The London-born stand-up comic spent some good time away from the scene before his last tour, but what people want to know is what happened to Micky Flanagan? Find out about his career here, why he went away for some time, and where he might be next.
Last Updated: 21/03/23 at 11:08 am
Micky Flanagan is one of the most well-known and beloved comedians in the UK. He is known for his unique brand of humour, which often involves stories about his upbringing in East London.
Over the years, Flanagan has become a household name, and his fans are always eager to know what he is up to next.
Here, we will take a closer look at Micky Flanagan’s career to date, including his early life, rise to fame, successes, and what he will be getting up to.
Early life, career and his rise to fame
Micky Flanagan was born in Bethnal Green, East London, in 1962. He grew up in a working-class family and left school at the age of 15 with no qualifications to work as a fishmonger, which he also didn’t stick with for long.
Flanagan worked multiple jobs over the years to pay the bills including a kitchen porter, a furniture maker, and he's also a trained teacher, although he never pursued a career in the field.
He did go back to school himself to gain his qualifications, getting some GCSE’s and studying a foundation course in arts and social sciences and a degree at City University at the age of 29.
Flanagan started off in the world of comedy in the 1990s when he took a comedy course in 1996 and began performing at local comedy clubs.
He quickly gained a reputation for his unique brand of humour, which often centred on his working-class upbringing and his experiences in the East End of London.
In the early 2000s, Flanagan’s career began to take off. He appeared on a number of popular TV shows, including ‘The Comedy Store’ and ‘The 11 O’Clock Show’.
In 2006 he performed his first full-length solo show titled ‘What Chance Change?’ A year later, he was nominated for the Best Newcomer award at the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
Flanagan’s big break came in 2009 when he appeared on ‘Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow’. The show was a huge success, and Flanagan’s performance was particularly well-received.
His show-stealing performance on the show led to a number of other TV appearances, including ‘Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week’, where he would feature regularly as a panellist.
Mainstream success, tours & year-long break
2010 was the start of his soon-to-be bustling career, as he would embark on his first nationwide tour, ‘The Out Out Tour’.
The tour, named after his famous joke made popular during his appearance on the ‘Comedy Roadshow’, proved immensely popular with fans as it ended up selling out at every venue he went to. It eventually ended in 2011.
Now as a star on the British comedy scene, Flanagan’s stock had risen to celebrity status, where he was appearing on shows such as ‘The Graham Norton Show’, where he would have the pleasure of sharing the iconic red sofa with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
The appearance on the show in 2013 was to promote his second nationwide tour, ‘Back in the Game’. Once again, Flanagan was at full power, performing to more sold-out venues and producing even more instant classic jokes.
In 2015, the cockney comedian decided to take the year off from performing and stayed away from the spotlight. He later revealed this was due to pressure and a need to process.
However, he returned and quickly got back into things, as he announced a new tour in 2017, named ‘An Another Fing’.
This tour would end up being one of the biggest the UK had ever seen. He sold out every venue once again, but bear in mind that this time he was playing to some of the nation's biggest arenas.
It was the biggest comedy event of 2017, playing to over 600,000 people across the UK and Ireland, breaking box office records nearly everywhere he went.
One of the sets was filmed and used for his later-released DVD. The set chosen was from one of his sold-out shows at the London O2 Arena. He performed 11 sold-out shows here, and considering the venue has a capacity of 20,000, you can see just how popular he was (and still is).
One thing he did on the show released to DVD was explaining to the audience ‘where he is at’ following his year off.
Flanagan has since found his place in the comedy scene, not performing as much to focus on living a family life. He did have a show in 2019 named ‘Micky Flanagan’s Detour de France’, which saw him cycle around the country.
Return to stand-up
After seemingly disappearing once again for the most part, Micky Flanagan started to reappear at small venues around the country in 2022, performing work-in-progress shows.
In the comedy world, when a comedian is performing work-in-progress shows, they are workshopping new material to smaller audiences, usually with the end goal of being used in a brand new tour.
That is exactly the case with Flanagan, as he announced in February 2023 that he will be going on tour once again later this year, and all the shows sold-out within the day.
Flanagan’s stock is still so high in Britain, with the comedian’s fans begging for more chances to see his show live. With such a loyal fan base and the critical acclaim that has seen him become one of Britain's greatest comedians, it seems unlikely that he will be done with live performances by 1st June this summer.
The eagle-eyed will have seen that Flanagan's tour is coming to intimate theatre venues around the country, including Newcastle and Plymouth, but noticeably missing the capital this time.
Whether or not new dates for London will be announced is unconfirmed.
How to watch Micky Flanagan from the best seats in the house
It should go without saying at this point, but Micky Flanagan’s extended tour will continue to be immensely popular. His announcement has come with huge excitement already and the usual buzz around his material.
The full list of dates and venues announced so far are:
- The Marlowe, Canterbury, Friday 19th April 2024
- The Hexagon, Reading, Friday 26th April 2024
- O2 City Hall, Newcastle, Thursday 2nd May 2024
- Regent Theatre, Ipswich, Thursday 16th May 2024
- New Theatre, Oxford, Friday 24th May 2024
- New Theatre, Oxford, Saturday 25th May 2024
- Pavilions, Plymouth, Friday 31st May 2024
- Pavilions, Plymouth, Saturday 1st June 2024
You can experience the expected blockbuster tour in the best possible fashion with premium Micky Flanagan VIP tickets, providing you with an unforgettable night of side-splitting comedy.
With VIP tickets, you will experience top-tier comedy from top-tier seats. You will receive comfortable padded seats, entry and exit to the venue via the dedicated VIP entrance, and access to the venue's VIP lounge with many other perks.
Register your interest in hearing about future dates with Seat Unique, and get ahead of the crowd to enjoy Britain's favourite comedian live.
Register your interest in Micky Flanagan VIP tickets
Comments