Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights props fetch £21k at auction
Yunus MullaA treasure trove of props from Peter Kay's popular sitcom Phoenix Nights have sold for £21,000.
The 27 lots attracted interest from fans keen on a piece of TV history.
The show, based on the lives of staff at a fictional Bolton working men's club, ran for two series between 2001 and 2002.
Cocktail menus from spin-off show Max & Paddy's Road To Nowhere fetched the most for a single lot, going for £3,300.
The auctioneer did not show some of the more risqué props from the cult show during the live stream of the bidding.
In a case of life imitating art, a collection of beer mats and ashtrays were up for grabs, just as they were in the Channel 4 show when club boss Brian Potter - played by Kay - tried to sell mementos of a fire at the club.
The items - which included banners, posters, metal plaques and decorative ornaments - were given to Leyland auction house Warren and Wignall after a man came across them while clearing out a storage unit.
Auctioneer and valuer James Warren said he thought the seller would be "fairly happy" with £21,000.
He said he was not altogether surprised at how much the items fetched as "when people really want something they set their heart on it" and "they will spend the money when they've got it".
It was "great to see bidders in the room get involved" and not just online bidders such as the cocktail menus lot which raised the most money, he added.
Will Hairsine said he spent £7,000 on a number of items including a 6ft (1.8m) sign encouraging drivers to turn "and pull off into paradise".
He said he was a "massive fan" of the "iconic show", adding it was "part of my childhood".
"I felt like I had to get a part of it," he said.
He was "over the moon" with his haul but now has to find places to put his newly-acquired treasures.
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