Peter Kay tribute act 'raking in cash' after star cancelled £40 million comeback tour

When Peter Kay cancelled the entirety of his upcoming tour, fans were left devastated, but it seems his tribute act is cashing in – quite literally.

In a bizarre twist of events, tribute act Lee Lard has reportedly seen a huge boost in ticket sales for his own show, in the wake of Kay wiping all of his own dates off the slate.

After Kay’s £40 million mammoth tour was scrapped, Lard began to noticed a rise in sales for his own show – now about to embark on more than 200 gigs across Britain, Spain, and the Canary Islands.

Over 1.7 million comedy fans had previously bought tickets for Kay’s 100+ dates as they anticipated his return, but were left disappointed when he announced it wasn’t happening.

A promoter revealed the extend of Lard’s success to the Daily Star: ‘To say Lee’s show has bridged a gap is an understatement.

‘He is utterly brilliant and performs a heart-felt tribute to the main man. Thanks to Lee thousands of fans are still able to get their Peter Kay fix.’

His manager, speaking to the Sun, said he was no stranger to the demand of his shows: ‘Lee has been booking shows for 14 years,’ he shared.

‘He’s the only tribute to Peter Kay in the country and does around 150-200 shows a year.’

And apparently the two comedians do actually know one another. ‘Peter knows Lee well, he appeared in the Amarillo video with him,’ the manager said.

Kay, 44, revealed in a statement via social media that everything was being put to one side to deal with private issues: ‘I deeply regret that I am having to cancel all of my upcoming work projects,’ he said last December.

And simply put the shock news down to ‘unforeseen family circumstances’, refusing to say any more.

Kay made a name for himself when he created and starred in Channel 4’s Phoenix Nights back in 2001. Since his huge success with his stand-ups Top of the Tower and the record-breaking The Tour That Didn’t Tour Tour, his 2015 television show, Car Share, has proven a massive hit with audiences, having scooped two BAFTAs in 2016.

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