Lenny Henry talks about life after his divorce and how throwing himself into his work helped to heal the wounds.

Shakespearian actor, stand-up comedian, TV presenter, children’s character, and... the face of Premier Inn.

No one could accuse Lenny Henry of sticking rigidly to one thing.

“You’ve got to present a moving target,” he says, and he’s only half-joking. “You can’t be complacent. I’ve been a comedian now for 36 years. I like to think I can branch out a bit.”

And although music is the theme of his new one-man show Cradle To Rave, getting a few things off his chest, namely his rather public divorce from Dawn French, is another common thread.

“Inevitably,” Lenny points out. “We were together for 25 years and she’ll always be a part of my life.

“We’re best friends. It’s unfortunate that we’re getting divorced but what’s really good is that we’re united in our love for our daughter Billie.

“We like each other very, very much and want it to stay that way. Yes, it’s sad that we’re not together anymore but what’s great is that when we do see each other, there’s no acrimony.

“We’re getting on with it. This is the next chapter in the book and we’re trying to do it the best way we can.”

Throwing himself into his work seems to be the solution. First came his award winning stint in Othello, then hosting the new BBC1 Saturday night show Magicians, and now Cradle To Rave. So what should we expect from the new show, coming to Oxford’s New Theatre on Saturday?

“It will be a musical journey through my life,” the 52-year-old explains. “Because the first thing I ever did on stage wasn’t telling jokes but impersonating Elvis. When I appeared at the Queen Mary ballroom in Dudley aged 16, I noticed that the crowd divided into musical tribes.

“I was a soul boy and there were a lot of Jamaican guys who thought all soul boys were gay. The Jamaicans liked reggae. And there were kids who were into glam rock and others who liked Black Sabbath. So I thought that would be a good basis for a comedy routine,” he grins.

Lenny will also be recalling his childhood through music.

“I sang nursery rhymes to Billie each evening and, when she was older, read almost every Harry Potter book to her. But I don’t remember my parents singing to me.

“My dad was so tired and grumpy by the time he got home, he wouldn’t be in the mood for nursery rhymes. If anything, he’d question the lyrics.

“‘Three blind mice? See how they run? I’ll tell you how they run. Into each other because they can’t see a blasted thing’.”

So, the first half of the show will track Lenny from babyhood to teenager, while in the second half, he’ll talk about moving to London, getting married, “and the compromises you have to make, because musically Dawn had her music and I had mine,” he adds laughing.

“On my side, there’d be Thin Lizzy, Public Enemy, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads and Tom Waits. On her side, it would be Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Norah Jones. So we had to meet in the middle. Or, to put it another way, Sade.”

Lenny’s even going to play the piano on stage, an instrument he only began learning a few years ago, not that he’s afraid of taking risks. His recent performance as Othello in the West End had critics dusting off their superlatives.

“Yes, Othello was scary,” he agrees. ‘I’d never done Shakespeare before. I’d never really got it. Then I took a degree in English Literature and slowly came to realise that they’re just great stories written in extraordinary language. Mind you, it’ll be just as weird walking out on stage again with the new show. Just me – and the audience.”

* Lenny Henry brings his new show Cradle to Rave at the new Theatre on Saturday. Call the box office on 0844 8471588.