A limited number of Ticketmaster Platinum tickets will be sold for Ricky Gervais’ upcoming ‘Humanity’ tour, in an action to curb ticket touting.

The premium Platinum ticket seats will be guaranteed, and sold at the market price, in a bid to discourage consumers from buying higher priced tickets from touts.

Gervais said he is donating the extra profits from the UK tickets sold via Ticketmaster Platinum to Macmillan Cancer Support and the RSPCA.

“My frustration with touts is twofold: people spending way over the odds on tickets from illegal touts and the association that ticket touts are connected in some way to my tour without my consent,” Gervais said.

“Platinum tickets feels like a good way to try and stand up to ticket touts making a fast buck by exploiting fans, and this way people willing to pay higher prices will at least know it’s going to charity instead of some scummy tout. If this scheme works it will take back some of the millions of pounds scalped every year by touts and divert it to worthy causes. I will split the extra profits generated between Macmillan Cancer Support and the RSPCA.”

It was announced last week that Gervais is touring from early April to late October in America, Canada, and in Europe for Humanity, his first worldwide stand-up tour in seven years.

Ticketmaster yesterday (22 February) responded to fears that sellers were exploiting its secondary ticketing site, Viagogo, and selling unfairly high-priced tickets.

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