Peter Kay makes a special request at his tour which has gone down well with fans

Peter Kay made a special request to his fans as he kicked off his lengthy UK-wide tour over the weekend.

The comedian was met with cheers and chants of his name as he returned to the stage on Friday (2 December) following a 12-year absence.

The Bolton native played his first show at Manchester's AO arena and the reaction to his appearance was so positive that Kay admitted he was moved to tears even before he started cracking jokes.

When it came to his comedy, though, Kay had just one thing to ask of the thousands of fans in the audience.

Chris Bull / Alamy Stock Photo

Acknowledging that the vast majority of people in the crowd would have been equipped with a mobile phone, Kay asked that fans not film any element of the show, saying: "Let’s just live in the moment, and not spoil it for other people."

The comedian sought to give as many fans as possible the chance to see him lives as he added more dates to his tour following an initial sell-out.

Fans will be able to see Kay's new material for themselves live as he plays 110 dates across the UK, appearing in Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Belfast, Newcastle, Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, Cardiff and Nottingham.

The comedian also has a monthly residency at the O2 Arena in London.

Fans so far have largely seemed to respect Kay's request, with posts on social media from members of the crowd mostly relating to just how brilliant Kay is.

After watching Kay's first performance, one Twitter user wrote: "What an absolute privilege to be there for Peter Kay’s return to the big stage. He got a standing ovation for his entrance and was reduced to tears, never seen anything like it. No spoilers, just a superb night."

@andrewflynn_/Twitter

Another fan tweeted: "Amazing show last night , Peter kay had me in tears from start to finish absolute legend !!!"

Kay's request will hopefully alleviate some fans of their fears that they will know everything about the show before getting a chance to see it for themselves, with many criticising those who have shared footage to social media and urging attendees to keep the knowledge of his material to themselves.

"Also if you filmed Peter Kay tonight and spoil it for people who might be going in months, or years, YOU ARE A B******," one person wrote, adding: "The amount of times he pled with the audience NOT TO FILM!"