Peter Kay has promised that tickets for his live tour will start at the same price as they did 12 years ago.
The Bolton-born stand-up comedian announced a surprise return to the stage yesterday for his first shows in more than a decade.
The gigs are likely to face huge demand – the last time Peter planned tour dates he sold out 100 nights, but the tour was cancelled due to ‘unforeseen family circumstances’.
And while concert tickets are getting steadily more and more expensive, the beloved comedian has promised to do his bit to help out.
He says that with the cost of living crisis being so difficult for so many, he’ll be pricing his tickets from just £35.
“It’s good to get back to what I love doing best,” Kay said ahead of his return.
Peter Kay. Credit: BBC
“If there’s ever a time people need a laugh it’s now. And with the cost of living at an all-time high, ticket prices are starting from £35, which is the same price they were on my previous tour in 2010.”
Tickets for Peter Kay’s nationwide tour start from £35, and will officially go on sale on Saturday 12 November at 10am.
If you can register for one of the pre-sales for Peter Kay tickets, you’ll have a second chance and buying some.
Customers on mobile networks Three UK and O2 will both be able to try and buy tickets ahead of the general sale, with pre-sale starting from 10am on Thursday 10 November.
Three said: “To access this pre-sale ticket window, fans need to be a Three UK customer (Pay Monthly or Pay As You Go) and have downloaded and registered on the Three+ app before pre-sale opens.
“Three+ is the rewards app from Three UK, with exclusive offers from leading brands across food and drink, entertainment, days out, wellbeing and shopping. The Three+ app is free to download for Three customers to enjoy the latest rewards and a few extra plusses in life.”
O2 customers can access an O2 Priority pre-sale from Thursday 10 November from 10am.
Peter Kay UK tour dates in full
Friday 2 December 2022 Manchester AO Arena Saturday 3 December 2022 Manchester AO Arena Saturday 17 December 2022 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Friday 6 January 2023 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena Saturday 7 January 2023 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena Friday 20 January 2023 Leeds First Direct Arena Friday 17 February 2023 Sheffield Utilita Arena Thursday 23 February 2023 Belfast SSE Arena Friday 24 February 2023 Belfast SSE Arena Thursday 9 March 2023 Newcastle Utilita Arena Friday 10 March 2023 Newcastle Utilita Arena Thursday 23 March 2023 Birmingham Resorts World Arena Thursday 6 April 2023 Dublin 3Arena Friday 7 April 2023 Dublin 3Arena Friday 05 May 2023 Glasgow OVO Hydro Saturday 06 May 2023 Glasgow OVO Hydro Friday 19 May 2023 Leeds First Direct Arena Friday 16 June 2023 Cardiff International Arena Saturday 17 June 2023 Cardiff International Arena Friday 14 July 2023 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Saturday 15 July 2023 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Friday 11 August 2023 Sheffield Utilita Arena
Featured image: Publicity picture
Art & Culture
The first-ever Horrible Histories live concert is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Any fans of childhood favourite Horrible Histories in the house? Well, you might want to pay attention because the iconic kids’ show is bringing its first-ever live concert to Manchester.
The beloved educational comedy by CBBC was, for many of us, the first time we showed a proper interest in history, and we’ll confess, we still go back and comfort-watch it from time to time.
Running from 2009 until 2014, it featured countless funny faces that went on to become stars in the UK comic scene and even spawned a smash-hit live show, which is now celebrating its 20th anniversary.
With that in mind, to help celebrate the milestone, the team behind the cult classic are putting on a special a pretty extensive series of live shows to bring the music of Horrible Histories to domestic audiences, including two right here in Manchester.
Credit: BBC/Supplied
Teaming up with Birmingham Stage Company and Lion Television, the BBC and Horrible Histories crew will soon be playing all the hit songs from the TV programme in the flesh.
Based on the books, CBBC show and the success of the theatre show, this unique music-driven live format is written by the TV series’ writers Ben Ward and Claire Wetton.
Led on stage by the Horrible Histories song master, Richie Webb, himself – who has written all the songs from the smash-hit BBC series – you’re getting the full, authentic experience.
Featuring a live band performing the sensational TV songs, including guest appearances from Charles II, Dick Turpin and a bunch of Vikings that we couldn’t stop barging through the stage door, this is one show you don’t want to miss.
