A FORMER art fraudster is to lift the lid on his past escapades with an informal talk in Bridport.

William ‘Billy’ Mumford - aka Billy the Brush - who was jailed for forgery and is now a reformed character, has links to Bridport through his association with the Global Art Gallery at St Michael's Trading Estate owned by his old friend James Hartey.

Mr Mumford's 'Going Straight’ exhibition was shown at the gallery last year and the man himself made a guest appearance in the town.

Tomorrow he will be talking about his forging escapades at the Electric Palace (7pm).

Mr Mumford rose to prominence in the 1990s when he painted near-exact versions of the works of L.S Lowry, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso among others and passed them off as originals.

He was eventually jailed for two years after putting more than £6 million in fake works through some of the art world’s best-known auction houses.

Mr Mumford, 73, now recreates these pieces legitimately under his own name, complete with a certificate of authenticity.

Mr Hartey said: "The usually reclusive Billy has surprised everyone by deciding to give an informal talk. This will be the first time that Billy has appeared on stage anywhere but due to the huge interest and sales of his paintings at Global Art Gallery and the fantastic reception that he receives from his collectors, he felt compelled to share his story amongst friends.

"The list of collectors of Billy’s works and the interest from TV and media has grown existentially over the past 12 months. Book launches, three documentaries and a film in the pipeline have all buoyed his confidence to step out of the shadows and engage with the world once more. All this fame has come late in life for Billy but once you meet him it is easy to spot why he is so popular. This unassuming, modest and private artist has gained hundreds of new fans of his work with a number of investors taking pieces for enjoyment and investment."

He added: "Billy’s talk at the Electric Palace on the 14th July falls on Bastille Day and Billy felt obliged to point out that the storming led to the release of all French prisoners with the exception of four murderers, four madmen and two art forgers. It would appear that the French have always been touchy about forging their art."

Tickets are available from the Electric Palace website or on the door on the evening and one of Mr Mumford's paintings will be auctioned off live with the proceeds going to the Dorset Police welfare fund. Also for each £20 ticket, the artist will be gifting a £50 voucher to be redeemed against one of his paintings as a thank you to his growing family of collectors new and old.