Watford Colosseum investigates alleged ticket touting for Ricky Gervais gig

The Ricky Gervais ‘Supernature: warm-up show’ at Watford Colosseum on November 7 sold out almost instantly after the box office opened on October 18 at 10am.

Tickets were originally priced at £34.50 on the theatre’s website, but resellers soon took to secondary ticket websites like Viagogo and Stubhub – with some tickets being sold for as much as £114.

The Colosseum said it is aware of the claims and it is investigating.

Some disappointed comedy fans took to Twitter to share their annoyance.

Jesus very disappointed Ricky, was on the Watford Coliseum at 10.01 but sold out? Wife and I were looking forward to catching a glimpse. I suspect the media etc has blocked booked the allocation.

— Tom (@buckley_buckley) October 18, 2019

Watford sold out in under 2 mins! Kept hitting refresh but tickets never loaded. Already on stubhub for over £200 each less than 10 mins after going on sale.  Gutting.

— Adam (@DeRosebud80) October 18, 2019

Had two in my basket for Watford, but ‘lost them’ accidentally (my error). Absolutely gutted.
Pissed off that people already profiteering on StubHub selling them for £100+. #wankers

— Steve Hall (@steve78hall) October 18, 2019

Buying tickets to resell for a profit - called scalping or ticket touting - is a common phenomenon when it comes to popular events, gigs, and festivals.

But one would-be buyer told the Observer not enough was being done to limit the amount of tickets that can be purchased in one go, which meant scalpers could easily buy many tickets in one go.

Kathryn Lewin, the marketing manager at Watford Colosseum, said: “We are aware of the specific Ricky Gervais tickets being sold for above face value on these sites and are looking into this further. Several of the tickets up for resale were not initially purchased from ourselves, but through official third parties.

“In this particular case, a six-ticket limit was implemented by ourselves and the producers to ensure fair access to tickets.

“We believe this is a balanced number that will ensure families and groups of friends can enjoy a night together at the venue.

“For those who are no longer able to attend, we are encouraging them to contact the venue directly as we are operating a waiting list to ensure fair reallocation of tickets.”

In response to the criticisms, a spokesperson from Viagogo added: “Viagogo is an online ticket marketplace where sellers set the ticket prices and the buyers determine if those prices are suitable.  

"Our aim is to enable every fan to have the opportunity to attend an event, even if they did not have the chance to purchase a ticket in the first instance.”