Michael Jackson is expected to make his live comeback in Britain with up to 30 shows at London's O2 arena, it has emerged

Michael Jackson is expected to make his live comeback in Britain with up to 30 shows at London's O2 arena, it has emerged.

By Matthew Moore
Last Updated: 9:17PM GMT 03 Mar 2009

Publicists for Jackson and the venue refused to comment Photo: EPA The self-styled King of Pop will appear at the venue in person this Thursday to make a "special announcement" about his plans.

Jackson is believed to have agreed to a summer residency at the 20,000 capacity arena inside the old Millennium Dome in Greenwich in southeast London, which has previously hosted a 21-night stay from pop star Prince.

The singer landed in Britain on Tuesday and is staying at The Lanesborough five-star hotel in Knightsbridge, sources told Telegraph.co.uk.

If confirmed, the shows would be the 50-year-old's first performances in Britain since a brief, disappointing appearance at the World Music Awards in 2006.

The man behind Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, has kept a low profile since his acquittal in 2005 of child sex abuse charges, but is thought to be in dire need of funds. The singer has been forced to close his Neverland ranch and recently announced an online auction of more than 2,000 of his possessions.

The deal is the latest in a long line of coups for the O2, which has developed a reputation for attracting big name acts who rarely play live, and held off competition from major US venues to secure Jackson's comeback shows.

As well as Prince's 2006 residency, the arena hosted a spectacular comeback concert from rock bank Led Zeppelin and Britney Spears will play eight nights there in June.

The invitation sent out to journalists revealed only that Michael Jackson and AEG Live, which operates the venue, will make a "special announcement" at the O2 at 4pm on Thursday. Fans wanting to catch a glimpse of the performer are advised to arrive at the venue by 2pm.

Speculation last month suggested that Jackson could be line for around £1.5 million a night for the rumoured shows, securing a total fee of up to £45 million for a month's work.

Tickets are likely to be priced at hundreds of pounds each to cover the singer's costs, possibly surpassing the £500 Barbara Streisand charged fans to see her 2007 concert at the O2.

Publicists for Jackson and the venue refused to comment about the details of the announcement.