Comedian Ian Stone will be Looking for the Wow when he comes to Farnham and Bordon in May.

But anyone fearing a melancholy evening will be surprised, for the title of Ian’s tour is misleading!

Asked what happened to his wow, Ian said: “I’ve never lost the wow, I’m just looking for more of it!” Amused by the question, he added: “I’m not joking, but this is going in the show!”

Ian is an Arsenal fan. Do you still get the wow factor from football, I asked him: “Of course I do! It’s just the noise, the occasion. It’s the closest I get to a religious experience.”

Last month Ian travelled to watch his team beat Portsmouth 4-1 in the FA Cup. He said: “I enjoyed going to Fratton Park. I really like the atmosphere, the noise and people being so close. I got the middle finger from a six-year-old all afternoon. I loved it!”

The biggest wow moment for an Arsenal fan came on Friday, May 26, 1989, when the Gunners dramatically ended their 18-year wait to win the First Division.

Long-time leaders Arsenal had been overhauled by Liverpool, but their meeting at Anfield was postponed after the Hillsborough disaster and became a title decider.

Arsenal needed a two-goal victory and Michael Thomas, who made his league debut on loan to Portsmouth, clinched a 2-0 win with a stoppage time strike.

Ian, 62, said: “I was at my friend Tracey’s house. I used to go round hers on Fridays to play cards. I was offered a ticket for the game but I turned it down because I wasn’t sure we’d get the result. I was watching it in the other room while my friends were playing cards, but it was a great night.”

Music is a big part of Ian’s life: “I was completely crazy about The Jam. I loved them and I wrote a book about it. Paul Weller was about the first adult I met who seemed to have his head screwed on. He was 20 and he was as angry as I was. I saw The Jam at The Music Machine in 1978. It was my first indoor gig. They mean a lot to me.

“Paul read my book and he said ‘I forgot how bad it was in the 70s’. I said ‘Can I use that on the cover?’ and he said ‘Yeah’. That was a ‘wow!’ moment.”

Ian promised his audiences a fun evening: “There’s lots of jokes, and some moaning too because I’m a man of a certain age. Art, football, live music that I love, life and death - the big stuff, the stuff that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, that’s what I want to talk about. Come to the show, you will have a good time. I’ve done this before! That’s the wow thing - exactly!”

Ian will appear at the Farnham Maltings (May 1, 8pm, tickets £20, 01252 745444) and The Phoenix Theatre and Arts Centre in Bordon (May 7, 8pm, tickets £20, 01420 472664).