In a rare television appearance, beloved comedian Peter Kay made a major announcement on BBC's The One Show, revealing plans for a new charity tour where all profits will be donated to twelve cancer charities.
A Tour for a Cause
The 52-year-old comic from Bolton launched his 'Better Late Than Never' tour, which is scheduled to begin in December and run through to August of the following year. The final show is set for Manchester's AO Arena. Kay was emphatic about the purpose of the tour, stating directly to hosts Lauren Laverne and Vernon Kay, "I've done this tour now and I'm announcing the last load of shows and all the profits are going to 12 charities."
The full list of beneficiary charities includes: Children With Cancer UK, Teenage Cancer Trust, Kidney Cancer UK, Blood Cancer UK, Bowel Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer UK, DKMS UK, Ovarian Cancer Action, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Anthony Nolan, The Brain Tumour Charity, and Breast Cancer UK.
Kay made a heartfelt plea to the public, acknowledging the widespread impact of the disease. "Unfortunately everyone knows someone affected on that list and I hope people support it, that's why I'm here," he said. He added, "You don't even have to like me to come, it goes beyond that and it is about supporting these charities."
Ticket Details and Widespread Support
Tickets for the tour go on sale this Sunday at 10 am. Kay also suggested that the tickets would make a "good Christmas present." The comedian is set to perform over 20 arena dates across major cities including Newcastle, Nottingham, Glasgow, Dublin, Birmingham, Belfast, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, and London.
The charitable announcement was met with profound gratitude from the organisations involved. Rachel Calderon, deputy director of fundraising at Blood Cancer UK, described the news as a "milestone" moment, noting that the entire community was "genuinely chuffed and deeply grateful."
Dr Michele Afif, CEO of The Brain Tumour Charity, expressed their "deepest gratitude," stating that the proceeds from the 2026 tour will be "instrumental to us achieving much needed change."
A History of Charitable Work
This is not the first time Peter Kay has leveraged his fame for charitable causes, particularly those related to cancer. In 2023, he donated a portion of his ticket sales from a Manchester show to charity. This act paid tribute to his devoted fan, Laura Nuttall, who tragically died at 23 after a battle with Glioblastoma Multiforme, an incurable brain cancer.
Defying a 12-month prognosis, Laura achieved an incredible bucket list, which included graduating and presenting the BBC weather forecast. In 2021, Kay emerged from retirement to host Q&A sessions that raised funds for her specialist treatment in Germany.
The One Show segment also featured discussions on stand-up comedy with Rebel Wilson and Kiefer Sutherland. Wilson reminisced about her early career, while Sutherland admitted he lacked the courage for stand-up.
The announcement comes after Kay recently revealed a personal health scare in his new book, detailing an emergency surgery for a giant kidney stone.
