8 reasons why Liverpool secretly loves Pete Price!

There’s more to Pete Price than being a lizard, you know.

And it’s not all about being one of Liverpool’s most famous faces, or hosting of one of the city’s most iconic radio shows…

Here’s 8 reasons why Liverpool secretly loves the radio legend!

1 - Pete…WON one of the first TV Talent shows!

In the 1970s, New faces was one of the biggest shows on ITV with an audience of 15 million. A forerunner of shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, New Faces launched the careers of many of the decade’s British stars.

Pete has been a stand-up comedian for over 50 years, and his New Faces stand-up routine featured him telling jokes in a newspaper suit! He and won The Viewer’s Vote – twice – and was runner-up to another New Faces discovery, Lenny Henry CBE.

Pete was so popular with TV audiences, he was invited back to host the show, which was the equivalent to standing in for Ant & Dec or Dermot O’Leary, now – quite an achievement for a newcomer! 

2 - Pete…invented The Selfie!

Well, sort of, because if Pete hasn’t posed with you, you’re probably not already a huge name in lights – and never will be! Harry Styles, Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Nick Jonas, Pharell are just some of the celebrity faces you’ll find in Pricey’s Hall of Fame, although the question remains: Did Pete get his piccy taken with them, or did THEY get their piccie taken with Pete?!

A friend to the fabulous, from Comedy icons like Bob Monkhouse, to sensational stars such as Shirley Bassey, Cilla Black, Sharon Osbourne and Paul O’Grady, Pete is most definitely popular.

3 - Pete…the awesome LGBTQ+ advocate!

LGBTQ+ has come a long way, baby, but that journey was only possible thanks to the bravery of people like Pete who dared to be different!

Homosexuality was a criminal offence until 1967, classified as mental illness. Ugly attitudes were the norm, so as a young man, Pete was afraid and saddened by his sexuality. In 1964, aged 18, he admitted himself to the psychiatric ward of a Chester hospital to ‘cure’ his homosexuality.

The ‘therapy’ he experienced darkened 30 years of his life, and it wasn’t until the 1990’s when he heard similar stories, that Pete shared his own experiences. Through his work as a DJ and stand-up act, Pete was able to find the confidence to authentically face the world. The only ‘therapy’ he needed was the acceptance an affection of the audience!

4 - Pete…as courageous as he was outrageous!

Peter Price was not only one of Liverpool’s most loved comedians, appearing in theatre clubs like The Shakespeare, but became a huge household in the 1970s. Camp was a formidable force of British comedy culture. Thanks to travelling the world and regular TV appearances, Pete became an ambassador for the outrageous jokes, daring dress sense and fabulous flirting that turned Camp into a campsite. 

Since then, his outspoken style and sartorial sassiness has seen him on the front cover of every newspaper only a few years ago in a pair of hot pants, with his love for being larger than life paving the way for future stars like The Vivienne! 

5 - Pete…the talk of the town!

Inducted into The Radio Academy Hall of Fame in 2014 and winning over 30 awards, including the Gold International Talkshow Host 2007 at the New York Festival – and the Silver that same year, Pete Price has entertained us on-air for over 40 years.

Pete’s late-night Talk show fans include Peter Kay who invited Pete to appear on his Live at Manchester Arena DVD, and during the decades, Pricey has interviewed icons including Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Kenny Dalglish, but says Scousers Abroad is his favourite segment, travelling the world by phone!

Pete’s phone-in has been a lifetime to many listeners, and this was especially true for one call in particular. A young man named Michael intended to take his own life, and called Pete’s show. Live on air, Pete wouldn’t end the call or take the chance it might be a crank call. Instead, he drove to Michael’s home and his saved life, getting him to the hospital. The next day, Last Night a DJ Saved My Life became a news headline around the world.

You can listen to Pete every Sunday from 10pm ’til 1am on Radio City Talk.

6 - Pete…is a lizard?

Let’s set the record straight: Pete Price IS NOT a lizard! Well, not as far as we know, anyway… but if you’re wondering how all this reptilian banter started, it’s because of a former footballer and Sports presenter, David Icke.

David Icke dropped out of his BBC career to become a conspiracy theorist, with one of his most infamous theories being how The Royal family and various celebrities were reptiles disguised as humans. 

Pete had mentioned several times on-air how he was trying to get David Icke onto his show, until one night, what seemed a normal call started a phenomenon. Mid-sentence, the caller explained Icke would never appear because: “Pete, you’re a lizard!”

It soon stuck and it shows no likelihood of wearing off any time soon – with people shouting “you’re a lizard” at him on the street.

7 - Pete…the sky’s the limit!

In April 2009, Price was made an Honorary Scouser by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, and

in 2018 was named a Citizen of Honour at Liverpool Town Hall in recognition of his charitable contributions alongside a 50-year career in show business.

A self-confessed workaholic, Pete’s career has taken him from trainee chef and hairdresser, to working with some of the world’s top stars as at The London Palladium, to entertaining audiences on The QEII, hosting on Radio One, becoming an ECHO columnist, appearing in newspapers from The Times to The Independent, winning a Gold Sony Award, regular appearances on Sky News Sunrise, and becoming one of Radio City Liverpool’s biggest stars with over 40 years of iconic airtime!

The moral of the story is: Pete Price dreams big, works hard and continues to enjoy every minute!

8 - Pete…Price is DEAD?!

This month, Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre welcomes Pete Price is Dead, written by and starring Radio City Breakfast host, Leanne Campbell. This hilarious comedy sees Radio City under threat unless all the presenters sign up to a new schedule to save the station courtesy of a rich American. There’s only one problem… Pete Price is dead.

Starring Michael Fletcher, Lindzi Germain, Ray Quinn, Pete Price, Keddy Sutton and Liam Tobin, find out what happens when the biggest mouth in Liverpool gets permanently shut! Can Leanne and Producer Archie (Ray Quinn) stash the body and keep the investors happy? Who will get Pete’s parking space? What will happen to his huge collection of celebrity selfies? Tune in to find out what happens when Pete tunes out..!

Book tickets here

Read more about Pete’s fascinating life in his autobiography, Pete Price: Namedropper here

Remember Pete onstage? Called his show? Met the man himself? Share your priceless Pricey memories @TheGuideLpool.