NEW Brighton's Floral Pavilion will be hosting evenings with Ann Widdecombe and Alan Johnson this autumn

Both are now much in demand on the theatre chat show circuit and the shows are expected to be sell-outs.

Pippa Lea, the pavilion's communications manager, told the Globe the shows will follow on from the hugely-successful Michael Portillo evening held earlier this year.

“Michael throughly enjoyed his time here, travellling to the theatre by train clutching his Bradshaw's Directory," she said.

A Sparkling evening with Ann Widdecombe: Strictly Between Us “will take place at the Blue Lounge on September 27.

The outspoken former Tory minister of state for prisons says she will offer opinions and anecdotes and talk about her time as an animal rights campaigner, as well as her recent television work including Strictly Come Dancing and her most recent 24-hours in the Past.

Wirral Globe: The appointment marks a return to frontline politics for Alan Johnson

Alan Johnson MP

Ex-postman Alan Johnson - the former Home Secretary once tipped to be Labour Party leader - will be at the Floral on November 1, again in the Blue Lounge.

"An Evening with Alan Johnson" sees the Hull West & Hessle MP and political pundit talking about his best-selling memoir Please Mr Postman, which paints a picture of life in the 1960s and '70s.

He promises "an unforgettable evening" as he describes the communities he grew up in and why that eventually made him go into politics.

For details of both shows, contact the box office: 0151 666. 0000 or online at www.floralpavilion.com