If you have spent any time watching trains go past on television, you will know Michael Portillo. The man who has spent as much time on railways as he has in the corridors of power is bringing his live show, A Life of Two Halves, to Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday 16 November at 7.30pm, and it is a long way from a simple travelogue.
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The title says it all. Portillo has lived two very different lives, and the show leans into that contrast. One half is the political one: serving under Margaret Thatcher, running for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and holding the roles of Secretary of State for Employment and then Defence. The other half is the one most of us recognise, the railway adventures that have taken him across the world. Between the two, he weaves in the more personal threads, including his family roots and his father's escape from the Spanish Civil War, alongside his broadcasting career and journeys through Spain, the USA, India and beyond. It is billed as funny, insightful and poignant in equal measure, which is about as much as you could ask from an evening of stories.
On the practical side, the show runs for an hour and 45 minutes including an interval, so it is a tidy evening rather than a marathon. Tickets start at £36.74, with a booking fee of £3.95 added to each order, and specific bands like Band B at £46.99 and Band C at £41.99 including fees. There is age guidance to be aware of: it is 14+, and under-16s need to be seated next to an adult aged 18 or over. If you need accessibility arrangements, the box office number to call is 0333 009 5399, and you will need to register for the Access Membership Scheme to book those tickets.
For context, this is a proper tour, not a one-off. Before it reaches Milton Keynes, the show has already played Cadogan Hall in London, Portsmouth Guildhall, The Great Hall in Exeter and the Hall for Cornwall in Truro. After that, it keeps going: Symphony Hall in Birmingham, the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne, and then a whole run in early 2027 taking in Buxton, Salford, Chester, Yeovil, Richmond, St Albans, Salisbury, Tunbridge Wells, Coventry, Reading, York, Leicester, Malvern, London again and Fareham. So if you cannot make the Monday night slot, there are plenty of other stops on the map.
It is worth a bit of background if you are not fully up to speed on the man himself. Born in Bushey in 1953, Portillo was the son of Luis Gabriel Portillo, a Spanish Republican exile, and Cora Waldegrave de Portillo, who was of Scottish origin. His political career was a long one: MP for Enfield Southgate from 1984 until the 1997 general election, and later for Kensington and Chelsea from 1999 until 2005, with a stint as Shadow Chancellor in between. He retired from politics in 2005 and has spent the years since turning his passion for trains into a second career. Whether you come for the politics, the travel or simply to see a familiar face tell some good stories, it is a low-stakes, entertaining night out.
Published Date
8 November 2026
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