Max and Paddy

Maxwell "Max" Bygraves and Patrick "Paddy" O'Shea are fictional nightclub bouncers created by comedian Peter Kay and performed by Kay and fellow comedian Patrick "Paddy" McGuinness.

Both characters originally appeared in an episode of That Peter Kay Thing. They subsequently featured as central cast members in the comedy series Phoenix Nights and starred in their own spin-off series Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

Max and Paddy are essentially kindred spirits, sharing many characteristics, such as both being of limited intelligence and have very little drive or conscientiousness for their jobs. Both are single and repeatedly signal their attraction to women entering the club, typically with comments made to each other after a group of women has passed them, although Paddy does have a brief relationship with Holy Mary's daughter, who is a student, and also called Mary. Max has one brother, Terry, and drives a light blue 1985 Volvo 200 series saloon, which he has Ray Von fit with a customisable car alarm which features Max’s voice shouting, “Get away, or I’ll break your legs!”

The relationship between Max and Paddy is categorised by their (albeit limited) shared interests, such as TV shopping purchases, and a common sense of humour. The two appear to share a mutual respect for each other, despite jokes made at each other’s expense, for example, a running joke through the two series of Phoenix Nights is Max’s insistence that Paddy is going bald, and he frequently points out Paddy’s apparently thinning hair. Despite Paddy’s concern generated by Max’s comments, it is never revealed if Paddy is really going bald or not. When a last minute booking of band Right Said Frank results in the band members stealing stereos from all the cars parked outside, as Max confronts the thieves, Paddy rushes to back him up and together they tackle the two men to the ground.

Following the destruction of the Phoenix Club at the climax of the first series of Phoenix Nights, Brian Potter, whilst attempting to reform his staff line up, calls Max and Paddy as they are driving elderly Asian gentlemen to the mosque and singing at the tops of their voices to Is This the Way to Amarillo by Tony Christie, which is playing on Chorley FM, in what was to become an iconic moment for the series.

Tasked with acquiring alcohol in order to supply the club following the loss of Potter’s licence and subsequently his contract with his alcohol supplier, Max and Paddy drive a van to France, and unwittingly pick up two Chinese immigrants in the process.

Towards the end of the second series of Phoenix Nights, Max is accosted by a woman, known as ‘Fanny’ as she is wearing a badge with a fake name on it, who wants her husband killed. Max bargains with ‘Fanny’ and agrees to kill her husband for fee of £8000. He then lies to Paddy that ‘Fanny’ will pay them each £1000, and Paddy agrees to go with him to do the job. Max, Paddy and Terry travel to an isolated spot and practice their shooting using a Broomhandled Mauser which Max's grandfather left to him, however, when Paddy takes his turn, he accidentally shoots Terry, injuring him. When it comes to the night of the murder, Max and Paddy find they can't bring themselves to kill the man and instead bribe him with £3000 in cash to leave the country, Max gives Paddy £1000, and spends the remaining £4000 on a motor home. A number of days later, however, Max and Paddy spot the man they were meant to kill in town, and are later confronted by ‘Fanny’, who hints that she has put a hit out on them. During the heated exchange, she also reveals that she paid Max £8000, which angers Paddy, who only received £1000 from Max.

At the conclusion of the final episode of the second series of Phoenix Nights, Max, terrified that ‘Fanny’ may have contracted some other criminals to murder him, is about to flee the area in his motor home, when Paddy decides to come with him. This sets the scene for the spin-off series Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.