Definitely the most important thing in my life is being a father.

I get dissatisfied really easily, and I have to constantly keep moving; I have to constantly keep doing things. I find it very hard to switch off.

Personally, I think people need to get over this 'being offended' thing. Being offended does not give you the right to silence people. I get offended by things all the time - it's just part of life. The right not to be offended is not a human right, especially in a democracy.

Comedy's about things the way they are. It's about the world as it is, not the world as we would like it to be, and science is the same, really.

Things like 'The Office,' and arguably shows like 'The Only Way Is Essex,' are comedies, just using real people in real situations.

It's my theory that comedy is going to die out in the year 6000.

I was on holiday in Ibiza, having a lovely time, writing a book and looking at the stars every night and generally not having a care in the world. Then I got sent the script for 'Death in Paradise.' I couldn't get back to England in time for the auditions, so my girlfriend filmed me on her camera, and I sent it off via email.

There's something wonderful about that sort of Poirot, Agatha Christie-style investigation: cross-questioning all the witnesses and checking their stories, looking for means, motive, and opportunity.

I enjoyed learning French, and I enjoyed speaking French.

I'm a huge fan of French comedy. The French play comedy in a slightly different way than we do: they play it with a sort of realism that we don't necessarily often do ourselves.

I slept on a friend's kitchen floor for a year and a half.

Nobody wants to get divorced.

I'm writing a science book - a sort of compendium of all the ways I've found of explaining things to my artsy friends over the years.

I'd rather sink with a bad theory than swim with muddy pragmatism.

I'm one of those people that read a newspaper.

The first-ever job I had was in a play, 'Trench Kiss,' with Caroline Quentin and Arthur Smith.

Everyone was doing alternative comedy. I thought I'd distinguish myself by just telling jokes, with differing degrees of success.

I'd like to see the argument made for greater worldwide federalism, not just the European Union.

Science is a hobby, and I'm really into it, but it's not my job. My job is to learn about comedy and to make people laugh. Science, for me, is probably a bit like Danny Baker's love of football or Rod Stewart's obsession with train sets.

I want to get across that science is something that we all have ownership of and we can all take an interest in. We don't all have to understand complex theories, but we should have a working knowledge, like knowing your way round the engine of your car.

I'm very lucky, I had a very amicable separation and very amicable divorce, but it was still horrendous.

I was an early adopter of everything from Myspace to Twitter, and I think they're just fads, like CB radio.

On 'Death In Paradise,' I had a CGI pet lizard and had to react to nothing, which was hideously embarrassing.

I got my first Mac in 1984. I've got an Airbook, iPad, iPhone, the lot. I love that blend of technology, creativity, and design.