The 'unknown' selling out the O2
Russell Peters shifts 11,000 tickets in one day
Canadian comedian Russell Peters says he sold 11,000 tickets in one day for a gig at London’s O2 Arena, despite little obvious profile in the UK.The 38-year-old stand-up has built a global fan base without any mainstream TV or film appearances – but his videos have attracted more than 20 million views on YouTube alone.
Clayton Peters, Russell’s brother and manager said: ‘This is a real validation for us in the UK market. It was only two years ago when a certain well-known UK promoter told me that Russell would “find it hard to break into this market with his existing material”.’
Peters himself added: ‘ I offered my new special, Red, White And Brown, to various broadcasters in the UK, and they didn’t even return our calls. The fans made me, not the media.’
Peters appeared at the Secret Policeman’s Ball on Sunday – the only stand-up not to appear live, but providing a set that had been pre-recorded in Kitchener, Ontario, two weeks earlier.
His O2 Arena date is on February 14 next year – and tickets are priced £35 to £45.50. Buy tickets.
Here is one of those popular YouTube clips:
Published: 9 Oct 2008
