Peter Kay found last episode of Car Share the "hardest to write"
Although the finale is closely-guarded, it has "the perfect blend of hilarity and heart", according to BBC comedy's Shane Allen
There are scant few details about the last episode of Car Share - but what we do know is that Peter Kay found the final "the hardest episode to write".
Speaking to Mark Lawson in the new issue of Radio Times, head of BBC comedy Shane Allen reveals that Kay felt the "weight of expectation" surrounding the one-off episode, which airs Monday 28th May on BBC1.
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After Car Share's second series, Kay announced that there were going to be no further episodes. Fans were distraught, and a petition launched to try and Kay to reverse his decision garnered over 11,000 signatures.
"It's absolutely about giving the audience what they want," says Allen. "He was blown away by the response to the series. He never ever takes anything for granted, feels very lucky to be doing what he's doing and doesn't ever count his chickens when it comes to the audience response.
"He listened to the fans, and in many ways it was the hardest episode to write and make because of the weight of expectation on it, but I think it's got the perfect blend of hilarity and heart."
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Although Allen acknowledges Kay's "perfectionism", he rejects any suggestion that Kay is difficult to work with.
"He's the most unstarry person I know," says Allen. "He cares very deeply about what the audience will think, so he pours his heart into it all and his quality bar is extremely high. But he's an absolute dream - he's tremendously thoughtful and always really delightful to deal with."
In the interview, Allen also revealed Kay's initial outline for the comedy - and that he was now "glad" to have trusted the stand-up comedian, actor and writer with the rather vague pitch.
"His initial verbal pitch went: 'It's about two people in a car on their way to and from work, just talking to each other. I know that sounds crap, but you've got to trust me.' I'm very glad I did," says Allen.
The final episode has already been shown at special charity screenings in Blackpool, and new dates had to be added after they sold out.
A total of £34,000 was raised for charity by members of the public who were lucky enough to get their hands on a ticket for the screenings.
Peter Kay's Car Share: the Finale airs Monday 28th May at 10pm on BBC1
