How did Peter Kay react to his return to the stage? Comedian in tears after Manchester standing ovation

Peter Kay was brought to tears on the opening night of his first live comedy tour since 2010.

The comedian received a rapturous standing ovation which lasted several minutes, with audiences chanting his name, as he took to the stage on Friday (2 December). He appeared overwhelmed by the reaction, pausing to lean against a stool on stage before standing up and dabbing his eyes.

The live tour marks Kay’s return to stand-up comedy after being largely absent from the public eye for the last four years. Friday’s show at the Manchester AO Arena is the first in a mammoth arena tour which will run through to 2025, including monthly shows at The O2 in London.

The Better Late Than Never tour will take Kay to some of the biggest arenas across the country including Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Belfast, Newcastle, Glasgow and Dublin. The live tour is the comedian’s first since 2010, when he scored the Guinness World Record for the biggest selling run of all time, playing to more than 1.2 million people.

Kay, from Bolton, has been largely out of the spotlight in recent years. He returned to the stage in August 2021 for two special charity events to raise money for Laura Nuttall, a then 20-year-old with an aggressive type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme.

How did Peter Kay react after his Manchester show?

The crowd gave Kay a rapturous reception as he kicked off the Better Late Than Never tour on Friday. He appeared to be overwhelmed by the reaction.

“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. He reportedly added: “Lovely Manchester you made me cry… where did it come from, all that emotion?”

What happened to Peter Kay?

Kay has kept a low profile for the last five years. He had been due to embark on a Live Arena Tour between April 2018 and June 2019, but he cancelled this in December 2017 due to “unforeseen family circumstances”. No further detail about the circumstances have ever been confirmed. As well as his Live Arena Tour, he also cancelled his Dance For Life shows.

At the time, he issued a statement, apologising to those who had purchased tickets. 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.”

Kay, who has often spoken about how important family is to him and his desire to live a private life away from the spotlight, has not been seen in public many times since the cancellation of the shows.