An Evening with Michael Portillo

Michael Portillo is coming to Portsmouth Guildhall on Wednesday 11 November, for an evening where he tells his life story. Most of us know him as the former Secretary of State and Conservative MP for Kensington and Chelsea, but there's a fair bit more to the man than the political career.

He starts with his father, a refugee who escaped the Spanish Civil War and came to England, where he met Michael's mother while looking after refugee children. From there he moves into his time in government under Margaret Thatcher, his run for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and the moment he lost his seat — one of the most famous scenes in British political history. He also talks about the decay of political power as he saw it from the inside.

Then the story shifts to the second act: the reinvention on screen, sparring with Diane Abbott and Andrew O'Neill, and the railway travels that have taken him across the world. The show brings those two lives together, from the corridors of power to the tracks of the world's greatest railways, and it doesn't stop at the UK — he shares his more recent adventures across Spain, the USA, India and beyond.

It's a 14+ show, so it's not one for the very young. Doors open at 7pm, and the main event starts at 7pm, though The Square Kitchen and Bars open from 6.15pm if you want to get in early. Tickets are between £37.85 and £72.94.