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Robin Ince
Ince in 2014 at the Edinburgh International Science Festival
Birth name	Robin Ince
Born	(1969-02-20) 20 February 1969 (age 49)
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)	Recreational drug use, Politics, Everyday life, Science, Religion
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 best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox.^[1]

Education

Ince in 2013

Starting at York House prep' school at Redheath in Hertfordshire, from the age of thirteen, Ince was educated at Cheltenham College,^[2] a boarding independent school for boys in the spa town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, followed by Royal Holloway, University of London, from which he graduated in English and Drama in 1991.^[3]

Stand-up career

In 1990, Ince first appeared at Greyfriars Kirkhouse at the Edinburgh Festival where Eddie 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 Royale as part of the Edinburgh Fringe show 'Rubbernecker', alongside Stephen Merchant, Jimmy Carr and Ricky Gervais in 2001.

As a close friend of Ricky Gervais, Ince opened as a support act for his Politics tour in 2004 and his Fame tour in 2007. He also appears on the DVD and often appears in Ricky's video podcasts, mainly being bullied, annoyed and attacked by Gervais.

Throughout 2008, Ince had residency at the Dorchester Arts Centre trying out new material for his upcoming shows. In late 2008 he released a live stand up DVD entitled Robin Ince is as Dumb as You, released by Go Faster Stripe.^[5] Then between January and April 2009, Ince performed his UK tour Bleeding Heart Liberal, playing 51 dates. Towards the end of 2009 and into 2010, Ince toured his next show entitled Robin 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 additional dates and whose scheduled was extended into 2012.

in April 2015, Ince announced that he would soon give up stand-up. The main reason he gave was to spend more time with his son; also, he cited well founded self-doubt.^[6] However, he started a stand-up tour, Pragmatic Insanity, in September 2017.

In September 2016, Ince performed at the Keep Corbyn rally in Brighton in support of Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.^[7]

Book Club

In 2005, Ince began running the Book Club night at The Albany, London, where acts are encouraged to perform turns of new and experimental material. The club gets its name from Ince's attempts to read aloud from – and humorously criticise – various second-hand books which the audience and he have 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 the Time Out Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.^[8] In 2010, Ince published a book entitled Robin Ince's Bad Book Club about his favourite books that he has used for his shows.

Television

Ince started his career as a comedy writer, working on The 11 O'Clock Show, for which he also performed as an impressionist, including an impersonation of John Peel. He also appeared in The Office as failed interviewee Stuart Foot. Ince has also appeared on clip shows on British television, where he and other comedians appeared as talking heads.

Radio

Ince and physicist Brian Cox present the science series The Infinite Monkey Cage on BBC Radio 4.^[9] The programme won a Gold Award in the Best Speech Programme category at the 2011 Sony Radio Awards.^[10][11]

He is a regular contributor on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 Music programme, appearing weekly as the show's "music profiler".

Podcast

Ince presented the Utter Shambles (previously Show & Tell) podcast for Paramount Comedy with Josie Long, and presented BBC Radio 4 Extra's Serious About Comedy from 2005 until its end in November 2007. Regular panellists in the show included Book Club performers Josie Long, Howard Read and Natalie Haynes, comedy critics Bruce Dessau and Stephen Armstrong, and many others from the British comedy industry. He now presents Book Shambles with Robin and Josie with Josie Long which is funded via Patreon and music podcast Vitriola with comedian Michael Legge.

Online

In 2013, Ince co-created and launched The 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 included Brian Cox, Helen Czerski, Stephen Fry, Chris Hadfield and Stewart Lee.

Personal life

Ince is an atheist and supports the Rationalist Association via New Humanist magazine by organising events at the Bloomsbury Theatre and at the Hammersmith Apollo featuring scientists, musicians and comedians. The first of these was Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People in Christmas 2008,^[12] and more recently he has fronted a Night of 400 Billion Stars. Regular contributions come from Josie Long, Chris Addison, Ricky Gervais, Richard Dawkins, Simon Singh and Philip Jeays. In 2009, Ince organised two events with Josie Long, called Darwin's Birthday Spectacular, marking both the scientist's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species'. He was made a Distinguished Supporter of Humanists UK. Ince is a patron of Dignity in Dying.^[13]

On 15 September 2010, Ince, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the UK being a state visit.^[14]

Awards

Honorary Fellow- University College London (2014)

• Honorary Doctor of Science – Royal Holloway, University of London^[15]


• 
  Sony Radio Awards – Gold Award for Best Speech Programme (2011)


• 
  Chortle Awards – Best Compere (2007)


• 
  Chortle Awards – Innovation Award (2006)


• 
  Time Out – Outstanding Contribution to Comedy (2006)


• Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association
  

Other appearances

Ince has appeared at several science events, including the line-up of UCL's Bright Club in both 2009 and 2010,^[16][17] and took part in the Cheltenham Science Festival in 2011 and 2014.^[1][18]

He also is a great supporter of the yearly festival Pestival which showcases science, music and comedy, a regular attendee of the Latitude Festival.

