Peter Kay raises £80,000 by playing secret homecoming shows to raise money for his local theater in Bolton

Peter Kay cut short his Goliath Arena tour to take part in three secret charity gigs in his hometown of Bolton.

The comedian, 50, managed to raise £80,000 for the Octagon Theater after his performance on Sunday.

Tickets for Kay’s three two-hour “intimate” sets sold out “within minutes” of being sold to theatergoers.

The former Phoenix Nights star’s 121 date tour, which kicked off in 2022, also saw high demand, as the comic had to add five additional tour dates to the roster.

When he entered the Octagon stage, which seats 390 people, he was welcomed with clapping.

He managed to raise £80,000 for the Octagon Theater through a series of intimate performances (pictured)

He told the crowd: ‘It’s fun to play here because I’ve played in arenas. I prefer it because it’s nice and intimate.’

As he recalled his time at the cash register, he shared all the mischievous tricks he pulled before he was finally given the boot.

The pranks included impersonating a council worker and telling a rude customer their water would be turned off, and informing a Coronation Street star they couldn’t get in because of their white jeans.

He also told how he once fell asleep in his uniform during a show, joking that it “wasn’t good advertising.”

The Bolton resident also talked about his work at a local video store called Rentertainment and a budget supermarket called Netto – both of which he was ‘released’.

Kay revealed that comedy was his ‘best job’ yet, and cheekily joked that he hadn’t been let go ‘yet’.

While he personalized the act for his hometown crowd, he also treated them to material from his sold-out arena tour.

He stood out in the second half of the show, wearing a Santa outfit to match his talk about festive celebrations and Advent calendars.

According to the venue, the show sold out within minutes of going on sale. The comedian said he preferred performing at the smaller venue because it was ‘nice and intimate’ (photo: Octagon Theatre)

The comic reminisced about his time at the theater and even admitted to once refusing entry to a Coronation Street actor because they were wearing jeans (pictured in 2010).

He even treated his hometown to material from his arena tour – as well as the more personalized jokes – including a monologue, dressed as Santa Claus, about all things festive.

Local fans raved about the performance, calling it ‘absolutely amazing’ and a nice ‘treat’ before the Christmas holidays.

Other viewers praised the comedian for giving back to his hometown during difficult times.

Tracie Ross told the BBC: ‘The Octagon Theater is unique and he is unique, and it’s great to get money back into the arts and get people back to live theater.’

Octagon CEO Roddy Gauld praised the local comedian for his “generosity” and “making a huge difference.”

He revealed how difficult running a theater was in these financially precarious times.

He said: ‘Costs have risen, as they have for every business and every household. And because people have less money to spend, that trip to the theater may be something they are cutting back on at the moment.’

The comedian isn’t the only star to emerge from the small town theater; Trainspotting director Danny Boyle started his career there as an usher.

Octagon CEO Ricky Gould thanked Kay for his ‘generosity’ and described it as a ‘major boost’ for the theater in financially difficult times (photo: Peter Kay in 2000)