A regional journalist for 32 years, Ian was Editor in Chief of The Bolton News until April. Today is the second of a regular weekly column

MORE than six million people tuned in on Bank Holiday Monday for the finale of Car Share, starring our very own Peter Kay.

Six million viewers. In these days of Netflix, Amazon and hundreds of digital channels, drawing in that size of audience is amazing.

I remember vividly Peter’s words as I talked to him during the filming of the first series in 2014, before Car Share became the hit it is today and before the madness of social media campaigns and petitions calling for a ‘proper’ ending to John and Kayleigh’s story.

If you had told him then that it would have attracted such an avid following and become loved by so many, he would have shot you that trademark sideways ‘Are you for real?’ glance.

Understandably, Peter was apprehensive about how a six part series which basically focused on workmates sharing their journey to and from work by car would be received.

This wasn’t the Bolton comedian in Phoenix Nights in character as Brian Potter or Max the doorman.

There was no big supporting cast or frequent scene changes.

For the majority of the 11 episodes - 12 including the improvised one - it was Peter and his virtually unknown co-star Sian Gibson in a car, talking, singing, arguing, laughing. Oh, and each episode would feature a dream sequence with Sian imagining herself as performing a hit by a famous singer. It was by no means a nailed-on hit with the public as far as Peter was concerned.

Even though he was delighted with the end product he admitted there was no way he could predict how it would be received.

The key to its success is that although it is recognisably a vehicle (literally) for Peter, it is clearly the result of a talented team all pulling together to produce something different for primetime TV.

The show as the brainchild of writers Paul Coleman and Tim Reid and Peter and Sian collaborated with them to turn it into the hit it was - Peter’s first comedy show for the BBC.

The programme looks simple to make – plonk two actors in a car with a script and off you go.

But, it was only thanks to the technological advances of the past five years or so that would have made it possible to film completely on location without big camera rigs fastened to the side of the car to capture the action.

Advancements in the quality of tiny cameras meant that the vehicle could be fitted with several, capturing the banter between Peter and Sian’s characters John and Kayleigh, without having to film close up shots in a studio.

The revelation has been Ms Gibson – whether that was turning up for a lift looking like she had been dragged through a hedge backwards after a night out, sneakily planning a day off work for an ill-fated visit to a safari park, or dressed up as Hagrid for a fancy dress party.

She has been brilliant as both the comedic foil for Peter’s cynical, stuck-in-his-ways supermarket manager, but also proved she could manage the dramatic heavy lifting as their relationship took a turn for the worse.

There were always going to be the inevitable comparisons with Peter’s other work, but Car Share was an entirely different concept. And clearly it is one that resonated with the public who loved the combination of the couple’s relationship, the hilarious Forever FM backdrop and the dozens of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them shop signs (Halaaldi, Pies R Us) and posters scattered throughout the series.

Like Phoenix Nights, Peter has ensured this show hasn’t outstayed its welcome. Like the best comedians, he knows that you really can have too much of a good thing.