Speaking in a rare radio appearance, Kay thanked fans for their response to Sunday’s announcement of his first live tour in 12 years. “It was overwhelming,” she told BBC Radio’s 2 Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. He used the broadcast to reveal that the new tour will include a show next month at London’s O2, followed by a show every month at the same venue until November 2023. In response to initial disappointment from fans that the early details of the tour did not include a London date, Kay said: “Of course I won’t be doing London… I’m doing 02 once a month.” He will be the first artist to hold a month-long residency at the venue, 02 said. Kay said: “Me and Prince basically did it and look what happened to him.” Kay said he wanted tickets to the show to be affordable. “I said we’re doing this tour, and literally two weeks after all the gas prices have gone up and everything, and gasoline. I thought oh my god you have to do something. So I said, “Why don’t we do them at the same price, starting at £35. You have to meet people in the middle. These are bad times. That’s why people need a laugh.” He added: “That’s why it was in the news because it was something happy for once instead of gloom and doom – a bit like when you had a panda at the end of Newsround.” Kay said he “couldn’t get over it” watching the BBC One evening news presenter report on his tour. “Huw Edwards was in the news with a picture of me behind him. He did the Queen’s funeral and he’s talking about me… “Huw Edwards said he had to get some tickets at the end. Huw Edwards will be queuing for tickets… Him? I can’t get my head around [around] the.” Kay has been largely out of the limelight since making a surprise appearance at a charity screening of the Car Share series in 2018. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Following Sunday’s announcement of his new tour, Kay’s official website appeared to crash briefly due to increased online traffic. Kay said: “I really appreciate what has happened in the last few days. It’s so wonderful. And so nice. And it’s rightly overwhelming. I hope to give you a good show.” Kay’s tour kicks off on December 2 at the Manchester AO Arena and will also include dates in Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Belfast, Newcastle, Dublin, Cardiff and Glasgow. Kay rose to fame with the comedy series That Peter Kay Thing and later created shows such as Phoenix Nights and Car Share.