Ince was the invited speaker for the British Humanist Association 2012 Voltaire Lecture, entitled "The Importance of Being Interested."

Ince was also lead singer in alternative rock combo TheReg from 1992–1994.

Live credits

• 2016: Gloom Aid (The 100 Club)


• 2014: Robin Ince Is In (and Out) of His Mind (Trinity Science Gallery)


• 2013: The Importance of Being Interested (UK tour)


• 2011/2012: Happiness through Science (UK tour)


• 2011: Uncaged Monkeys Tour with Simon Singh, Brian Cox, Ben Goldacre and Helen Arney


• 2011: Ince and Legge @ Stand 5 Comedy Club, Edinburgh Fringe


• 2009/2010: Robin Ince vs. The Moral Majority (UK tour)


• 2009: The Return of Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People
  


• 2009: Charles Darwin Birthday Spectacular with Josie Long


• 2009: Karaoke Circus, Edinburgh Fringe


• 2009: Carl Sagan Is My God, Oh And Richard Feynman Too, Edinburgh Fringe


• 2009: Night of 40 Billion Stars, with Chris Addison and others


• 2009: Bleeding Heart Liberal (UK tour)


• 2009: Charity night @ Grovel bar in Manchester


• 2008: Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, Christmas Show


• 2008: Things I Like About Carl Sagan And Others, Edinburgh Fringe


• 2008: Comedy Nights @ Dorchester Arts Centre (throughout the year)


• 2008: Crewe Limelight Club's final comedy night


• 2007: Robin Ince Knew This Would Happen, Edinburgh Fringe


• 2007: Lion's Den Comedy Club @ The Cross Kings in Kings Cross


• 2006: Robin Ince Isn't Waving @ The Assembly Rooms and Edinburgh Fringe 2006


• 2005: Ricky Gervais and Guests @ The Dominion Theatre


• 2005: Robin Ince is as Dumb as You @ Pleasance and Edinburgh Fringe 2005


• 2005: Book Club @ Underbelly, Lowdown at the Albany


• 2004: The Award Winning Robin Ince – Star of the Office, Series 1. Episode 5 (First Bit) @ Underbelly
  


• 2001: Rubbernecker with Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Jimmy Carr @ Cafe Royal

TV credits

• 2010: Host, Nerdstock: 9 Lessons and Carols for Godless People (BBC Four)


• 2009: Host, Richard & Judy's New Position (Watch)


• 2009: Panelist/Guest, What the Dickens (Sky Arts)


• 2008: Comedy Consultant, Skins (Channel 4)


• 2007: Sketch performer, Comedy Cuts (ITV2)


• 2006: Stand Up Routine, Edinburgh & Beyond (Paramount Comedy 1)


• 2006: Panelist/Guest, Mock the Week (BBC Two)


• 2005: Writer, The Problem With Anne Robinson (BBC Two)


• 2004: Writer, The Late Edition (BBC Four)


• 2004: Writer/performer, Celebdaq (BBC Three)


• 2003: Writer/performer, The State We're In (BBC Three)


• 2003: Writer/performer, The Pilot Show (Channel 4)


• 2003: John Peel, The 11 O'Clock Show (Channel 4)


• 2001: "Stuart Foot" (interviewee), The Office (BBC Two)


• 2000: Writer, Meet Ricky Gervais (Channel 4)


• 1999: Writer, Alistair McGowan's Big Impression (BBC One)

Radio credits

• 2010 Presenter "Schrodinger's Quantum Kittens" (BBC Radio 4)^[19]


• 2009–present: Host, "The Infinite Monkey Cage" (BBC Radio 4)


• 2009: Guest, Geoff Lloyd's Hometime Show (Absolute Radio)


• 2008: Panelist, Just a Minute (BBC Radio 4)


• 2006-7: Panelist, The Personality Test (BBC Radio 4)


• 2004-8: Performer, The Now Show (BBC Radio 4)


• 2005: Host, Serious About Comedy (BBC Radio 7)


• 2005: Writer, Dead Ringers (BBC Radio 4)


• 2004: Performer, Think the Unthinkable (BBC Radio 4}


• 2003-4: Host, Spanking New (BBC Radio 7)


• 2002-4: Writer/performer, The in Crowd (BBC Radio 4)


• 2003-6: Writer/performer/Morrissey/John Peel/Satan, Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music (BBC Radio 4)


• 2003-6: Writer/performer, The Day the Music Died (BBC Radio 2)

Film credits

• 2006: Writer, Razzle Dazzle.

DVDs

• 
  Robin Ince is as Dumb as You (2006)


• 
  Nine Lessons and Carols For Godless People (2008)


• 
  Ten Lessons and Carols For Godless People (2011)


• 
  More Nine Lessons and Carols For Godless People (2012)


• 
  Happiness Through Science (2013)


• 
  Robin Ince's Last Ever Show (2015)

References

External links

• Official website


• 
  Robin Ince on IMDb


• 
  Robin Ince at TED


• Robin Ince profile on suchsmallportions.com


• 2011 interview with The Humourdor