As a columnist for The Sentinel, John Woodhouse is well-known for his humourous writing.

But when a comedy night was organised as part of a local arts festival he decided to stand up on stage and bring his work to life.

John bravely volunteered to entertain the crowds with a stand-up routine, warming up a 120-strong crowd as the opening act on a bill which included three professional comedians.

He had previously made his stage debut in the regional final of the BBC new comedy awards, but John said the experience was still “pretty nerve-wracking”.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: “It was worse because the audience knew me. Before it was in Sheffield so if I had died on my arse it would have been no great embarassment!

“But it went okay – people laughed, which is always a good sign.”

John was persuaded to take to the mic by former Sentinel colleague Phil Edmeades, chairman of the Leek Arts Festival and organiser of its inaugural comedy night.

After agreeing last year, John began to regret his decision as the day of his performance neared, and admits that writing is far easier.

He said: “There is no comparison. When you are writing you can go back and change things, but when you are live on stage you are like a rabbit caught in the headlights and if something goes wrong or you forget your act you look a bit daft.”

However, despite forgeting some of his routine half-way through John carried on regardless, making the crowd laugh with dry and derisive observations covering everything from Wayne Rooney to the regional press.

He also got a good review in The Sentinel – written by his wife Steph.

John said: “She seemed to think I did okay. I was the first one up and didn’t compare to the proper acts – they could interact with the audience and the thought of doing that terrifies me.” Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or e-mail [email protected]