December 24th 2024.
Christmas is just around the corner, and fans of comedy legend Peter Kay have even more to look forward to this holiday season. Kay is making his long-awaited return to television in the highly-anticipated Wallace and Gromit film, "Vengeance Most Fowl". But it wasn't always certain that Kay would be able to join the project.
At 51 years old, Kay is reprising his role as PC Mackintosh from the 2005 film "Curse of the Were-Rabbit". This time, the character is a chief inspector looking forward to retirement. It's a special moment for fans as it marks Kay's first TV role since 2017's "Inside No. 9" and the 2018 finale of "Car Share". And it's been 20 years since he last played his role in the beloved Wallace and Gromit franchise.
Creator Nick Park spoke exclusively with Metro and revealed that Kay's character is one of only two to ever make a return in the films, the other being Feathers McGraw. Getting Kay on board was a top priority for the team, but his current comeback tour across the UK made it uncertain if he would be available.
"The big fear was that we couldn't get him because for as long as we've been filming, he's been in the middle of a massive tour," Nick recalled. But thankfully, Kay couldn't resist the opportunity to be a part of the first Wallace and Gromit feature film in almost two decades. "He replied to a letter that we wrote and said he'd love to do it," Nick added. "He somehow fitted it in, incredibly! So we're very grateful for that."
Despite his busy touring schedule, Kay was a joy to work with for directors Nick and Merlin Crossingham. "He has been absolutely amazing to work with," Merlin said. "The understanding of character that he has and is able to bring vocally, you know? Obviously, we're just taking the voice part of his acting - [his] ability is great. And he understands funny, you know? We don't have to tell him how to be funny, that's been a gift for us!"
Kay's character, Macintosh, has a new sidekick in this film - PC Mukherjee, played by rising star Lauren Patel. Surprisingly, despite being from Bolton like Kay and having a family that has met him, Lauren is the only one who hasn't had the chance to meet him yet. "We've all been recording separately with Merlin and Nick, kind of directing us," she explained. "I keep telling people I'm the only person in my family that hasn't met Peter Kay. I'm the only one in film with him. We're all from Bolton. They've ran into him at the post office and the cinema. My dad used to work with his wife, and everyone keeps asking me, 'Oh, how's working with Peter?' I don't know!"
But despite not getting the chance to record with her co-stars, Lauren had the support of Nick and Merlin to bring her character to life. "It's very much a collaborative process," she said. "And I am always just going to do what I feel instinctively is right, and then you can tell me if I look silly. I'd kind of just go for it, and then they'd direct and tweak and push me in the right direction. They've given me a lot of freedom, which has always been my experience working with Aardman [since Lloyd of the Flies], which is really lovely as an actor, to be like, 'Oh, can I try it like this?' Or, 'Could I just tweak this line a little bit and maybe give you this alternate line reading?'"
Lauren also had fun doing "all of the ad libs noises" for her character, even though she looked "absolutely mental." She credits the freedom given to her by the directors for helping her create a character full of energy. And even though she didn't record with her co-star, she still felt like she was bouncing off him thanks to the previously recorded lines. "Even though I haven't been fortunate enough to record with him in the room, I'll still bounce off a lot of the lines that he's already recorded," she said. "We have our little duo going along."
Fans can catch the premiere of "Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas Day. It's sure to be a treat for all, thanks in part to Kay's return to the small screen after seven years.
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