COMEDIAN Peter Kay made a surprise appearance on Mark and Lard's live radio show in Bolton.

His unexpected entrance was greeted with huge applause by the audience at the Life Bar Cafe who surged forward to catch the comedian's every word.

Peter, who brings his "My Mum Wants A Bungalow Tour" to Bolton on Monday, was on good form. Joined by fellow Phoenix Nights actor Paddy McGuinness, Peter talked about his new TV series which follows the exploits of bouncers Max and Paddy.

But the afternoon definitely belonged to Mark and Lard -- Bolton-born Mark Radcliffe and Mark "Lard" Riley.

More than 300 tickets had been snapped up in five minutes for their live radio show, so it was little wonder that the venue was quickly filled with an enthusiastic crowd.

Mark Radcliffe was clearly relishing being back home, with a shout of "Anyone from Daubhill or Heaton?" gaining cheers from the crowd.

Being a local boy -- a former Bolton School pupil -- he made references to the ABC cinema and Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe, again to laughter and cheers.

After a few techmical difficulties which caused the show to go off the air for a few minutes, Mark and Lard continued to amuse their audience.

There was a heart-stopping moment when Mark Radcliffe announced ex-Verve singer Richard Ashcroft could not make the show because he was "somewhere in Birmingham".

It proved to be a joke. Ashcroft performed an acoustic version of his latest track, looking every inch the rock star in his shades.

And it seems Sara Cox, who was on air earlier in the day, just could not stay away. She returned to the Life Bar Cafe to lend some support to her fellow Boltonian.

Back on home turf and clearly enjoying themselves, the Radio 1 presenters proved that there's no place like home.

After their show, Mark and Lard managed to find time for a quick drink before their next session. But did they enjoy broadcasting live from the town?

"I enjoyed it, but it was a tough day" admitted Mark Radcliffe. "It was really noisy and everything kept going wrong. We fell off the air at one point, just after Peter Kay had done his Saddam Hussein joke. So we got a bit paranoid.

"We thought Greg Dyke was sitting in London throwing a big switch."

"But he wasn't," he added with a grin.

"It is nice to do it live like that, you can see it all happening and it is chaos -- but that's half the point really.

"We will do it again. If it was up to me, we'd do it every day from Bolton."

And what did he think about the poster the Bolton Evening News created, with him and Lard on one-side and Sara Cox on the other?

"Whose idea was that?" Radcliffe demanded. "Sarah Cox on one side and us on the other - we are just going to face every bedroom wall!"

Racliffe also got to use his local knowledge.

"In fact, I've educated him," he gestures to his sidekick Lard.

"Yeah," Riley agrees. "I'm going to buy a Bolton A to Z on the way home"

"And I'm going to test him on Monday morning," Radcliffe replied.

The funny thing is, in their hands, that would actually make great radio.