£1.4million for his Hollywood Bowl show

Ricky Gervais is claiming a record for the highest-grossing single gig ever by a British stand-up comedian.

His Armageddon show at the 17,500-capacity Hollywood Bowl on May 6 took a reported £1.41million

The comic told The Sun: ‘To find out about this record is the icing on the cake. I was happy enough when it didn’t rain.’

There appears to be no record who previously held the title. However, Guinness Wold Records says Dave Chappelle can claim to be the highest grossing stand-up comedian per show.  In 2022, he averaged £1.69million per gig across 11 dates.

After his Los Angeles gig, Gervais said it was ‘one of the most surreal nights of my life’, tweeting:  ‘I can’t even imagine what my mum would think about me playing the Hollywood Bowl. I hope she would be horrified by the language, tell me I looked fat, and be secretly proud. Wish I’d filmed it now... if only to remind myself it actually happened.’

The figures mean that the average price of a  ticket to the show was £80.

Gervais’s Armageddon tour continues in Cambridge next week and includes two dates at Wembley arena and ten nights at the London Palladium. 

» Ricky Gervais tour dates

Published: 19 May 2023