Ricky Gervais fans turned away from UK gig over resale ticket row as Live Nation starts investigation

Several fans were turned away from a sold out Ricky Gervais gig as the venue blamed “large numbers of fake tickets”.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Multiple fans were turned away when they tried to enter a sold out Ricky Gervais show in York for using resale tickets on Wednesday. According to the operator, a large amount of the tickets were counterfeit after queues formed to enter the venue.

Fans took to social media to express their disappointment after being turned away from the After Life star’s Armageddon tour show at the Barbican Centre in York. Promoter Live Nation is investigating the event as one fan said on Twitter they had been travelling alone to see the show before being rejected at the door.

The venue said in a statement that a large number of ticket holders were unable to attend the sold out show due "to the box office being presented with a large number of fake tickets".

"A decision was made to only allow tickets purchased from Ticketmaster as the sole authorised ticket seller for this event. We did everything possible to accommodate people who had tickets from touts, however due to the sheer volume presented we were unable to assist everybody," they added.

One Twitter user, Kelly, wrote: “So disappointed to have been refused entry to the venue. The same ticket vendor purchased from and entry allowed in London. So frustrating when making arrangements for time off work, travel and accommodation.”

Gervais himself acknowledged the ticket issue on Twitter, saying: “Everyone who turned up, with or without a real ticket, is a genuine fan. That’s what is so heartbreaking.”

Despite the issue with rejected tickets, the Office creator described his York gig as the best one on his Armageddon tour so far, saying he loved visiting the ancient city’s railroad museum.

Ricky Gervais’ Armageddon tour will continue in High Wycombe on January 17 before hitting cities like Glasgow, Bournemouth, Brighton, Newcastle and Manchester later this spring with most dates sold out. Any remaining tickets for the tour can be found on Ticketmaster.

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.