One of the UK’s most-loved comedians, Peter Kay, has been largely absent from the public eye over the past year.
Kay is set to return to the stage across two Q&A shows in order to raise money for a cancer patient, Laura Nuttall.
Peter Kay – © The Sun
Laura, 20, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme in October 2018, when she was starting her first term at King’s College London. The aggressive form of brain cancer was present in six tumours after being detected in a brain scan.
She is currently being treated in Germany, undergoing immunotherapy and a complex cell vaccination programme, with each injection costing a staggering £27,000.
Laura’s mother Nicola received a call from Kay soon after her diagnosis, explaining, “He just called up out of the blue and said, ‘How can I help?’
Laura and her family 
Laura Nuttall 
Mr Kay
The two had met 20 years earlier when working for Granada television. Nicola has said they have met him for lunch throughout the pandemic to discuss fundraising ideas and raising awareness for brain tumours.
“Now, the coast is clear and it’s all happened in a bit of a flurry but it’s phenomenal. It’s so wonderful he can do this for us, just incredible,” says Nicola.
Laura says she is “so incredibly grateful” for Kay’s help. Her fundraiser page states, “I still can’t quite believe this is really happening!”
She has just completed her second year at Manchester University, where she is studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics and she will be attending both shows.
Tickets go on sale on 30 Jul at 9am and the shows will be taking place as O2 Apollo Manchester on 7 August.
It’s rare for Kay to perform live in recent years. Due to “unforeseen family circumstances” in late 2017, he had to cancel all work projects.
However, this is not the first time that Kay has held an event for charity.
In 2018, he hosted a charity screening in Blackpool for the series finale of his much-loved series Car Share.
The final series ended on a cliffhanger after John (Kay) didn’t reciprocate his love for his colleague Kayleigh (Sian Gibson).
Viewers were shocked when they heard there wasn’t going to be a third series to explain what happened next.
Kay and Kayleigh in Car Share 
The infamous Fiat 500!
Kay later announced that a special series finale called ‘Car Share: Unscripted’ revealed how things unfolded for John and Kayleigh.
The event was to raise money for The Lily Foundation, in which Kay has described as “an inspiring charity that helps to improve the lives of children with Mitochondrial Disease.”
Fans who attended the screening showed their praise for the event on Twitter, describing it as a “perfect final episode” and called Kay a “comedy genius”.
There were “so many laughs, and some tears too” said one fan, while praising Kay for raising money for the charity.
What do you think about the Kay man returning to the fold? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
