TO celebrate the release of his autobiography, My Life In Football, former Newcastle player and team manager Kevin Keegan is hosting a special evening at Sage Gateshead on Monday, October 2.

One of the greatest players in English football history, Keegan was famed for his style on the pitch, his relentless ambition and passion for the game, and the evening will feature stories, photos and anecdotes from throughout his incredible career. It's the story of the miner’s son from Doncaster who became a superstar and was known to his adoring fans as ‘King Kev’.

In My Life in Football Keegan tells the story of his remarkable rise through the sport, from the Peglers Brass Works reserve team in Doncaster to helping Liverpool become the kings of Europe, winning a Bundesliga title with Hamburg and captaining England. Keegan was recognised around the world as one of the sport’s genuine superstars and remains the only Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or twice.

As a manager, Keegan’s five-year spell in charge at Newcastle is now legendary; he led the club from the depths of the old Second Division to the brink of the Premier League title with a breathtaking vision and flamboyant style that saw his team dubbed ‘The Entertainers’.

Fifty years since making his professional debut, Keegan tells the full story of the exhilarating highs and excruciating lows, from that epic battle with Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United in the 1995-6 season, as well as the pain of managing England and, finally, the shattering truth about his unhappy return to Newcastle in the controversial Mike Ashley era.

n Tickets: £30, including a signed copy of My Life in Football; VIP £40, including a signed copy , plus a post-show meet and greet and photo opportunity with Keegan. W: sagegateshead.com

Tim Minchin, the award-winning comedian, actor and composer, will return to the stage for his first UK tour dates since 2011.

‘Back’ is billed as Old Songs, New Songs, F*** You Songs, hinting at a set list of material from all corners of Minchin’s eclectic – and often iconoclastic – repertoire.

It will be the long-awaited follow up to his sold-out national arena tour of Tim Minchin and his Orchestra in 2010-2011.

The music virtuoso also announced that profit from a number of top price seats will be donated to a UK charity, details of which will be announced through his website soon.

Minchin has been celebrated globally for writing the music and lyrics for Matilda the Musical, which has gone on to become one of the most acclaimed musicals of the last 20 years, winning a record seven Olivier Awards, 13 Helpmann Awards and five Tony Awards. It continues to run in the West End and has already played in over 50 cities worldwide.

He also wrote music and lyrics for the musical adaption of Groundhog Day, which after an acclaimed limited run at The Old Vic in London in 2016, debuted on Broadway in April 2017 and won the Olivier Award for Best Musical in 2017.