Nick Arnold, Mr Horrible Science, made me wait exactly 90 seconds for him to make his cup of coffee before asking my first question.

Only a scientist would be so precise. And yet Nick doesn’t see himself as a scientist but as a writer, and an inordinately good one, having just picked up yet another prestigious award for his Horrible Science books.

But still 90 seconds is 90 seconds, and that’s the thing about Nick – he challenges and engages you which is just what you need when dealing with children.

And with the Horrible Science stage show opening at the New Theatre on Tuesday, Nick’s even more excited than usual.

“The whole of the second half is in 3D,” he tells me laughing, “so it really feels as if the bacteria is crawling up your nose. And I can honestly say the show is excellent. The kids went wild. No bugs but lots of bodily fluids and germs,” he says with relish.

“Because things can be gruesome and exciting without being disturbing. And you can engage children but still keep them safe. Science should be fun, without being dangerous and you can appeal to their imagination without killing them.”

But how important is it in this day and age to engage our children in science?

“Saying you have no interest in science is like saying you have no interest in being alive. If there is no point to science there is no point in breathing.”

So there you have it. But does Nick really think the show can inspire a lifelong interest? “I want people to come out of the theatre thinking ‘that was wonderful’ and knowing a lot more about science,” he says.

So where did Nick start with the Horrible Science books? “I imagined a school picnic where all the teachers got stung by ants and poisonous insects,” he smiles. “And the first book was called Ugly Bugs. Then I thought about how the human body could be gruesome, and Bloodbones and Body Bits followed which is still the best-selling book of the series.”

But how do you make chemistry and physics exciting?

“Well, it would be pretty horrible if you got acid thrown in your face, so chemistry can be horrible, or if you went parachuting and jumped out of a plane without a parachute, then physics would then be horrible too. I look for a topic people want to read about and follow the horrible angle,” he smiles, gruesomely.

Horrible Science comes to Oxford’s New Theatre from Tuesday to Saturday. Call the box office on 0844 8471588.