TO celebrate the paperback publication of Erebus: The Story of A Ship, Monty Python star and much-loved television globe-trotter Sir Michael Palin, returns to the stage this year with a new one-man show.

Titled Erebus, Python and Other Stories, his UK tour will take him to a dozen venues around the UK, including The Hexagon in Reading on July 5.

In the first part of the show, Palin brings to life the thrilling story of HMS Erebus, the tough little ship that took on the Antarctic and the Arctic in the 1840s, and which was the subject of his latest bestselling book.

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.

In the second half, Michael tells his own life story, including how his three favourite subjects at school (Geography, History and Comedy) have shaped his life, from Monty Python to Ripping Yarns and the 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, Michael shows how comedy and adventure have been natural bedfellows during a rich and diverse career.

The tour will be supported by local bookshops and signed copies of his books will be available to buy.

Erebus: the Story of a Ship will be published by Arrow in paperback on May 30, priced at: £8.99.

Throughout his career.Michael Palin has written and starred in numerous TV programmes and films, from Monty Python and Ripping Yarns to The Missionary and The Death of Stalin.

He has also made several much-acclaimed travel documentaries, his journeys taking him to the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe and Brazil.

His books include accounts of his journeys, novels (Hemingway’s Chair and The Truth) and several volumes of diaries.

From 2009 to 2012 he was president of the Royal Geographical Society, and in 2013 he was made a BAFTA fellow. Michael was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2019 New Year Honours’ List. He now lives in North London with his wife Helen

Tickets for his live show start from £31.50. To book online, visit: www.readingarts.com or call: 0118 960 6060.