Peter Kay Net Worth

What is Peter Kay's Net Worth?

Peter Kay is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director who has a net worth of $70 million. Peter Kay is known for his television series "That Peter Kay Thing," "Phoenix Nights," "Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere," and "Car Share," and for his satirical television special "Britain's Got the Pop Factor… and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice." As a stand-up comedian, his 2010-11 tour was named the most successful stand-up tour ever by Guinness World Records.

Early Life and Education

Peter Kay was born on July 2, 1973 in Farnworth, Lancashire, England to Deirdre and Michael. He was raised in the faith of his Irish Catholic mother. After earning a GCSE in art from Mount St Joseph School, Kay took a number of odd jobs, including at a toilet roll factory, a cinema, and a bingo hall. For his higher education, he first began a degree course at the University of Liverpool before pursuing a Higher National Diploma at the University of Salford.

Television Career

Kay made his television debut in a 1996 episode of the comedy series "New Voices." The next year, he appeared in episodes of "Coronation Street" and "Born to Run." In 1998, Kay created an episode of "Comedy Lab" that went on to become the pilot of his breakthrough show, "That Peter Kay Thing." A mockumentary series co-written by and starring Kay, it aired on Channel 4 in early 2000. The show spawned the spinoff sitcom "Phoenix Nights," which ran on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2002. That was followed by a second spinoff sitcom, "Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere," which ran in late 2004. It was co-written by Patrick McGuinness, who also co-starred with Kay. In 2005, Kay appeared in episodes of "The Catherine Tate Show" and "Mrs. Brown's Boys," and in 2006 he guest-starred on "Doctor Who" and "Little Britain Abroad."

From 2007 to 2010, Kay lent his voice to the preschool animated series "Roary the Racing Car." His only other major project during this time was the 2008 Channel 4 special "Britain's Got the Pop Factor… and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice." Created, co-written and directed by, and starring Kay, it served as a spoof of reality television talent shows such as "Britain's Got Talent" and "The X Factor." Kay starred in the special as Geraldine McQueen, a transgender singer-songwriter who parodies talent show winners. After that, Kay mostly presented programs, including "Peter Kay: Raider of the Pop Charts" and "Brit Awards 2010." He returned with his next project, the BBC One sitcom "Car Share," in 2015. The show ran for three seasons and earned Kay British Academy Television Awards for Best Male Comedy Performance and Best Scripted Comedy. Also in 2015, Kay starred in the BBC Two sitcom "Cradle to Grave."

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Stand-up Career

After performing stand-up comedy locally for a while, Kay entered the annual So You Think You're Funny? stand-up contest in 1997. He ended up winning the competition, leading to many semi-professional gigs, including one at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival Fringe that garnered him a Perrier Award nomination. In the early 2000s, Kay gained mainstream recognition for his first DVD special, "Live at the Top of the Tower," and for his appearances on various talk shows. He went on to embark on his first solo stand-up tour, the Mum Wants a Bungalow Tour, from 2002 to 2003. Two DVDs of his live shows were subsequently released.

Kay didn't have his second tour until 2010, when he began his The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour… Now on Tour. The tour ran until 2011 and broke numerous records, including for the longest individual run at the Manchester Arena (20 nights) and for the most sold-out nights for a stand-up comedian at the O2 Arena (15 nights). With a total of 1.2 million tickets sold, the tour was named the most successful stand-up comedy tour of all time by Guinness World Records. Kay's next tour was scheduled for 2018, but it was canceled. After performing a pair of sold-out charity shows in 2021, he returned to touring in 2022 with his Better Late Than Never tour. After it ended in 2025, Kay embarked on the Better Late Than Never Again tour.

Music Career

In 2005, Kay appeared in a music video with several other celebrities miming Tony Christie's version of the song "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo." A few years earlier, the song had been used in Kay's sitcom "Phoenix Nights." Released as a charity single for Comic Relief, the song reached number one on the UK singles chart and became the best-selling single in the country in 2005. Later, in 2007, Kay had another number-one single in the UK with his cover of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," also for Comic Relief. The next year, he had a number-two hit with "The Winner's Song," which he recorded as Geraldine McQueen for his spoof television special "Britain's Got the Pop Factor… and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice." The song peaked at number one in Scotland. In 2009, Kay released the charity single "The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" under Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band. An animation starring over 100 children's television characters, the song reached number one in the UK.

Film Career

Kay's first role on the big screen was in the 2000 gangster film "Going Off Big Time," written by his creative collaborator Neil Fitzmaurice. He then had a small part in the 2001 romantic comedy "Blow Dry." In 2002, Kay appeared in Michael Winterbottom's biographical dramedy "24 Hour Party People." Three years later, he played Simon Pig in the horror comedy "The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse," based on the BBC television series "The League of Gentlemen." Kay also voiced policeman Albert Mackintosh in the award-winning animated film "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." He reprised his role nearly two decades later in "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl."

Personal Life

In 2001, Kay married Susan Gargan. Together, they serve as directors of Goodnight Vienna Productions, which has produced some of Kay's television shows. The couple lives in Bolton and has a property in County Tipperary, Ireland.

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