Peter Kay has revealed he is 'gutted' after it was revealed he'd be postponing his opening performance for Manchester's Co-op Live. On Monday, April 22, the arena announced that the comedian's performances.
However, thankfully for the funnyman and his plethora of fans, the show will now take place on April 29 and 30, with the star joking he'd miss his 'bums and tums class'. It comes as the 50-year-old returned to stage two years ago following a long hiatus which caused years of rumours about an ongoing health battle.
Peter is best known for his comedy and rose to fame with mockumentary series That Peter Kay Thing before masterminding Phoenix Nights and Max And Paddy's Road To Nowhere. Car Share then followed.
Here, we take a look into his life, from his stage comeback to his rumoured health battle.
Decision to take a break
Peter Kay ran a hugely popular live tour in 2010, impressively making it into the Guinness World Records for the tour with the biggest-selling run of all time, playing to more than 1.2 million people.
In December 2017, the star cancelled his tour citing “unforeseen family circumstances” leading to a long hiatus and various questions from fans.
Peter released a statement in December 2017 before his 2018/19 tour.
It said that due to "unforeseen family circumstances" he would have to cancel his whole tour and more updates would be forthcoming.
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However, they never came and for five years he stayed out of the spotlight - eager to keep his private life private.
The statement read: “Due to unforeseen family circumstances I deeply regret that I am having to cancel all of my upcoming work projects. This unfortunately includes my upcoming stand-up tour, Dance For Life shows and any outstanding live work commitments.
“My sincerest apologies. This decision has not been taken lightly and I’m sure you’ll understand my family must always come first. I’ve always endeavoured to protect my family’s privacy from the media. I hope that the media and the public will continue to respect our privacy at this time. Once again I’m very sorry.”
Years away from spotlight
After axing his tour and all other work indefinitely just days after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, his disappearance was immediate and his Twitter page was plunged into silence.
Worried fans wondered what had happened to their comedy favourite - who had since been hit by three cruel death hoaxes.
And they went wild when Peter returned to social media in March 2018 to announce a charity screening of Peter Kay's Car Share.
The event was held to raise cash for The Lily Foundation, which helps children with mitochondrial disease, and in a moving blog post, he told how he had 'first hand' experience of the charity's work.
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The star disappeared for a year, reportedly retreating to his bolthole in Tipperary, Ireland, where locals claimed he seemed determined to fly under the radar.
One resident told The Sun: “Peter clearly wanted to keep a low profile and did everything he could to avoid attracting attention to himself while staying here.
“You'd never see him in the local pubs or restaurants, and he always seemed to be alone. Most people only ever saw him passing through."
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Then in April 2019 Peter finally surfaced, making a surprise appearance at a screening of Car Share at Blackpool Opera House for The Lily Foundation, with organisers revealing he raised a staggering £34,000 in the process.
Charity founder Liz Curtis - whose daughter Lily tragically died from the condition when she was eight months old - said: "We can't thank Peter and his team enough for this incredibly generous donation. For a small charity like ours this is a very significant sum. I know I speak for all our families in thanking Peter from the bottom of our hearts. He's shown once again what a real star he is."
Rumoured health battle
Despite the star never shedding light on what triggered the long career break or touching on health issues, his triumphant return to the stage saw him comically divulge a medical nightmare.
Touching on his health on the opening night of his tour, he described the indignities of a kidney stones operation - an experience which went from bad to worse when an anaesthetist asked him for a selfie.
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As male members of the audience were left uncontrollably laughing and wincing at the same time, it also marked the closest time the public has ever got to any explanation of the star's health battles.
Return to stage
In November 2022 the comedian announced his return to stand-up comedy with his first live tour in 12 years.
The star, who had been largely absent from the public eye embarked on an arena tour spanning from December 2022 until August 2023.
Following the announcement, Kay’s official website appeared to crash briefly under increased online traffic.
The funnyman was brought to tears on the opening night of his first live comedy tour in 12 years.
He received a rapturous standing ovation which lasted several minutes, with audiences chanting his name, as he took to the stage following his long hiatus.
The Car Share star appeared overwhelmed by the reaction, pausing to lean against a stool on stage before standing up and dabbing his eyes.
“Oh Jesus look at me, I mean what’s that all about… how am I supposed to do bloody comedy now?” he asked audiences, prompting the first laughs of the evening.
Penning his memoir
Last year, the Bolton-born comedian said it had been a “massive pleasure” to reminisce on his journey from obsessing about TV to working in it for his latest memoir titled TV: Big Adventures On The Small Screen.
The memoir marked the 50-year-old Kay’s long-awaited return to the page following the record-breaking release of his autobiography The Sound Of Laughter in 2006, Saturday Night Peter in 2009 and The Book That’s More Than Just A Book in 2011.
The book is described as a nostalgic love letter to a childhood spent idolising “the wooden box in the corner of the front room” that went on to inspire a lifetime’s work, publisher Harper Collins UK said.
Kay said: “I’d wanted for years to write about my obsession for TV and working in it.
“It’s been such a massive pleasure recalling the adventures I’ve had over the last 25 years both in front (of) and behind the camera, and I hope people will enjoy reading about the journey as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.”
His memoir was published in September 2023 and officially named as a Sunday Times Bestseller.
2024 tour postponed
The comedian has said he is “truly gutted” after opening performances of a new arena were postponed with less than 48 hours’ notice.
Manchester’s Co-op Live – which will be the largest arena in the UK, seating 23,500 people – was due to officially open in April 2024 with shows from the comic on Tuesday and Wednesday.
But, after capacity for a test event on Saturday was reduced with just hours’ notice, the arena announced on Monday that Kay’s performances would instead take place on April 29 and 30.
In a statement posted on X by Co-op Live, Kay said: “I’m truly gutted as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets, but obviously it’s a brand-new venue and it’s important that everything is finished and safe for full capacity audiences.
“Fortunately we’ve been able to reschedule the shows to next week, (I’ll have to miss my Bums and Tums class) but hopefully I’ll see you then.”
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