THERE’S a chance to see the debut solo show by Colchester actor Freddie Machin before it makes its way to the Edinburgh Festival.

Winston on the Run tells the story of one of the 20th century’s most famous figures as a young man.

It’s 1899 and escaped prisoner-of-war Winston Churchill is on the run.

Wanted dead or alive, he traverses the vast South African savannah, taking cover at the bottom of a deep mineshaft. But with nothing but rats for company, the young Winston’s mind quickly sinks into paranoia and despair.

Freddie says: “I got the idea after visiting Blenheim Palace, where Churchill grew up. I saw this picture of the great man as a boy looking pretty arrogant and that got me to thinking what he might have been like back then and what led him to become this massive iconic figure of the 20th century.”

Along with director John Walton, the two have developed the one-man show, which Freddie is starring in, and with help from Escalator Arts it is being performed at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe at the Pleasance Courtyard.

The former Colchester Sixth Form College student, who now lives in London, first cut his dramatic teeth with the Mercury Youth Theatre.

After leaving college and while studying drama at Manchester Metropolitan University, he co-created and performed two acclaimed shows at the Colchester Arts Centre.

Since then, he has been working in London as a jobbing actor, appearing at many theatres across the capital.

He’s also been writing his own plays, one of which could be made into a film.

He explains: “I’ve had a bit of success with one of my plays, called Chicken, which was performed at the Southwark Playhouse last year.

“It’s about two brothers who live in a caravan on the Suffolk/Essex border.

“Someone saw it there and liked it so much they’ve asked me to develop it into a screenplay.”

Winston on the Run, Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street, Colchester.

Tuesday July 17, 8pm, £5.

01206 500900