JOHN OSBOURNE FROM BRIGG TO EDINBURGH FESTIVAL AND BACK TO CAISTOR

A Brigg man who made audiences laugh up and down the country in 2012 is to bring his highly acclaimed show to the area for the first time, writes Peter Thompson.
John Osborne's story of how he won a box of records in a competition on John Peel's Radio One show back in 2002 earned him Radio Times' Pick-of-the-Day billing in Xmas week 2011.
Since then he has toured the country with the show and it will be back to his North Lincolnshire roots when he brings it to the Caistor Town Hall stage on Sunday  January 20th. 
The former Sir John Nelthorpe, Brigg, student,who went to university in Norwich and is now based there, made his name initially with two books, one about radio stations and the other about his experiences with adverts placed in newsagents windows. His first book, 'Radio Head- Up and down the dial of British Radio' was selected as Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4. It also was serialised in the Daily Mail .
'The Newsagent's Window- adventures in a world of second hand cars and lost cats'  won the East Anglia 2010 Book of the Year award in the best memoir category. The book was serialised in a double page spread in the Daily Mail, and was much publicised on British radio, including interviews with Fred McAuley on BBC Scotland and with Jeremy Vine on Radio Two. Then came success at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival fringe with his show 'John Peel's Shed.'
His impact there to sell out audiences saw him start a tour last autumn playing in theatres all over the country and since then he has ventured to Scotland and Ireland.
Dee de Wit who runs iartsco-caistor has launched his 2012-13 season and the long awaited debut of Osborne is a highlight. Dee said: "We are delighted John could find time in his schedule to come back to his roots in Caistor to entertain us."
John's mother Pat is a long serving teacher at Caistor Grammar School and she and husband Keith, who acted as John's driver during part of his UK tour, are sure to be in the audience in the town hall for their son's show.
Tickets are now available on a first come, first served basis at Caistor Post Office or from the box office at arts@iartsco-caistor.co.uk