Peter Kay Returns to Bolton for Exclusive Shows!

has announced he will return to Bolton, performing in his hometown for the first time in 23 years.

The actor, 52, will return to his home town to deliver four exclusive shows, from July 9 to July 11, in a bid to raise money for the Bolton Hospice.

In an announcement post on Instagram, Peter revealed that tickets are restricted to people with a Bolton postcode.

The comedian - famous for his dry northern wit - will perform two shows on the Saturday after he also announced a matinee as part of his 2026 stand-up tour, Better Late Than Never.

All tickets sold out within 30 minutes as more than 12,000 people rushed to the site in hopes of bagging one. 

Peter last performed in Bolton in 2003 when he recorded the iconic Peter Kay: Live at the Bolton Albert Halls, which to this day is the biggest-selling stand-up DVD of all time in the UK.

Peter also previously announced all profits from his 2026 stand-up tour would be donated to 12 cancer charities.

'Unfortunately, everybody knows someone who's been affected on that list [of 12 charities], and I just hope people support it,' he told The One Show.

'You don't even have to like me to come; it goes beyond that.

'This is about supporting these charities,' he said and joked 'if it's not funny, you'll get your money back.'

Peter Kay extended his record-breaking Better Late Than Never Again tour into 2026, featuring several arena shows across the UK, including Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, London, and Manchester.

Similar to his Bolton show, Peter will not see a penny of the profits as he is set to donate all the profits to 12 different cancer charities.

The shows have a strict 15+ age limit, and tickets are sold for upwards of £35.

His new shows follow his first time opening up about his dramatic weight loss.

He surprised fans when he returned to the spotlight last year, sporting a much slimmer frame following a five-year absence.

Since then, he has spoken out about many tough years of 'trying everything' amid his lifelong battle with binge eating.

Speaking about his new look for the first time in December, the funnyman revealed he'd tried everything from slimming groups, gym sessions to his mum's Rosemary Conley keep fit videos in a desperate bid to get a grip on his weight.

Speaking at an In Conversation With... event hosted by Sara Cox at The Lowry theatre in Salford, which aired on BBC Radio 2 in December, Peter said he had finally made the change over concerns for his health.

'I tried everything. Good God in heaven. I mean, you go to flaming weight loss groups and stuff like that. I joined Slimming World and WeightWatchers. I did all of them.'

He also reflected on the key moment that made him realise he had a binge eating problem after sneaking out of the cinema where he was watching a film with his wife Susan.

Peter described how he lied about going to the toilet only to leave the screening to eat a hotdog: 'I was doing really well with this diet, but I'm so bad with willpower. I had this hot dog, and I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in, ironically, a framed poster for Babe.

'I thought, look at you - what are you doing? You're doing really well on this diet, you should be ashamed of yourself.'

He added that as he threw it into the bin he grabbed it back just before it hit the bin liner and still ate it.

Peter went on to explain that his bad eating habits date back to when he was a child - with his mother bringing him in pies to primary school for him to eat.