He laughs when I mention his mate, Professor Brian Cox, writes Andy Richardson. “Oh, him,” says Robin Ince, one of the brightest ‘comedy scientists’ in the galaxy.

“We’ve been on the road together a lot. Brian and I recently toured with our Uncaged Monkeys show, which mixed up variety, science, philosophy and music.

“He’s the pinnacle when it comes to popularising science. Brian has lured in a different kind of audience. Science is no longer just for geeks and teenage boys.

“When we tour, we get girl screams. We’ve used the honey trap of Brian’s face to lure people into being interested in particle physics – and I’m glad about that.”

Ince is presently on the road with his new solo show, Happiness Through Science, which reaches Wolverhampton’s Slade Rooms on Wednesday, February 8, 2012.

He also plays Birmingham’s Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) on Tuesday, March 21.

He says: “I think part of the thing that drove me to do this show is that I spend a lot of time doing things about science, for instance, on Radio 4, and frequently hang around with Brian Cox.

“The show is based on the fact that we have so many wonderful things around us created and we seem to increasingly take them for granted.

“We’ve stopped noticing the wonder of TV, pills to make us well, central heating to keep us warm or birds that sing in the morning. I think we’re missing out on the joys of the western world.”

Robin says that his show doesn’t follow traditional religion versus science lines.

“I don’t have major religious views to fall back on. So my show looks at how we deal with love and hope from a rational perspective. I ask the question: Can we be as happy if we don’t have the hope of an afterlife?

“For me, science gives us that happiness. Understanding the universe gives us a great sense of wonder. I’m not trying to woo people over to aetheism, I don’t think that dogmatic battle is helpful. My show looks at the joy of hearing birdsong, the architecture of human imagination.

“I take the view that life is a wonderful escapade and look at reasons to celebrate it.”

Meanwhile, Patrick Monahan will perform his new Hug Me I Feel Good routine at the Wolverhampton Slade Rooms on Tuesday, February 7.

The lovable comedian will blend his high energy style with hilarious and engaging stories of his Irish/Iranian/Teeside heritage. Details for all shows are available at www.wolvescivic.co.uk