Peter Kay just announced something pretty massive. The Bolton comedian is wrapping up his Better Late Than Never tour with 11 final shows, and every single penny of profit is going to cancer charities. Not some of it. All of it.
The money will be shared among 12 cancer charities, including Teenage Cancer Trust, Blood Cancer UK and The Brain Tumour Charity. Last week, he told The One Show that nearly everyone has a friend or relative who has been struck down by cancer. He’s not wrong, is he?
The Tour That Wouldn’t End
The Better Late Than Never tour started in December 2022. That was supposed to be it, a fine return after years on the shelf. But the demand was mental. He kept adding dates. And more dates.
And even more dates. By the time it concludes, in August 2026, he will have done more than 200 shows. That’s no longer a tour; that’s essentially a residency on the road.
Peter Kay tour tickets have been selling out in minutes when new dates are announced. He has the distinction of being the only artist in the world who has residency rights at The O2, London’s mega-arena. Did 45 shows there. That is more than anyone else in the history of the venue.
He has performed 100 nights at Manchester AO Arena, where he worked as a security guard in his pre-fame days. The full-circle thing is pretty something.
Then in November, he announced another batch of dates for 2026, with all the hallmarks of a classic Peter Kay manoeuvre. Screened a telly ad during I’m A Celebrity’s opener, which featured him lugging a gold toilet to his mum’s bungalow. Didn’t say much. Just announced the shows. That’s how he does things.
The Peter Kay Cancer Connection
This charity thing isn’t random. Peter has been doing cancer fundraising for years. In 2021, he emerged from retirement to do a show for Laura Nuttall, a woman just slightly younger than him who lived close by and who in January 2018, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme. That is an extremely aggressive brain cancer.
Laura passed away in 2023, but the money Peter raised helped her tick off loads of things from her bucket list.
Laura’s mum, Nicola, said Peter’s support meant the world to their family. He’s also participated in Dance for Life events, three-hour parties where he DJs as DJ PK, and everyone dances to raise money for cancer research.
All of those events sold out within 30 minutes in 2022. So when he talks about giving back, it’s not just talk. The man is putting his money where his mouth is. Or rather, not putting it in his pocket at all.
The Mystery Years
Between 2017 and 2022, Peter Kay basically vanished. In December 2017, he cancelled his entire tour. Just pulled the plug on 92 dates without much explanation. Everyone was wondering, “What happened to Peter Kay?” Said it was due to unforeseen family circumstances. That’s all anyone got.
Naturally, rumours started flying. Peter Kay’s wife’s cancer went viral. People were convinced his wife, Susan, had been diagnosed with something serious. But Susan herself came out and said it was rubbish. Not true. False. The Kay family kept the real reason private, and fair play to them for that.
Has Peter Kay been ill?
There were also whispers about Peter Kay’s illness, but nothing has ever been confirmed about him being unwell. He’s 52 now and looks healthier than he did years ago, actually.
Fans noticed Peter Kay’s weight loss when he came back. He’s definitely slimmer, but he’s not talked about it publicly. Maybe he just started eating better. Maybe he’s been walking more. Who knows? It’s his business.
What He’s Actually Like
Peter Kay’s comedy is proper northern observational stuff. He talks about growing up working class in Bolton. The daft things people do. Garlic bread. Misheard lyrics. The way your mum pronounces foreign words. It’s not edgy or political. It’s just funny because it’s true.
Phoenix Nights is still one of the best British sitcoms ever made. Car Share won him a BAFTA in 2016. That Peter Kay Thing was brilliant. The Amarillo video raised millions for Comic Relief. He’s sold over 10 million DVDs, more than Avatar and Mamma Mia combined. That’s a proper achievement when you think about it.
He doesn’t do social media much. Keeps his private life private. Married Susan Gargan in 2001 after they met in a nightclub in Bolton in 1998. They’ve got three kids together. One’s named Charlie Michael Kay, after both their dads. The other two kids’ names haven’t been made public because Susan and Peter want them to have normal lives.
The family live in Bolton but also has a place in Ireland, in County Tipperary. Peter doesn’t drink, never has. He’s teetotal, which is unusual for a comedian but probably explains why he’s still going strong at 52.
The Return That Broke Records
When Peter Kay tickets went on sale for his 2022 comeback, the internet basically exploded. Ticketmaster crashed. People were queuing online for hours. He kept the prices at £35 to match his 2010 tour, even though inflation meant he could’ve charged way more. He said he didn’t want to take advantage during a cost-of-living crisis.
That’s the thing about Peter Kay. He could milk it. Charge £100 a ticket, and people would still buy them. But he doesn’t. He’s from Bolton. Grew up in a working-class family. His dad, Michael, was an engineer who died just before Peter’s career took off. His mum, Deirdre, is an Irish Catholic from County Tyrone. He knows what it’s like to not have much money.
His 2010 to 2011 tour is in the Guinness World Records as the most successful stand-up tour ever. Sold over 1.2 million tickets. This current tour’s probably going to beat that record once it’s done.
Peter Kay Now Is Different
Something shifted during those years away. He came back quieter somehow. More focused on what matters. Maybe that’s what happens when you step away from the madness for a bit. You realise what’s actually important.
In October 2025, he published Peter Kay’s Diary: The Monthly Memoir of a Boy from Bolton. It’s stories from his childhood, growing up in the 70s and 80s. Classic Peter Kay stuff. He also voiced PC Mackintosh again in the new Wallace & Gromit film that came out in December 2024. First time he’d done that character since 2005.
But it’s the charity work that feels most significant. Giving away all the profits from these final shows isn’t a small gesture. We’re talking about potentially millions of pounds going to cancer research and support.
Rachel Calderon from Blood Cancer UK said everyone in the blood cancer community is genuinely grateful he’s chosen to support them. Dr Michele Afif from The Brain Tumour Charity called him a national treasure. And yeah, that’s probably fair. He is, isn’t he?
Why It Matters
Comedy’s been in a tough spot lately. Too many comedians are desperate to be transgressive, pushing boundaries just because they can. And then there’s Peter Kay, making jokes about garlic bread and misheard song lyrics, selling out arenas, and giving all the money to charity.
Peter Kay’s movies and TV shows have made him rich. His production company, Goodnight Vienna, which he runs with Susan, handles all his output. He could’ve retired years ago. Instead, at 52, he’s back onstage twice a night, sometimes to give the money away.
The final Peter Kay tour dates are from December 2025 to August 2026. Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Glasgow, Dublin, Birmingham (and Belfast and Sheffield and Leeds), and London. He will be finishing where he started, at Manchester AO Arena in August. The spot where he once directed patrons to their seats is where he will take his final bow.
Tickets will be available from Sunday, 30th November at 10 am. They’ll sell out fast; they always do. If you get one, you’re not just going to see a comedy show. You’re helping fund cancer research and support services. That’s a pretty good night out when you think about it.