Journalist and entertainer Peter Brown is opening up the world of the regional press in his new book Hold The Front Page And Send In the Clowns.

Peter worked at the Lincolnshire Echo under 10 different editors and retired last year after 44 years in the industry.

He’s also Pedro the Clown in his spare time, and as well as going behind the scenes of a typical regional evening newspaper, he gives a unique insight into 40 years as a semi-professional juggler, rope-spinner - and clown.

He said: "It's not really meant to be an autobiography, although I suppose it is to some extent, but it's about daily life on a provincial newspaper and some of the weird and wonderful things that happened.

"I always promised myself that I would never, ever sit down and write a book once I said goodbye to the Lincolnshire Echo. But now I have gone and done it.

"The only thing I would say in my defence is that it’s not a true autobiography. Yes, it is about me, but it’s about a lot of other people as well and about the job which kept the roof over my head for more than four decades.

"The title is a bit longer than my publisher would have liked, but in a mere nine words it does seem to sum up my life - Hold The Front Page and Send In the Clowns.

"I am told the book is something like 84,000 words long, which came as a surprise to me because I didn’t think I knew 84,000 words. Though, to be honest, I have got to say I used some of them more than once."

Hold The Front Page and Send In the Clowns, ISBN 978-1-904959-58-8 costs £12 and is available on order through bookshops or from Paul Mould Publishing on 01205 363462 or through Amazon.