Robin Ince

We are excited to welcome Robin Ince back to Ely for Bibliomaniac: An Obsessive's Tour of the Bookshops of Britain, in which Topping's Ely features!

In this warm and witty celebration of the written word, the popular comedian and presenter takes the reader on a journey across Britain as he explores his lifelong love of books and bookshops. Why play to 12,000 people when you can play to 12? In Autumn 2021, Robin Ince's stadium tour with Professor Brian Cox was postponed due to the pandemic. Rather than do nothing, he decided he would instead go on a tour of over a hundred bookshops, from Wigtown to Penzance; from Swansea to Margate. Packed with anecdotes and tall tales, Bibliomaniac follows Robin up and down the country in his quest to discover just why he can never have enough books. It is the story of an addiction and a romance, and also of an occasional points failure just outside Oxenholme.

'A unique, funny picture of Britain... A love letter to bookshops and the vagaries of public transport.' -Richard Osman

Robin Ince is co-presenter of the award-winning BBC Radio 4 show and podcast, The Infinite Monkey Cage. He has toured his award-winning stand-up across the world, both solo and with his radio double-act partner, Professor Brian Cox. He is the author of I'm a Joke and So Are You and The Importance of Being Interested.