Your new tour is called This Changes Everything – An Evening of Factual Intercourse. When did you realise these stories needed to be shared live on stage rather than just on a podcast or page?

“When I started telling them to my friends in the pub. I realised things like ghost stories are great on the page, but there’s nothing quite like friends sitting around a campfire freaking each other out with those same stories. And so I decided I would replicate the campfire night feeling – the goosebumps, the laughs and the awe-inspiring chats – only this time in theatres and with a live crowd. I’ll bring the marshmallows.”

The show promises unbelievable facts, coincidences and plenty of laughs – what kind of reaction are you hoping audiences have as they leave the theatre?

“My big hope is that by the end, audiences will have had their world view altered, that their third eye will have burst open through their forehead, and that they will become more open to their own weirdnesses. If not that, I’ll settle for them just telling their friends about the show.”

Millions know you from No Such Thing As A Fish. What’s the biggest difference between telling these stories in people’s headphones and telling them to a room full of strangers?

“People can’t heckle a recorded podcast. Now, heckles are usually a nightmare in stand-up, but with a show like this, and the kind of crowd it attracts, the interaction isn’t a bad thing, so long as they contribute. I’ll be actively chasing it. If I’m halfway through a story about a man who claims to have time-travelled to the future, and he happens to be your uncle – you better heckle me to let me know. It’s why the show’s subtitle is Factual Intercourse. The night should be a running conversation between everyone in the room.”

You’ve built a career around digging up strange but true stories – what is it about facts and coincidences that you think people find so irresistible?

“A great fact is a curious thing. It sticks in your head ahead of other more important information, like a relative’s birthday, and very often you can’t wait to tell it to everyone you know. For example, did you know that the whoopie cushion was invented by a Roman Emperor whose birth name was Bassianus? Bassianus invented the whoopie cushion! I wouldn’t shut up about that one for weeks after I discovered it. I don’t know what makes a fact irresistible, but I know that that fact’s got it.”

This show blends comedy, storytelling and genuine curiosity – do you see it more as stand-up, a lecture, or something in between?

“Something in between. It’s a night of storytelling, packed with facts, that will have as many goosebump-raising moments as it will jokes. And PowerPoint. Gotta have PowerPoint.”

Live audiences can be unpredictable – how much room is there for things to go off on unexpected tangents during the evening?

“There will definitely be tangents. And that may come in the form of surprise guests, or it may come in the form an adventure relating specifically to the place I’m performing, or it might come from something submitted by the crowd. Whatever it is, it’s coming.”

The tour visits cities from Coventry to Edinburgh and London – are there any local surprises or personalised moments you’re planning for different audiences?

“Definitely. Every show will have moments tailor-made for it – from incredible local histories to meeting fascinating local residents. So in one show you may find yourself in the crowd sitting next to the world’s only Asparamancer (a psychic who makes predictions using asparagus – she’s also known as Mystic Veg) and the next, you could be sitting next you’ll be sitting next to the world’s leading neanderthal bone expert.”

For anyone sitting on the fence about coming along, how would you describe the evening in one sentence?

“It will be a night to misremember.”