Garlic Bread?!
Brian Potter's most quoted moment.
Sitcom File No. 002
Channel 4 · 2001–2002
Phoenix Nights
- Network
- Channel 4
- Years
- 2001–2002
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 12
Peter Kay's love letter to the northern working men's club: a warm, filthy, riotously funny ensemble comedy that made a nation quote 'garlic bread?!' for a decade.
WorkplaceNorthernEnsemble
Created by Peter Kay, Neil Fitzmaurice, Dave Spikey
The Review
Our verdict
Rating
9.2/10
Set in the fictional Phoenix Club in Farnworth, Bolton, Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights is a sitcom about a wheelchair-bound club owner, his hapless doormen and a rotating cast of terrible cabaret acts. It should not have worked. It worked completely.
Kay's Brian Potter is a comic creation of Falstaffian scope: bitter, scheming, wounded and, when the moment demands it, genuinely moving. Every line lands, every side character has an inner life, and the northern club setting gives the whole thing a texture no London-based sitcom could ever match.
Cast & Creators
Who made this one
Names linked to their Laughter File are part of the archive. Follow the thread.
Peter Kay
Brian Potter
View Laughter File →
- P
Paddy McGuinness
Paddy
- D
Dave Spikey
Jerry St Clair
- N
Neil Fitzmaurice
Ray Von
Memorable Episodes
Episodes to revisit
- 01
The Grand OpeningS1 · E1
The Phoenix rises from the ashes. Literally.
- 02
The TributeS2 · E2
Max & Paddy's first big showcase — the seed of a spin-off.
- 03
The Charity NightS2 · E6
Max and Paddy's finest hour.
Classic Clips
Four scenes to revisit
Clinton Baptiste
The Phoenix Club's disastrous psychic night.
St Peter's Finger
The rival club taunt that started a war.
Jerry's Cabaret Intros
A masterclass in bad compering.
Legacy
Peter Kay's calling card and a permanent fixture in the British comedy canon.
Where to watch
Available on Channel 4's streaming service.