Michael Jackson Could Have Played Two Year London Residency

Demand for Michael Jackson tickets was so high that the singer could have announced a two year residency in London, promoters AEG Live have revealed.

Randy Phillips said they never anticipated that Jackson would have to extend his original ten-night run at the O2 Arena to fifty shows.

"We never thought '50 shows' and frankly based on the queues on Ticketmaster, plus the 300,000 registrants we still haven't issued codes to, we could spend two years here,” he told the BBC.

All of the tickets for Jackson's shows have now sold out and are currently exchanging hands for thousands of pounds through secondary market outlets.

Phillips said he asked Jackson personally if he would extend the run after more than one million people registered for the original pre-sale.

"Mike asked me how long he would be in the United Kingdom for and I told him, probably long enough to get a British passport,” he said.

"Michael's already pretty much put together a list of the dancers he wants. Michael's very engaged now."

Jackson will perform to over one million people at the shows, which begin on July 8th and run until the end of February 2010.

Jackson, now 50, has not performed a full concert since he was cleared of child molestation charges in 2005. His last full tour, entitled HIStory, took place in 1996 and '97.

In total, the singer is expected to earn upwards of $400m for his comeback, which also includes a 3D film deal.

Michael Jackson - This Is It