He's too young for this. Tony Robinson is about to take a show based on his life on the road.

Or maybe I'm too old. I remember Tony as the narrator of a BBC Children's TV show called Tales from Fat Tulip's Garden when I was a teen. But that was just... over 20 years ago! Still, when thesps start booking autobiographical tours they are well into their anecdotage'. So surely he should have waited until he was old and infirm?

Tony chuckles and reveals that by the time of Fat Tulip, he had been working in the biz for some time. "I was a child actor. I had been working for 20 years man and boy. I began at 13 and Fat Tulip's Garden was the first show I had control over."

It certainly allowed him to gain credibility as an actor and presenter.

I wonder if this is evidence of some kind of grand design at work. Tony believes not. "My historical roles always seem to be a matter of coincidence rather than choice. It's not a conscious decision but maybe in my sub-conscious there is something there." Given this what's his favourite time in history? "If I had a Tardis I'd like to go back to what we call the Dark Ages, the time between when the Romans left and William the Conqueror appeared. It's a weird period when you couldn't work out what was happening. I'd like to meet up with Offa when he built his dyke."

Is it a big leap from TV to the stage? After all he is best known for being on the small screen. But Tony sees it as a chance to get back to his roots. "I last went on tour with Who Dares Wins Channel 4's seminal alternative comedy show from the early 1980s. This time it's not just me talking about my life. It's stand-up, sketches and songs and lots of other things."

I mention that a large amount of his comic performance in Blackadder consisted of him being thrown through doors and generally being the patsy to Blackadders violent inclinations. He was the Manuel of his generation. Tony agrees and reveals that he and Andrew Sachs are close friends. But it also presents an opportunity. Tony says it was because of his exposure as Baldrick that he got involved with Comic Relief. "I went to Africa to do a number of reports and I found TV presenting liberating. I was suddenly in a more creative position to talk about things that I cared about. It allowed me to explore different areas."

It is also another chapter of his life that will be written after he finishes touring.

The second series of Worst Jobs in History and a new series of Time Team including a week-long Tome event in July are in the offing. I ask what people can expect from the show.

"A laugh. And a good time." But we all know it will be much more than that. Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out will be at the Ashcroft Theatre on Saturday, February 5.

Call box office on 020 8688 9291.