Michael Palin announces Hexagon date

FOR more than 50 years, he’s been creating Ripping Yarns, travelling the globe and tickling our funnybones. Now he’s preparing to make an epic visit to Reading’s Hexagon Theatre.

Michael Palin is celebrating the forthcoming paperback publication of his book Erebus: The Story of A Ship by visiting just 12 venues around the UK, including his appearance in the Thames Valley.

The first half of the show will see the much-loved writer, actor and globetrotter bring to

life the thrilling story of HMS Erebus, a tough little ship that took on the Antarctic and the Arctic in the 1840s.

His richly illustrated talk conveys the triumph and tragedy of the ship’s short and doomed life, and what it was about it that made him so keen to tell its story.

Then in the second half, it’s all about him. Mr Palin will share his life story, from how his three favourite subjects at school – geography, history and comedy – shaped his life, from Do Not Adjust Your Set to Monty Python to Ripping Yarns and then, in the 1980s and 90s, his many television travel series that have taken him all around the world, from the North Pole to North Korea.

With previously unseen footage and previously untold stories, the evening will allow Mr Palin the chance to show how comedy and adventure have been natural bedfellows during a rich and diverse career.

While Erebus: The Story of a Ship is to be published by Arrow on May 30, Mr Palin has also written accounts of his journeys, and two novels: Hemingway’s Chair and The Truth, as well as several volumes of diaries. Now you can hear the legend for yourself. He will appear at The Hexagon on Friday, July 5 from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £31.50, £34.50 and £41.50. They go on sale from 10am on Friday, January 25.

They can be ordered from the box office by calling 0118 960 6060 or logging on to www.readingarts.com