Peter Kay is set to become the first artist in the world to perform a monthly residency at London’s O2 Arena, the venue has said.
The actor, writer and stand-up comedian confirmed the residency would be part of his recently announced shows across the UK and Ireland, which will come after almost five years of remaining largely out of the public eye and 12 years since his last tour.
Kay will perform a show a month at the O2 from December 2022 to November 2023, as well as dates in cities including Liverpool, Dublin, Nottingham and Newcastle.
Appearing as a co-host on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, the 49-year-old said the reaction to the news of his live comeback had been “unbelievable”, and that he could not believe he was the “main news on telly” after the announcement was made during an ad break of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! on Sunday.
“I thought we should call this tour Peter Who? because I haven’t been (around) for five years,” he said. “Being on the news… can you get your head around that?”
Kay said that he is doing practice shows in preparation for the upcoming tour.
“They are going well, I’ve done a few now,” he said. “People keep calling them secret gigs, but they’re not secret at all.”
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The arena gigs will make up Kay’s first live tour since 2010, when he broke the Guinness World Record for the biggest-selling run of all time, performing to more than 1.2 million people.
He will be the first artist ever to perform a monthly residency at the O2, the venue said, although residencies in other forms have taken place.
In 2007, Prince performed a concert residency of 21 nights in August and September. Michael Jackson was set to perform a residency of shows in 2009, but died just a few weeks before the first was set to take place.
Kay’s show news comes after his last planned 14-month tour was cancelled at short notice in 2017 due to “unforeseen family circumstances”.
Discussing his upcoming gigs, the comedian addressed the cost of living crisis and said he wanted to keep ticket prices down.
“The gas prices are going up, and everything else and petrol.
“I thought, God you’ve got to do something. So I (said) why don’t we do them at the same price as my 2010 tour, starting from £35?
“Bad times, that’s why people need a laugh. I think that’s why (it was on) the news. It was something happy for once, instead of doom and gloom.”
Kay’s shows begin on 2 December at the Manchester AO Arena, with tickets on sale from 12 November.
