Robin Ince

Robin Ince

Date of birth: 30-11-1968
Robin Ince started his comedy career as a writer, working on shows including Alistair McGowan's Big Impression, V Graham Norton and Meet Ricky Gervais, his first of many collaborations with the After Life creator. He regularly supported Gervais on tour. He also appeared in one episode of The Office, playing interviewee Stewart Foot.

That role inspired his tongue-in-cheek solo Edinburgh debut in 2004, and he has returned to the Fringe every year since. In 2005 he started erudite comedy night The Book Club, loosely based around bad literature, which won him the innovation award at the 2006 Chortle Awards as well as the outstanding contribution to comedy accolade at that year's Time Out awards.

In 2006, he co-wrote his first feature film, Razzle Dazzle, about children's dance contests in Australia.

More latterly, Ince has become known for science-based shows, especially the Christmas spectacular Nine Lessons And Carols For Curious People, which began in 2008 – the year before he started co-hosting Radio 4 pop-science show Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox.

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Robin Ince writes a book about the future of jokes

'Will we use them to spread love or ugliness?'

Robin Ince has written a book about the future of jokes,

Out in November, the title has been described as ‘a witty and thoughtful short read on the importance of jokes and humour, and a romp through the comic landscape of the past, present, and possible future.’

It is part of a series of essay-length ‘Future Of…’ books published by Melville House, which also covers such diverse topics as travel, energy, fraud and banana.

The publishers summarise the book by saying: ‘When did laughter become part of our universe? Were we the first planet to have a sense of humour? What was the first joke? Was it made by a chimpanzee or a crow?

‘These are just a few of the questions erstwhile comedian Robin Ince considers in The Future of Jokes, bringing in elements from science, technology, politics, philosophy and culture to probe just why we need jokes. What can they teach us about ourselves and our future?

‘Comedy means different things to different people: it can be an act of rebellion, and it can be an act of reinforcing the status quo. It can be expression and it can be repression.

‘Joke-telling is about authenticity and connection Ince argues, and artistic creativity makes us human. We can choose to share love and connection via jokes or spread ugliness and outrage. Which future do we want?’ 

Ince previously wrote on the nature of comedy and humanity in the 2018 book I'm A Joke and So Are You, which was subtitled: A Comedian's Take on What Makes Us Human

His other previous books include Bibliomaniac: An Obsessive’s Tour of the Bookshops of Britain; The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity and Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal: My Adventures in Neurodiversity.

The Future Of Jokes is out on November 5. It is available from Amazon priced £9.99 in paperback – or from uk.bookshop.org, below, which supports independent bookstores.  

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Published: 26 Aug 2026

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Past Shows

Edinburgh Fringe 2001

Rubbernecker


Agent

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