You can find all the 32 ‘Horrible Histories: Live (And Dead)! – The Concert’ UK tour dates down below:
Early 2026
Spring 2026
– Fri 23 January, Darlington Hippodrome – Sat 24 January, Darlington Hippodrome – Fri 30 January, Bristol Beacon – Sat 31 January, Bristol Beacon – Sun 1 February, Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre – Fri 6 February, Manchester Opera House – Sat 7 February, Manchester Opera House – Fri 13 February, Liverpool Empire – Sat 14 February, Liverpool Empire – Tues 17 February London Royal Festival Hall – Fri 20 February, Birmingham Alexandra – Sat 21 February, Birmingham Alexandra – Fri 27 February, Milton Keynes Theatre – Sat 28 February, Milton Keynes Theatre – Sun 1 March, Cambridge Corn Exchange – Sun 8 March, Sheffield City Hall – Fri 13 March, Edinburgh Festival Theatre – Sat 14 March, Edinburgh Festival Theatre – Sun 15 March, Edinburgh Festival Theatre – Fri 20 March, Glasgow Theatre Royal
– Sat 21 March, Glasgow Theatre Royal – Sun 29 March, Nottingham Concert Hall – Thur 2 April, Southampton Mayflower – Fri 3 April, Southampton Mayflower – Sat 4 April, Southampton Mayflower – Mon 6 April, York Barbican – Tues 7 April, York Barbican – Thur 9 April, Brighton Concert Hall – Fri 10 April, Brighton Concert Hall – Sat 11 April, Brighton Concert Hall – Fri 17 April, Sunderland Empire – Sat 18 April, Sunderland Empire
Coming to the city centre and the storied Manchester Opera House for two evenings early next year, if you’re a fan of the series or the live theatre act, this one has to be on your list.
The whole cast for the tour is yet to be fully confirmed, but you can expect plenty of humour and talent from start to finish.
ATG+ presale has just gone live, and general admission will be available from Friday, 11 July, with prices starting from £18 and school tickets costing just £13.50
Castlefield Viaduct ‘sky park’ receives £2.75m funding towards major extension
Emily Sergeant
The National Trust has today announced an exciting development in the transformation of Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct.
The New York-inspired elevated urban park on the giant Grade II-listed Victorian viaduct in the heart of the city centre officially opened to the public back in July 2022, and has been an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life ever since… but now, it’s time for the next phase of the journey, and a significant proportion of the funding needed for this project has been secured.
National Highway’s Historical Railways Estate Team, working in partnership with the National Trust has committed £2.4 million to fund a significant part of the structural and foundation work for ‘Phase 2’ of the project.
The funding will go towards increasing the scale of the current ‘sky park’ experience and turning it into a nature-rich through route, including the addition of The WaterAid Garden – a gold medal-winning garden from last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Other supporters and funders are now being urged to donate to cover the remaining amount needed to ‘green up’ the extension.
As it stands, current visitors to the viaduct can walk through a series of spaces and gardens before coming to an untouched and overgrown section of the structure beyond a glass wall, and it’s this untouched section where the Phase 2 transformation will take place to extend the viaduct experience for visitors from 150-metres to more than 350-metres.
The current state of the site at Castlefield Viaduct that’s set to be transformed as part of Phase 2 / Credit: Paul Harris (via National Trust)
Plans include winding paths through planted areas to encourage people to take time out from the busy city below and connect with nature.
A second entry and exit point will also be added to the west side of Mancunian Way via a lift and stairway, turning it into a through route for the very-first time, and making it more accessible for people with limited mobility.
A longer-term masterplan could see the viaduct join up to other areas of the city, increasing access towards Salford and Trafford, and taking the benefits way beyond the physical structure of the viaduct in Castlefield.
The CGIs of how the space on the viaduct will look once it has been transformed / Credit: Twelve Architects (via National Trust)
“This funding is brilliant news for Castlefield – a hugely inspiring project to bring nature and green space to communities across Manchester,” commented Hilary McGrady, who is the Director-General of the National Trust.
“Its popularity over the past few years demonstrates how residents and visitors to the city value access to the outdoors and experiencing nature up-close in an innovative industrial heritage setting.
“This is something we want to continue and do more and more of in the years to come, and that is why this funding is so important.
“Our aim over the next 10 years is to ensure more people have access to nature particularly in our towns and cities, and to bring nature to people’s doorsteps wherever they live.”