British Comedy Guide

Peter Kay returns to stand-up, increasing speculation about new tour

Thursday 6th October 2022, 5:19pm by Jay Richardson

Peter Kay
  • Peter Kay has performed a series of "secret" warm-up gigs, fuelling speculation that he's about to announce a UK tour
  • His last arena tour was abruptly cancelled in 2017 only shortly after it was announced, due to unforeseen family circumstances
  • Audiences at the Lowry Theatre in Salford this week were asked to surrender their mobile phones during the performance

Peter Kay has performed a series of "secret" stand-up shows, increasing speculation that he's about to announce a new tour.

Audiences were made to hand their mobile phones in to venue staff at the Lowry Theatre in Salford this week, Manchester Evening News reports.

The warm-up gigs in the theatre's 120-seater studio space were not advertised and punters reportedly had to whisper what the show was to the box office when collecting their tickets.

The MEN quoted one as writing on Twitter:

"Omg just been to a secret gig with Peter Kay at The Lowry. Best night of my life ever, that guy is a legend. Phones in locked pouches, secret ticket collection, the lot. Still buzzing.

"It was the weirdest but best experience ever. He is just such a grounded fella. The gig was really raw and unpolished which was what made it so personal. The whole room was giddy. It was brilliant."

The post now appears to have been deleted. However, comments about unannounced shows from earlier this year remain visible.

The Sun reported in May that Kay, who pulled a massive 2018 arena tour mere days after announcing it, citing unforeseen family circumstances, would shortly be announcing dates that included London's O2 Arena and Manchester's AO Arena.

The comedian has made brief stage appearances in the last few years, including charity Q&A shows and DJing his Dance For Life events in aid of Cancer Research.

Jason Manford added to speculation about his friend's stand-up return earlier this summer when he told Dublin radio station FM104: "He's great, Pete. We've known each other a long time, it must be 25 years. It's been a hell of a ride.

"He's just an absolute legend isn't he? What a treasure. Hopefully back himself soon, doing stand-up, so keep your eye out for his tour. Not that he needs you to buy a ticket as much as I do."

Last year Kay revealed that he is writing a third volume of his memoirs, about his work in television.

Peter Kay - The Live Collection

Peter Kay - The Live Collection

Includes Peter Kay's hit stand-up shows Live At The Top Of The Tower and Live At The Bolton Albert Halls.

First released: Monday 5th November 2007

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Saturday Night Peter: Memoirs Of A Stand-Up Comedian

Saturday Night Peter: Memoirs Of A Stand-Up Comedian
By Peter Kay

Edinburgh, Blackpool, Bolton - the glamour of it all! Picking up from where Peter's bestselling autobiography The Sound Of Laughter left off, Saturday Night Peter charts the journey as his career took as he left the beautiful bosom of Bolton and headed for the highway, to hone his act on the greatest stage of all - the British comedy circuit!

Every Saturday night, Peter would turn up at a new venue, with a new audience to win over, and a new bunch of odd characters to share the stage with: chainsaw-juggling lizards, suicidal magicians, and some of the worst tribute acts to have ever cleared a club.

First published: Thursday 8th October 2009

  • Publisher: Century
  • Pages: 272
  • Catalogue: 9781846053634

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  • Published: Thursday 8th July 2010
  • Publisher: Arrow Books
  • Pages: 368
  • Catalogue: 9780099519836

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The Sound Of Laughter

The Sound Of Laughter
By Peter Kay

Peter Kay's unerring gift for observing the absurdities and eccentricities of family life has earned himself a widespread, everyman appeal. These vivid observations coupled with a kind of nostalgia that never fails to grab his audience's shared understanding, have earned him comparisons with Alan Bennett and Ronnie Barker.

In his award winning TV series' he creates worlds populated by degenerate, bitter, useless, endearing and always recognisable characters which have attracted a huge and loyal following. In many ways he's an old fashioned kind of comedian and the scope and enormity of his fanbase reflects this. He doesn't tell jokes about politics or sex, but rather rejoices in the far funnier areas of life: elderly relatives and answering machines, dads dancing badly at weddings, garlic bread and cheesecake, your mum's HRT...

His autobiography is full of this kind of humour and nostalgia, beginning with Kay's first ever driving lesson, taking him back through his Bolton childhood, the numerous jobs he held after school and leading up until the time he passed his driving test and found fame.

First published: Monday 2nd October 2006

  • Published: Thursday 16th September 2021
  • Publisher: Audible.com
  • Minutes: 497

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  • Publisher: Century
  • Pages: 279
  • Catalogue: 9781846051616

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  • Published: Saturday 7th July 2007
  • Publisher: Arrow Books
  • Pages: 368
  • Catalogue: 9780099505556

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Peter Kay - T.V.: Big Adventures On The Small Screen

Peter Kay - T.V.: Big Adventures On The Small Screen
By Peter Kay

The long-awaited return of the comedy national treasure.

Blockbusters, Baywatch ... Mastermind, Moonlighting ... Porridge, Parkinson ... Peter Kay takes you on a journey into the wonders of TV - back to the days when Dusty Bin was a household name, Robin of Sherwood was a pin-up and the Brookside siege was the event of the year. For a young telly-loving Peter growing up in Bolton, TV meant Sunday bath nights with a black-and-white portable, the unbridled excitement of the new Christmas TV guide and his elderly neighbour's inconvenient hearing problem.

Here, for the first time, he collects his TV memories and adventures together in this brilliant book. Join Peter as he finds success on the small screen, leaving his own unique footprint in the golden age of TV: from making tea at Granada Studios and marching along to (Is This the Way to) Amarillo to hanging out in the Rovers Return, having run-ins with Bernard Manning and starring in possibly the worst Doctor Who episode of all time. You'll go behind the scenes of the legendary Phoenix Nights, take The Road to Nowhere with Max & Paddy and discover how Peter created his BAFTA-winning performance in Car Share.

So sit back and enjoy a journey through the wonderful world of television. Endearing, sidesplittingly funny and utterly unforgettable - T.V. sees Peter Kay at his vivid, nostalgic and hilarious best.

First published: Thursday 28th September 2023

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