Tim Vine
Studio Theatre, artsdepot Nether Street,
North Finchley
Saturday, May 21, 8pm

It is one the great unsolved mysteries of entertainment: why so many comedians suffer from bouts of doom and gloom in between making the punters scream with laughter.

Perhaps everyone just has a comedy quota, and once it is used up, that's it.

Not so for comedian Tim Vine who is known for his cheerful demeanour on and off the stage.

When he was asked to host BBC1's Housemates in 1995, he was told: "Tim, we want you for your warmth, not your comedy." Ouch.

"That's when I knew I was in the deep end," sighs Vine, adding that he tried to squeeze in as many of his infamous puns as he could when he was not milking his gameshow-host persona to death. Since then however, it has been his comic genius that people have been after, which accounts for his sell-out gigs in Edinburgh and throughout the country.

He is best known for being the Guinness World Record holder for delivering 499 jokes in one hour, which he won at the Soho Theatre in October 2004.

You won't hear jokes from that show in his current tour material however; it's a brand new stock of puns, one-liners and silly ditties. "I'm thinking of calling it Pun Intended," he says.

If that's not enough of a joke fix for humour junkies, there's always One Vine Month, a video diary of Tim's life which, according to him, is rather funny.

"Comedy seems to follow me around, but it did force me to make my life more interesting," he says.

With a record of ten jokes per minute, he has to draw on a whole range of real-life experiences. Previously these have included being complimented on his driving skills by getting a parking fine, dentist visits and attempts to buy a tent.

Tickets are £12 (£10 concessions) on 020 8369 5454.