Books by Kay and Gervais win awards - Mar 29 2007
TV comics Peter Kay and Ricky Gervais were winners at the Galaxy British Book Awards, see photos.

Gervais, star of The Office and Extras, won the Children’s Book of the Year prize for his cartoon creations Flanimals of the Deep.

Kay beat Gordon Ramsay to the Biography of the Year award with his best-selling memoir, The Sound of Laughter.

The book was the surprise hit of last year, shifting a record-breaking 600,000 copies in its first two months of release. Sales are now approaching one million.

The Bolton funnyman had also been nominated in the Book of the Year category.

But that went instead to The Dangerous Book For Boys by brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden, a children’s how-to guide extolling such old-fashioned pastimes as playing conkers and climbing trees.

The 18th annual awards - known as the "Nibbies" - were hosted by presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan from London’s Grosvenor House.

Professional atheist Professor Richard Dawkins was named Author of the Year for The God Delusion, his attack on religious faith.

England star Steve Gerrard won Sports Book of the Year for Gerrard: My Autobiography.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger was named TV and Film Book of the Year after it was turned into a Hollywood hit starring Meryl Streep.

Peter Kay ’now worth £8million’ - Oct 18 2006
It would seem that comedian Peter Kay is now worth a whopping £8million.

The funnyman’s company Good Night Vienna Productions has soared in worth, according to the Daily Mirror.

The company’s books show that while in 2001 it had assets of just £388,000, that figure has now reached £8million.

It has been less than a decade since Peter was working as a £3.50-an-hour cinema usher, but since then he has made millions through DVDs, tours, adverts and, most recently, his best-selling autobiography The Sound Of Laughter.

His tour in 2002 made a huge £4.5million and the second series of his sitcom Phoenix Nights, set in the northern club circuit, was Britain’s fastest selling DVD ever.

So it seems to be less a case of The Way To Amarillo and more ’Which way to the bank?’

But riches don’t seem to have gone to Peter’s head - the star still lives in the Bolton house he bought five years ago for £187,000.

Peter Kay will switch on Blackpool Illuminations - Aug 31, 2020
Comedian Peter Kay and TV presenter Dale Winton will switch on the world famous Blackpool Illuminations. The switch-on ceremony will take place at around 9.30pm on Friday and will be broadcast live on Radio 2.

Thousands of people are expected to flock to the seaside resort’s Promenade for the free music and entertainment extravaganza.The show will feature performances from The Zutons, Ronan Keating, Heather Small and Duncan James. Radio 2 DJ Mark Goodier will host the hour-long radio programme which will be aired from 8.30pm.