PETER Kay is to play two more live shows — after he was moved by the plight of a little girl with cancer.

Money raised from the extra, unscheduled, charity nights at the Blackpool Opera House next Thursday and Friday will go towards enabling Billie Bainbridge to undergo experimental treatment in the USA on a tumour on her brain stem.

Billie’s family, who are based in Exeter, need to raise more than £200,000, to travel to Texas for the clinical trials. The BATTLER Billie Bainbridge four-year-old was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in June. Radiotherapy in this country shrank the tumour, but oncologists said nothing more could be done in the UK, other than steroid treatment to alleviate Billie's symptoms.

The family decided to consider trials at the Burzynski Clinic in Houston.

Already, about £100,000 has been pledged and a support group for her, the Billie Butterfly Fund, said it had been overwhelmed by people's generosity. Peter’s record breaking Tour That Didn’t Tour Tour ended last month, but the Bolton comedian said that when he heard of Billie’s condition he felt he wanted to help.

He said: “The best way to raise as much money as possible is to stage something in a large venue and there are 3,300 seats in the Opera House. When I checked it was available for those nights, so I just thought I would go for it. Over two shows I hope we can bring in a massive amount of money. The live tour show is still fresh in my head and, although I wasn’t planning on doing any more, this should be great fun.

“There may be people who didn’t get to see me live who might want to come along — and at the same time they will be raising money for a great cause.”

Tickets go on sale from 10am on Monday and can be bought through Peter’s website, at peterkay.co.uk.