Ben Miller is probably best known as one half of The Armstrong and Miller Show, but he has also acted in prime-time TV dramas such as Primeval, Death in Paradise and Doctor Who. We were meeting to discuss a new twist in his career – as an author of non-fiction science books. I thought it was wise to confess straight away that I am an English student. “You’d be my ideal reader!” he cried. “My books are written for people that haven’t studied science, but are curious about the world. ‘I reckon I could explain this to someone who does English’ is what was in my head most of the time.”

Miller has written two books, the first entitled It’s Not Rocket Science and the second The Aliens are Coming. I asked him the obvious question – are aliens coming? “No,” was his succinct answer, laughing. “Well the aliens are coming, in the sense that I think within the next decade we will be able to tell whether there is any bacterial life on the nearest planets. There are probably a number of reasons why we haven’t heard from any intelligent life. One may be that there isn’t any intelligent life out there, which seems unlikely. A more likely reason is that all intelligent life is too far away for communication. What is possible is that there is intelligent life close enough for communication, but it’s not interested in communicating.”

I find it difficult to reconcile the man I’m speaking to, passionate about physics and evolution and philosophy, and the tongue-in-cheek actor and comedian from the TV screen. Yet, Ben was originally a scientist. He studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge, before going on to read for a PhD in Physics. While studying for his PhD he joined the Footlights, and he eventually dropped out of university to pursue a career in comedy. I commented that this must have been a hard decision. “Actually, dropping out wasn’t difficult at all,” he corrects me. “When I was doing my PhD I very much felt that I’d found my calling, and that was to do comedy. I’m into science as a hobby, but I couldn’t survive without comedy. I get so much benefit from comedy, it’s a constant companion.”

In a sense, the book seems to be a culmination of his time at Cambridge as a scientist and a comedian: “I was incredibly lucky to go to Cambridge. It was such a formative experience for me. I went to St Catharine’s. I love that college, and I still stay in touch. I came from a comprehensive school and there was no one else from my school at the university. It opened up a whole world for me.”

Ben admits that it wasn’t entirely easy initially to adjust.

“I was reading Natural Sciences, and there was very little time for anything else while you were doing that, in the first year particularly. As time went on and the workload decreased, I enjoyed all of it much more.”

Miller explains, though, that “culturally it was still a huge adjustment. On the first day we were called to the dining room for a photograph, and the Head Porter looked me up-and-down and said ‘You can’t be in the photograph in those shoes’. I thought ‘Well, okay then, I won’t be in the photograph.’ No one had explained to me that it was a matriculation photograph and that it was such an important thing – I didn’t know anything about Cambridge. So I went back to my room and I played my electric guitar, and I was playing it quite loudly in a ‘screw-you’ kind of way, and the Head Porter starts banging and banging on the door. I answered, and he said: “Where the hell are you? Everyone’s waiting for you.” I said: “Well, you said I couldn’t wear these shoes”, and he said: “Don’t be an idiot and get down there now!”

He continued: “I walked down and the whole college was out, and I had to walk across the quadrant. Everyone jeered and clapped. It was the most alienating experience. After that I really wanted to leave and go home, I thought that Cambridge just wasn’t for me. So I was actually packing up my stuff when the porter came back. He said ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise that you didn’t know about matriculation dress. Just stay, for one more night.’ So I ended up staying for one more night, and then I ended up doing a PhD as well...”

Ultimately, his enthusiasm endured: “it was amazing, the whole experience was amazing.” He reflected in particular that “being part of Cambridge theatre was really what made me as a person, I think” – noting his good fortune in being able to count among his contemporaries David Farr, writer of critically acclaimed series The Night Manager, Rachel Weisz, and Doctor Who composer Murray Gold.

“They’ve all influenced me massively, and still do. I learnt so much from all of them. Mel and Sue were also here at the same time. I could go on and on. It’s ridiculous. At the time we were just writing plays. David would write a play, Murray would write the music, Rachel would be in it, I’d be in it, Jez [Butterworth] would produce it. It was amazing.”

I asked if he has any advice for today’s students, or anyone trying to make it in comedy. His advice was simple. “Just don’t give up. Don’t give up.”

For Miller, a little over 30 years after matriculating, “one of the great gifts that Cambridge gives you is that it pulls back the curtain from the Wizard of Oz. Because you finally understand no one’s going to hand it to you – the idea that there’s a magical person out there who’s going to ‘discover you’ – that’s not going to happen. You need to write, produce, direct your own stuff. No one is going to give you a break but yourself.”