A NORTH-EAST author and actor will be entertaining thousands of people next month as he appears at a major festival.

Chris Foote Wood, who lives in Darlington, will be lining up at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the fourth time.

Mr Foote Wood, 77, said: “The Edinburgh Festival is always an exciting event. Tens of thousands of people flock to the city every year to enjoy the huge variety of entertainment on offer.

“With over 3,000 shows, competition is fierce and I have been lucky to fill a small venue for three years. I try to emulate the great novelist Charles Dickens who not only gave public readings of his works, he also acted out the parts, as I do.

“I have had some good reviews: one reviewer even likened me to Simon Callow, although that was well over the top! The main thing is to entertain the audience and I have always found them receptive.

“My aim is to bring some of Dickens’ best known characters to life. Oliver Twist and Scrooge are among my favourites.”

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the single biggest celebration of arts and culture on the planet, and every August for three weeks, the Scottish capital welcomes an explosion of creative energy from around the globe.

Last year, the festival enjoyed 53,232 performances of 3,398 shows in 300 venues.

The Genius of Charles Dickens is at the Novotel, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, for seven days between August 5 and 11 at 4.20pm each day.

The show lasts one hour. Tickets can be booked on the EdFringe website at www.edfringe.com.