PETER Kay and his Phoenix Nights Live co-stars handed over a cheque for more than £5 million to Comic Relief.

The run of 16 shows, at the Manchester Arena last month, raised £5,031,146.47 for the charity — the most money raised by a live comedy show in the world.

A total of 196,000 tickets were snapped up for the shows — based on the Farnworth-born funnyman's award-wining Channel 4 series.

A spokesman said: "A huge thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and supported such a great cause.

"The stand-alone event is a fantastic boost for the charity and the money raised will make such a difference to thousands of lives."

The cast — which also included Paddy McGuinness and Dave Spikey — gave their time for free on the project with all the profits from the shows going to Comic Relief.

They received rapturous applause from audiences and praise from critics throughout the run.

Red Nose Day is taking place tomorrow and donations can be made at rednoseday.com.