Peter Kay announces first live standup tour in 12 years

The announcement appeared to crash his website

Peter Kay has announced his first live standup tour in 12 years - and it starts in just a few weeks time.

The tour will kick off with dates in Manchester and Birmingham in December this year.

These will be followed by dates in Liverpool, Leeds, Belfast, Newcastle, Dublin, Cardiff and Glasgow throughout next year.

His run will end on 11 August 2023 at the Utilita Arena Sheffield.

Tickets will go on sale for the UK gigs at 10am on 12 November from his website, following an announcement on the comedian’s Twitter account.

Kay said: “It’s good to get back to what I love doing best, standup comedy and if there’s ever a time people need a laugh it’s now.

“And with the cost of living at an all-time high, ticket prices are starting from £35. The same price they were on my previous tour in 2010.” The Bolton-born comedian is arguably the most successful British standup comedian of all time. His 2010 tour holds the world record for the biggest selling run of all time, playing to more than 1.2 million people.

In an accompanying video to promote his new dates, the comic is carrying a roll of carpet and tells a fan in a vehicle about the tour.

It includes his famous line “garlic bread – it’s the future” and makes reference to his 'Mum Wants a Bungalow Tour' in 2002.

https://twitter.com/peterkay_co_uk/status/1589370443512905728

The tour was announced during an advert break on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! on Sunday night. A poster for the event featured Kay holding a sign reading, “Better late than never” and described a ticket to his shows as an “ideal Christmas gift”.

Fans can almost certainly expect references of Rola Cola, garlic bread, three rings, and plenty of mentions of his mum.

Following the announcement, Kay’s official website appeared to crash briefly under increased online traffic.

The comedian has been largely out of the spotlight in recent years. The last time Kay performed on stage was in August last year. The comedian performed two charity shows to raise money for 22-year-old Laura Nuttall who is terminally ill with brain cancer and has been ticking things off her bucket list since her diagnosis. On Friday, Kay took Nuttall and her family for lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant near Burnley. Before the charity gigs last year, Kay had not been on stage since 2018, when he made a surprise appearance at a screening of his hugely successful sitcom Car Share. Related links:

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