Alex Horne chats to Lucy Wood about his solo career and his forthcoming foray into radio as ringmaster of jazz/comedy mix The Horne Section...

Hi Alex. Can you tell us about how the Horne Section came about...

My two best friends growing up in Sussex were Ben and Joe. They were musical then and are musicians now. I wasn't particularly funny then but I am a comedian now. We'd known we wanted to do something together for years (I did play in an orchestra with them at the age of 14 but it was disastrous) but it wasn't till our surly saxophonist forced the issue that we actually did anything about it. He invited me to perform with him at Ronnie Scotts. The jazz and comedy mix seemed to work so we booked a slot at the Edinburgh Fringe and off we went.

Was there a moment when you knew it had taken off?

We were very lucky. David O'Doherty was one of our first guests and he really took to the show for some reason. He then told his audiences and they came along. That helped massively. On the final show we had Tim Minchin, Jimmy Carr, Al Murray, Tim Key and David himself all performing. It felt like it was working then.

Are you musical yourself?

I scrape grade 3 French Horn. But then I have heard the French Horn is much harder than the trumpet, the sax, the piano, drums or brain surgery.

All of you exude such fun when you're on stage together. How do you keep it fresh?

It's a lot of fun for us too, but yes, we do have to keep it fresh. The key is not planning or writing or rehearsing. Actually, the key is probably planning and writing a lot, so we've got loads of different stuff we can do. And then not being afraid to go down any avenues that open up. Giving the audience some control means it's out of our hands and that helps.

What's been your best HS moment?

Being onstage while Beardyman and Tim Minchin jammed with the band was quite special. But I think my favourite memory is making the trumpeter perform a show in a netball outfit. He has surprisingly good legs.

And the worst?

In our second ever show at the Canal Cafe Theatre I tried to sing a straight song (it's called I Got Six and it's brilliant. But it's mathematical, not comedy). That's when we realised we had to try to be funny as well as musical. Or at least, I did.

Audience participation is a key to the show; do you enjoy that aspect? It can certainly be unpredictabe...

Absolutely. That's always fun. Especially in Edinburgh. We're planning a kids show soon, which should be even less predictable.

Congratulations on the radio show. How did it come about?

Well, the producer approached us about a 'Guide To Music' idea and together we whittled that into what it is now. I think it was more good timing. The musicians are so good, I'm very lucky to have them (they are, legally, mine now).

And how has the format transferred to radio? Have you had to make many changes?

The only main change is that there's just one guest. For the rest of the time we sing songs we've written and I slag the musicians off. So it's more of the same but we get to muck around even more. It's fun.

How do you hope people will react to it? Obviously, it's well-loved by people who know it already.

Fingers crossed it's got something for everyone; everyone likes good music and at least 18 people like at least 4 of my jokes. Plus the guests are fantastic.

And what's next for The Horne Section? We have everything crossed that you'll be doing Edinburgh again this year.

We'll certainly be up in Edinburgh for a while. We're not sure quite how long but we've got a lot of new stuff up our sleeves. But first it's the Melbourne Comedy Festival. It was cracking last year so we're looking forward to returning.

Now onto your career as a solo performer, Alex. Tell us about your first ever gig...

I basically copied Ardal O'Hanlon. He was my hero at the time (still is in many ways) and I said surreal things with an Irish lilt. Except I didn't really have proper jokes. The routine was based on the idea of me combing a beach for something - but with a real, massive comb. Not ideal. Just about got through it though, and I got enough laughs (two) to make me want to do it again.

You work a lot with your close friends - do you prefer it that way? Is it like having a support network? It must be lovely.

It is lovely, yes. I just occasionally feel guilty and ridiculous calling it 'work'. It's not work. Work is things like digging. We try to make each other laugh and then write those things down and then say them again.

We're curious about how you form your material. It's so fluid and lovely, it must be very difficult to 'script' in the traditional sense. Can you give an insight into your processes?

I like 'fluid and lovely'. I might use that on my poster, or call my next two children those things. My main method is this: find something funny and scribble it down somewhere. Drive to somewhere like Blackpool. On the way, talk about that funny thing to myself for a while till it's distilled into something other people might find it funny. Say that thing into my phone (I can't make the recorder work so I generally leave myself a message). Try to recreate that, roughly, onstage. Then do it again and again like that. Fluid and Lovely Horne.

What does your family think of your job? Are your children too young to realise at the minute?

My eldest knows I make people laugh for a living. But I think he thinks I do it against their will. Both kids are much more impressed by the musicians, which is quite annoying.

What will we see you doing next?

Well, I'm going to buy a shed, so I might see you there. Otherwise it's the Horne Section Spectacular on Friday February 24th. Can't wait for that, it's an amazing venue and our line up is terrific. Then I start a silly tour of my bathroom show. Hurray!

To find out more abut The Horne Section and their big gig at The Hackney Empire on Friday visit www.thehornesection.com

The pilot episode of Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section will be repeated on Radio 4 Extra on Monday 27th February, with the new series starting the following week.

Alex begins his 'Seven Years In The Bathroom' tour in March. For dates and details visit www.alexhorne.com