Peter Kay makes rare appearance after distancing himself from ‘misleading’ show

Peter Kay has been pictured for the first time in eight months, after distancing himself from a Channel 5 documentary about his career.

The 46-year-old comedian, who has not been seen in public since April, was photographed at the Peter Pan pantomime in Crewe alongside comedy double act Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball and former X Factor star Chico Slimani, who are all starring in the show.

In a picture published in The Sun newspaper, Kay is smiling broadly while dressed in a black jacket, with Slimani's arm draped round his shoulders.

Kay, who cancelled his tour in December 2017, usually keeps a low profile and was last pictured, in cap and sunglasses, on a tram in Blackpool in April, a few weeks after appearing at a charity screening for his comedy series Car Share.

His latest appearance comes after a statement shared on Kay's Twitter page said he had no involvement in the making of Peter Kay Comedy Genius: In His Own Words, which aired on Sunday night.

The message on his account said: "Very flattering of Channel 5 to commission the programme going out tonight, but just to let people known that 'Peter Kay: In His Own Words' has an incredibly misleading title, as it doesn't feature any new interviews with Peter and all the footage is completely historic.

"The title also gives the impression that Peter has been involved in the making of this documentary, which he hasn't.

"At all."

The message, which appears to have been written by a representative for the comedian, came more than two months after the star last posted on the site.