Peter Kay's legendary sports-themed John Smith's adverts was peak comedy on TV as a kid, they've aged so well

Bolton legend Peter Kay was in top comedy form when he took part in iconic sports-themed John Smith’s adverts on TV during the 2000s, and they are still must-watch content for nostalgic-driven Millennials.

The 49-year-old iconic English comedian is much loved for his memorable performance as Brian Potter and bouncer Max in the acclaimed TV show Phoenix Nights.

Kay delighted his legion of fans when he brought back Max and teamed up with Paddy McGuinness for the Phoenix Nights spin-off Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.

The Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy star recently made his sensational return to stand-up comedy in Manchester for the first time in over a decade.

Kay, who cancelled his previous tour in 2018, was moved to tears during the thunderous ovation he received on the first night of his long-awaited tour at the AO Arena.

Despite his incredible success in TV shows and from his stand-up routines, Kay left many of us in stitches for his appearances in John Smith’s adverts on the small screen.

The Boltonian delivered his legendary “‘ave it” catchphrase when he punted the ball over a fence and into a house’s back garden during a round of keepie uppie.

Trading in football for diving, we found Kay at the top of a diving board under the name ‘John Smith’ and representing Great Britain at the ‘highest’ level.

Kay, or John Smith I should say, represented his country proudly by delivering a no-nonsense cannonball and soaking all of the judges who were poolside.

The Bolton star earned straight 10s for his “running bomb” and a pool-soaked Kay emerged with a thumbs up for the audience while his shorts exposed part of his backside.

The narrator delivered a “top-bombing” verdict for his performance from the diving board, with young kids at the time enjoying another memorable advert from Kay.

One person wrote: “Some of the best adverts on British TV!”

Someone else said: “It should be made compulsory by law to play all these during the ad break after watershed every day of the week.”

While another commented: “They don’t make them like that anymore.”

A fourth added: “I can’t stop laughing at these. I wish we had ads like this in the States.”

And a fifth added: “When the world was real. Please bring it back.”

Peter Kay, take a bow.

Topics: Football, Swimming

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9