I saw him at the Wheatsheaf in stoke in 97 or 98 just before he made it big, I nearly bust a gut laughing. I was brought up near Bolton so yeah i know how accurate his characters are. When he rants on about his mum he might as well be talking about mine!
The following is a 100% true story.. back during the power strikes in the early 70s (ahh 3 day week i remember u well) and we all huddled round my dads paraffin heater*** with a few poky candles cos the local shop was rationing them, my mother (bless her cotton socks <spit>

was looking out the window of our moky council house and announced "see the electricity must be alright because a bus just went past with all its lights on..." Peter Kay told a similar story on ne of his stand up shows which demonstrates that his humour is all observed not made up, that northern working class mums are bloody stupid, and that i'm probably related to him. But I don't look like Alf Roberts.
btw we really did have to drink roller-cola and my mum would never buy me trainers so i had to go to the chippy in her slippers, no wonder I was fast runner it was to get away from the other kids on the estate who wanted to batter me for looking like a puff.
***my dads crap joke from the 70s, when we moaned about not having central heating. he'd put this stinky paraffin heater in the middle of the living room carpet and say "its bloody central now.." Prat.
..you think you're done with the past; but the past isn't done with you..