Gervase Phinn – comedian, author, poet, broadcaster, lecturer, educational guru, after-dinner speaker and “born raconteur” (The Guardian) - is perhaps best known for his best-selling series of the Dales books for Penguin. Affectionately dubbed ‘the James Herriot of Schools’, his warm-hearted reminiscences about the life of a schools inspector in the Yorkshire Dales. have featured heavily on Radio 4: Book Of The Week and Book At Bedtime slots. He has also written a wide range of academic books, children’s poetry and fiction, has made numerous TV and radio appearances, is a weekly columnist on the Yorkshire Post and has spent the last six years developing a rollickingly good stand-up routine based on his unique and comprehensive knowledge of life in and around education.

Having reached an audience of over 300,000 people, he is one of the most consistently popular live performers in the country, selling out theatres throughout the UK. Two best-selling live DVDs bear testimony to his engaging and thought-provoking brand of educational stand-up - Tales From The Dales (2007) and Live Again: The Inspector Calls (2008).

When he’s not signing books, public speaking, touring theatres and weaving stories and tales into comedy gold, he’s writing more books.