| Robin Ince | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ince in 2023 | |
| Birth name | Robin Ince |
| Born | (1969-02-20)20 February 1969 (age 56) |
| Medium | Stand-up,television,radio |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Cheltenham College,Gloucestershire (boarding independent school) Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Genres | Observational comedy,political satire |
| Subject(s) | Science,literature,philosophy |
| Notable works and roles | Book Club,The Infinite Monkey Cage, Nerdstock |
| Website | RobinInce.com |
Robin Ince (born 20 February 1969) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He is known for presenting theBBC radio showThe Infinite Monkey Cage with physicistBrian Cox,[1] creatingNine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, co-creating The Cosmic Shambles Network, and his stand-up comedy career.
Ince attended York Houseprep school, nearCroxley Green in Hertfordshire, andCheltenham College,[2] anindependent boarding school for boys. He then studied atRoyal Holloway, University of London, from which he graduated in English and Drama in 1991.[3]
In 1990, Ince first appeared at Greyfriars Kirkhouse at the Edinburgh Festival whereEddie Izzard was running a venue. At the time Ince was performing in a play called 'Shadow Walker' by Trevor Maynard.[4] He had appeared at the Cafe Royal as part of theEdinburgh Fringe[5] show 'Rubbernecker' alongsideStephen Merchant,Jimmy Carr andRicky Gervais in 2001.
As a friend of Ricky Gervais, Ince opened as a support act for hisPolitics tour in 2004 and hisFame tour in 2007.[citation needed] He also appears on the DVD and has often appeared in Gervais' video podcasts.[6][7]
In 2008 Ince had a residency at the Dorchester Arts Centre, trying out new material for his upcoming shows.[citation needed] In late 2008 he released a live stand-up DVD entitledRobin Ince is as Dumb as You, released byGo Faster Stripe.[8] Then between January and April 2009, Ince performed his UK tourBleeding Heart Liberal, playing 51 dates. Towards the end of 2009 and into 2010, Ince toured his next show entitledRobin Ince vs. the Moral Majority. In 2011 he started on the road again, performing his 'Happiness Through Science' UK show, which continued to add many dates and was extended into 2012.
In April 2015, Ince made a blog post announcing his retirement from stand-up comedy, writing aboutimpostor syndrome, the commercialisation of the comedy scene and a wish to spend more time with his son. He concluded "Let's see if I can give up stand up for longer than I gave up whisky, or if the addiction is such that I'll start busking jokes outside the Hayward Gallery by August."[9] He returned to performing comedy a year later.[10]
In September 2016, Ince performed at the Keep Corbyn rally in Brighton in support ofJeremy Corbyn's campaign in theLabour Party leadership election.[11] Ince staged a stand-up tour,Pragmatic Insanity, in September 2017.
In 2005, Ince began running theBook Club night at The Albany, London, where acts were encouraged to perform turns of new and experimental material. The club got its name from Ince's attempts to read aloud from – and humorously criticise – various second-hand books which the audience and he had brought in for the occasion. The Book Club proved to be so successful that Ince took it on a full UK tour in 2006, the same year he won theTime Out Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.[12] In 2010, Ince published a book entitledRobin Ince's Bad Book Club about his favourite books that he has used for his shows.
Ince has curatedNine Lessons and Carols for Godless People (later renamedNine Lessons and Carols for Curious People) since 2008, a Christmas stage show with performances from comedians, musicians and scientists.
Ince started his television career as a comedy writer, working onThe 11 O'Clock Show, for which he also performed as animpressionist, including an impersonation ofJohn Peel. He also appeared inThe Office as failed interviewee Stuart Foot.
The second Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People stage show was screened onBBC Four in 2009, billed asNerdstock: 9 Lessons and Carols for Godless People.[13]
He co-starred withMitch Benn andAlfie Joey in theBBC Radio 4 seriesMitch Benn's Crimes Against Music.
Ince and physicistBrian Cox present the science seriesThe Infinite Monkey Cage on Radio 4.[14] The programme won a Gold Award in the Best Speech Programme category at the 2011Sony Radio Awards.[15][16]
In the summer of 2022 he presented a two part BBC Radio 4 series "Robin Ince's Reality Tunnel" exploring the internal and external aspects of reality. This was an edited version of a live performance given in Hulme, Manchester in April 2022
WithBrian Cox andAlexandra Feachem:
Ince presented theUtter Shambles (previouslyShow & Tell)podcast for Paramount Comedy withJosie Long, and presentedBBC Radio 4 Extra'sSerious About Comedy from 2005 until its end in November 2007. Regular panellists in the show includedBook Club performersJosie Long,Howard Read andNatalie Haynes, comedy critics Bruce Dessau and Stephen Armstrong, and many others from the British comedy industry. He now presentsBook Shambles with Robin and Josie with Josie Long which is funded viaPatreon and music podcastVitriola with comedianMichael Legge.
In 2013, Ince co-created and launchedThe Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome, an online video based science magazine and archive. Ince acts as host and co-producer on the project. Contributors have includedBrian Cox,Helen Czerski,Stephen Fry,Chris Hadfield andStewart Lee.
In 2017, Ince co-founded the Cosmic Shambles Network with Trent Burton, an organisation that creates podcasts, documentaries and events "for people with curious minds".[18]
Ince is anatheist and supports theRationalist Association viaNew Humanist magazine by organising events at theBloomsbury Theatre and at theHammersmith Apollo featuring scientists, musicians and comedians. The first of these wasNine Lessons and Carols for Godless People in Christmas 2008,[19] and more recently he has fronted aNight of 400 Billion Stars. Regular contributions come fromJosie Long,Chris Addison,Ricky Gervais,Richard Dawkins,Simon Singh andPhilip Jeays. In 2009, Ince organised two events with Josie Long, calledDarwin's Birthday Spectacular, marking both the scientist's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his bookOn the Origin of Species. He was appointed a patron ofHumanists UK, and later ofDignity in Dying.[20]
On 15 September 2010, Ince, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published inThe Guardian stating their opposition toPope Benedict XVI's visit to the UK being astate visit.[21]
Ince has appeared at several science events, including the line-up of UCL'sBright Club in both 2009 and 2010, and took part in theCheltenham Science Festival in 2011 and 2014.[28][29][1][30]
TheUniversity of Kent holds material by Ince as part of the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive.[33][34] The collection includes zines, material made in collaboration withJosie Long, set lists, promotional material and props.[33][34]
Comedian and science enthusiast Robin Ince presents an unhinged stand-up comic lecture
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |