Peter Kay cancels UK tour over ‘family circumstances’
COMEDIAN Peter Kay has cancelled his Peter Kay Live Arena Tour and all other work commitments due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Kay, whose mother Deirdre is from Coalisland, was due to embark on his first live shows in eight years in 2018/2019 with six dates at Belfast’s SSE Arena and six more at Dublin’s 3Arena.
The hugely popular entertainer said he had to cancel the tour due to unforeseen family circumstances. In a statement, he said: “I deeply regret ... 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.”
He added: “Once again, I’m very sorry.”
Kay was due to perform at the SSE Arena in Belfast in January 2019. The comedian has many links to Northern Ireland.
He recently told RTE’s Late Late Show that he went to Belfast “quite a bit” and that Titanic Belfast was “amazing”.
The 44-year-old comic said: “I love it. It was proper good. It was quite emotional.”
And Geraldine McQueen — one of Kay’s best-known characters — is from Co Tyrone, his mum’s home county.
After a sell-out run of five nights at the Odyssey Arena in December 2010, and due to phenomenal public demand, Kay returned for an additional three performances with the Tour That Doesn’t Tour Tour.
It would go on to sell over one million tickets in arenas across the UK and Ireland, making it the biggest stand-up comedy tour in the world. Individuals who purchased tickets for the cancelled tour from Ticketmaster online or by telephone using a debit or credit card will automatically be refunded within the next few days.
For customers who purchased in person from a Ticketmaster agent outlet or venue, full refunds will be available from the point of purchase from today.
But those who bought their tickets from a secondary website or reseller may not have the same chance of getting a refund.
For more information visit www.consumercouncil.org.uk or phone 0800 121 6022.