KEYBOARD maestro Rick Wakeman is to bring The Grumpy Old Christmas Show to Poole this December as part of an eight-date UK tour.

A tour spokesman said: “The Grumpy Old Christmas Show will combine spellbinding piano music with side splitting stories and revealing insights into Rick’s lengthy and varied career in an evening of superb musicianship, featuring music from YES and Rick’s own solo epics, as well as David Bowie’s early hits, fantastic arrangements of Beatles’ tunes and much, much more. It’s all interspersed with Rick’s knockabout (and sometimes bawdy) humour.”

World renowned as a keyboard player, both as a member of YES and as a solo artist, Rick has built up a reputation for his virtuosity, creative flair and wicked sense of humour. He’s sold more than 50 million albums sold in five decades his music continues to reach new generations of fans.

Rick made British chart history when his Piano Portraits album became the first solo piano instrumental album to enter the Top 10 on release – a feat he repeated with last year’s Piano Odyssey. To accompany The Grumpy Old Christmas Show a new record, Christmas Portraits, will be released on November 29 containing favourite seasonal songs – plus some “usual Wakeman surprises”.

“It’s a simple choice,” says Rick. “Christmas concerts or traipsing round the shops – no contest, really! Seriously, it’s just so lovely to do some Christmas shows; it’s such a great time of year.”

* The Grumpy Old Christmas Shows starts on Sunday, December 15 at 7.30pm. To book tickets, call 01202 280000 or visit lighthousepoole.co.uk