Peter Kay Praised as Clinton Baptiste Tour Is Extended; Privacy Policy Details How Fan Data Is Managed
Alex Lowe says he owes a major debt to Peter Kay after the comedian gave him the green light to continue the Clinton Baptiste character once Phoenix Nights ended — a decision Lowe credits with launching a sustained stand‑up career and prompting an extension of his latest nationwide tour. At the same time, a privacy policy briefing included here outlines how fan interactions with online services are tracked and what controls are available.
Peter Kay and Alex Lowe
Alex Lowe has described himself as "eternally grateful" to Peter Kay for helping kickstart his comic career by permitting Lowe to keep playing the eccentric psychic Clinton Baptiste after the Channel 4 series Phoenix Nights finished. Lowe says that Peter Kay could have refused permission but did not, and that he "owes Peter a lot" for that kindness. The pair remain friends and Lowe says they speak from time to time; he takes advice from Kay on material and delivery, noting Kay's ability to pitch gags and that he is one of the few people Lowe will always listen to.
Clinton Baptiste and Phoenix Nights
Clinton Baptiste first reached audiences on Phoenix Nights, where the character appeared for about five minutes. That brief cameo proved fertile: over the past two decades Lowe has given the character a fuller history and developed Clinton so the role works in a stand‑up setting. It has been 25 years since Phoenix Nights first aired, and Lowe says the warm reaction to Clinton has been "really gratifying" as many people have embraced the developed character.
Tour Extension and Live Shows
Lowe regularly performs nationwide live shows as Clinton and says the performances "go down a storm" with fans. His most recent tour has been such a success that it has been extended. The act, he says, is designed as "old fashioned fun" with "tonnes and tonnes of jokes, " more audience readings and room for near‑the‑knuckle humour because Clinton is a buffoon who can say things a straight performer might not. Lowe also admits that he still gets incredibly nervous on stage and that the nerves have not faded with age.
Privacy Policy and User Controls
The privacy policy portion of the briefing begins from the premise that when users use digital services they place trust in the company with their information, and that the company treats that as a significant responsibility. The document is intended to explain what information is collected, why it is collected, and how users can update, manage, export and delete that information. It also points users toward a separate European requirements section when European Union or United Kingdom data protection law applies, noting that that section explains rights and compliance in those jurisdictions.
Data Handling: Identifiers, Accounts and Content
The policy highlights practical choices available to users. People can sign up for an account to create and manage content such as emails and photos, or they can use many services while signed out — for example by searching on Google or watching YouTube videos without creating an account. Browsing can also be done in a private mode, cited as Chrome Incognito mode, which helps keep browsing private from other people who use the same device. Across services, users can adjust privacy settings to control whether certain types of data are collected and how they are used.
The document describes how information is collected to improve services — from basic signals such as preferred language to more complex inferences like which ads or which YouTube videos a user might find useful. When a person is not signed in, information is stored with unique identifiers tied to the browser, application or device being used; that storage enables maintaining preferences across sessions, such as preferred language or whether to show more relevant search results or ads based on activity. When signed in, information is associated with the user’s account and treated as personal information. Creating an account requires personal information including name and a password, and users may choose to add a phone number or payment information. The policy also notes that even when not signed in, a user might voluntarily provide an email address to receive updates or communications. Content created, uploaded or received — for example email, photos, videos, documents and comments on YouTube — is also collected under the policy, and information about apps, browsers and devices is gathered to support features such as automatic product updates and dimming the screen if a device’s battery runs low. One portion of the policy text is incomplete in the provided material, ending with the fragment "operat" and unclear in the provided context.
Because Peter Kay gave Lowe permission to continue the Clinton Baptiste character after the Channel 4 show ended, Lowe was able to expand that five‑minute cameo into a decades‑long stand‑up phenomenon and a tour that has been extended. Because online services store data with identifiers when users are not signed in and collect account information when they are, fans and performers alike face choices about how their information is kept and used. What makes this notable is the way a single creative decision — permission to continue a character — can ripple into a sustained career while the surrounding digital environment shapes how that career and its audience are managed online.
Lowe says he would welcome any future revival of Phoenix Nights and that he has "no idea if there will be more"; each year the topic is mentioned and he would be "gutted" to be left out if the program returned. For details on his tour the reporting referenced a dedicated tour website.
