Characters in Phoenix Nights

This is a list of characters in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights.

Played by Peter Kay, Potter (nicknamed Ironside by others, not to his knowledge) is the club's owner and licensee of the Phoenix Club. After an accident involving a fruit machine, he began using a wheelchair. He is known for taking the easy option, stingy nature with money and general hostility towards his staff. His trademarks include picking his nose, drinking spirits from a tall vase (which allows him to reach the spirit optic) and his brown cardigan.

Potter's first appearance in That Peter Kay Thing (during the episode 'In The Club') expanded on his past. Before the Phoenix, he managed three other clubs, two of which burned down while one flooded. During the flooding, Potter (during a misguided attempt to save the nights takings) found himself pinned against the wall by a fruit machine which paralyzed him. The club he managed immediately before the Phoenix was called the Neptune, and his attempt to rewire old Christmas lights instead of buying new ones backfired and the resulting short-circuit burnt the Neptune to the ground.

The first series of Phoenix Nights showed Potter struggling to get the club going after its grand opening following the burning down of the Neptune. His biggest desire is to earn the right to host the finals of local club competition 'Talent Trek' (which he manages to get after falsely claiming that Jerry was dying). Despite many mishaps (which include accidentally buying a Das Boot fruit machine, booking a racist band for the grand opening, getting a horse drunk during a western night and hiring a psychic who insulted the audience), the Phoenix did indeed become successful only for local rival Den Perry to drop a cigar into a waste bin. The resulting fire burnt out the majority of the club, no thanks to Brian not putting batteries in the smoke alarms.

The second series concerns Brian trying to get back on his feet following the fire, only for him to be blacklisted by the brewery as well as getting his alcohol licence revoked. Eventually he worked out a way to get around his licence ban by appointing Jerry as licensee (knowing he could be easily manipulated) while buying alcohol wholesale to serve to customers. Despite the usual blunders, the Phoenix once again thrived under pressure.

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