His name is one of the most iconic in British politics. But who would have thought that after a life so mulled over as that of Winston Churchill, there would be still more to tell?

Now a London-based theatre company is doing just that with a national tour of a show called, Winston On The Run.

There are a number of dates in Yorkshire for this one-man show including the Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds on September 12 and the Square Chapel Centre for the Arts in Halifax on September 20.

The piece was created by theatre company Fol Espoir and tells the story of Churchill’s war-time experiences in South Africa, and his remarkable escape across hundreds of miles of savannah to rejoin British lines.

The show was co-created by writer and actor Freddie Machin and Fol Espoir’s Artistic Director, John Walton.

Last year it had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2012 and at Buxton Fringe Festival in the same year, earned Freddie a best actor award.

The piece is set in 1899. Churchill is just 24 and approaching a new century with little to his name but a shambolically unsuccessful election campaign.

Having taken a job as a war correspondent, Churchill is posted to South Africa where the Boer War is in full flow.

Within a month, he has become an escaped prisoner-of-war, on the run in the vast South African savannah, taking cover at the bottom of a deep mineshaft.

With nothing but rats for company, is it any wonder that the young journalist find himself sinking into paranoia and despair. As the moment for a fresh break approaches his sanity teeters on the brink. What will await him at the surface?

Freedom or capture? Triumph or disaster?

For those who know anything about Churchill’s character and his story, it is a powerful indicator of what was to come.

Here, after all, was the maverick who became a statesman whose ‘never surrender’ attitude inspired a nation.

Winston on the Runs hows a young Churchill confronted by both a dangerous enemy and his own ‘black-dog’ of depression.

The company behind this intriguing show dedicates much of its work to new writing.

Its name Fol Espoir translates roughly as ‘crazy’ or ‘foolish hope’. Both seem perfect for a company which aspires to new and original work.

Previous productions include the English-language premiere of Yoroboshi’ by Yukio Mishima and Dr Brown Because, the first outing of American clown Philip Burgers.

The company has also been working on Skeleton Army, a site-specific pub musical set in the Victorian East-end of London.