02)	7.21
John enlists the help of his Nana Rose reluctantly to wait in for a parcel delivery. Kayleigh can't find her house key and is stuck inside her sister Mandy's house so John attempts to pick the lock with a hair pin before resorting to trying to pull Kayleigh out through a small window, which doesn't go according to plan. John and Kayleigh chat about her favourite film Dirty Dancing and Michael Jackson on their way to work. On the way home from work, Kayleigh keeps asking John if he thinks they are an us, and whether he would like them to see each other more, but he keeps dodging her questions. As the final episode concludes and the pair sit stuck in gridlock, Kayleigh declares her love for John and believes that he doesn't feel the same way, so she leaves the car and gets into a taxi while crying. But she just missed a dedication John had sent in to Forever FM which is his own way of declaring his love for her. In a daydream, John is seen walking and jumping over other cars to the taxi where he finds Kayleigh, takes her hand and tells her he loves her too then they kiss in the road with the other drivers and passengers who got out of their cars cheering. But in reality, in a phone call to Nana Rose, John says that he is 'done' as Kayleigh's taxi starts moving again. It looks like he has given up on her, but has he really? Forever FM Playlist: Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Don't Do It), Ph.D. - I Won't Let You Down, Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance, Giorgio Moroder & Philip Oakey - Together in Electric Dreams, Imagination - Body Talk, Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger, Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, George Michael - Praying for Time, Marillion - Kayleigh

Final episode (2018)

On 17 November 2017, it was announced during Children in Need that the show would return for an unscripted episode as well as a final episode to end the series in 2018.

External links

• Peter Kay's Car Share at IMDb
• Peter Kay's Car Share at BBC Online
• Peter Kay's Car Share at British Comedy Guide