HIS railway adventures have taken television viewers from Hong Kong to New York and along some of Great Britain’s best heritage tracks, and Michael Portillo’s next journey will bring him all the way to sunny Rhyl.

The Conservative MP turned travel show presenter has led an interesting life, born to an exiled Spanish republican father to enter politics himself, rising to cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher and once mooted as a future Prime Minister.

His political career took a turn with the now famous ‘Portillo moment’ in which he lost the Tory safe seat Enfield Southgate in the 1997 general election, an early election night sign of the Labour landslide which ushered in the Blair government. How times change.

An historian at heart, Portillo, 67, now takes millions of people on his journeys on Victorian steam trains across the British Isles and to some of the world’s most impressive corners of the world on shows such as Great British Railway Journeys, Great Continental Railway Journeys, Great Asian Railway Journeys and Great Alaskan Railway Journeys.

Portillo has endeared himself to many with his enthused presenting style and attention to detail of the history, culture and daily toil of the working people who build the civilisations he visits.

He will share his extraordinary stories at his new show ‘Life: A Game of Two Halves’ which will be staged at Rhyl Pavilion on January 27. Portillo will talk in almost “stand up” style before a question and answer session with members of the audience.

Tickets cost £20 with no concessions.

For more information visit the Rhyl Pavilion website or call 01745 332414.