Winchester explorer John Pilkington talks in aid of Oxfam are always sold out and for good reasons.

For the seasoned traveller brings his tales alive with music, wit and staggering photography.

John's latest trip last year saw him follow the River Mekong for thousands of miles through Vietnam, Laos and Tibet.

In that time he sat in a three-day traffic jam, was mauled by a dog and crunched on crickets in a spicy sauce before reaching his goal against the odds.

John's story is so absorbing you're suddenly convinced the creature breathing heavily down your neck is a Tibetan yak rather than a fellow member of the audience recovering from bronchitis.

It's magical stuff.

Lucky then there's a repeat performance at King Alfred College's John Stipe Theatre on April 1.