Peter Kay's first tour in 12 years to visit Birmingham - tickets on sale within days

The 49-year-old comedian, who has been largely absent from the public eye for the last four years, will embark on an arena tour spanning from this December to August 2023.

It will be his first live tour since 2010, when he scored the Guinness World Record for the biggest selling run of all time, playing to more than 1.2 million people.

His comeback was announced during an advertisement break in the series launch of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! on ITV.

The Bolton-born comedian will be playing at Birmingham's Utilita Arena on Saturday, December 17. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10am, starting at £41, with a superfan club sale beginning 15 minutes earlier.

He said: "It's good to get back to what I love doing best, stand-up comedy, and 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 - the same price they were on my previous tour in 2010."

Kay will begin his tour on December 2 at the Manchester AO Arena before visiting locations including Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Belfast, Newcastle, Glasgow and Dublin.

His run will end on August 11 2023 at the Sheffield Utilita Arena.

Following the announcement, Kay's official website appeared to crash briefly under increased online traffic.

A poster for the event featured Kay holding a sign reading, "Better late than never" and described a ticket to his shows as an "ideal Christmas gift".

Kay, from Bolton, has been largely out of the spotlight in recent years.

He returned to the stage in August 2021 for two special charity events to raise money for Laura Nuttall, a then 20-year-old with an aggressive type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme.

There was also a brief return in January 2021 when he appeared on BBC Radio 2 to chat to Cat Deeley - who was filling in after Graham Norton left the station - about his love of music, mixtapes and the musical Mamma Mia.

He also made a surprise appearance at a charity screening of his series Car Share in 2018.

Kay cancelled his last tour in December 2017, citing "unforeseen family circumstances".

Over the last few years, Kay has delighted fans with his hit Bafta-winning TV series Car Share and stand-up routines.

Tickers for his Birmingham show can be be bought at www.utilitaarenabham.co.uk/.