Peter Kay's record-breaking tour earned comic whopping £27million in 2024

The Bolton comedian's Better Late Than Ever tour is ranked fourth in a worldwide poll of the most lucrative shows

Comic Peter Kay earned a massive £27million last year from his record-breaking tour.

His Better Late Than Never string of dates has been named one of the most globally successful tours of 2024. His staggering earnings put him fourth in the planet’s most lucrative shows by comedians, only eclipsed by US stars. The 51-year-old recorded a total of £26,992,507 from his 35 gigs, according to the official tour earnings rundown by US analytics firm Pollstar. Only Michael McIntyre, 48, came close to the Bolton star for homegrown comedians. He took home £10,284,888. With tickets costing on average £59.70, the Car Share star earned approximately £771k a night from last year's shows.

The Phoenix Nights supremo success on the road eclipsed tour revenues from many major stars including Billie Eilish (£14.3m), Robbie Williams (£10.1m) and Lady Gaga (£10.4m). He also beat international comics Trevor Noah (£20.8m) and Kevin Hart (£17.2m) for annual revenues.

The Pollstar figures, featured in a special Year End 2024 Report compiled for the music industry, reveals the box office earnings of the biggest live entertainers on the globe. US stars dominated the top three spots - with Nashville's family friendly Nate Bargatze banking £56.2m, Sebastian Maniscalco £38m and Jerry Seinfeld £31.16m. All of their ticket prices were costlier than Kay’s fees.

Last year Peter was named Britain's best paid comedian as his £34.6million fortune was revealed. He beat the likes of The Office's Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant to clinch the top spot on the stand-up rich list.

Peter is still performing as part of his tour, now in its fourth year. In November, due to "overwhelming demand", 21 new performances were added. This will take the tour up to February 2026, with new shows in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Cardiff, before finishing up on the Isle of Mann. He announced the new dates with a hilarious advert which saw Peter spotted as he carries a gold toilet to his mum's iconic bungalow.

"It's been wonderful doing what I love most, stand-up comedy. Laughter is more important than ever in these challenging times," he enthused.

Peter’s tour, which started in Manchester, December 2022 has already broken records. He completed his 100th show at the Manchester AO Arena, breaking all attendance and performance records and is the first artist in the world to perform a monthly residency at The O2, London, performing 45 shows, the most played by any artist in the venue’s history.

Peter returned to the stage in 2022 following the cancellation of his 2018 gigs due to "unforeseen family circumstances".

The comedy legend's TV journey began in 1997, when he appeared on ITV's New Voices, a series which showcased rising talent. The same year, he got a slot entitled Peter Kay's World of Entertainment on BBC2's The Sunday Show. His first live stand-up special, Live at the Top of the Tower in 2000, made him a mainstream star.
Soon, he had his own series on Channel 4, The Peter Kay Thing. This in turn led to Phoenix Nights, which he created and starred in.

He scored the Guinness World Record for the biggest-selling stand-up run of all time, playing to more than 1.2 million people in 2010. Returning to the spotlight in 2022 with his first live comedy shows in 12 years. Peter married Susan Gargan in 2001 and has three children.

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