Introducing…comedian Chris Ramsey’s York-bound touring show, Offermation.

How come we never talk when we have such an extensive array of communication capabilities at our fingertips, asks Chris Ramsey? Why is it that we often know more about random people on the internet than we do about some of our own family?

In his new show, the North Eastern comic mulls over the rise of Offermation, a noun defined in the Urban Dictionary as “information that is given without being asked for; especially information that is useless or unwanted”.

Wading through the “offermation” in his life, Ramsey attempts to bring us closer while discovering that “sometimes the most pointless of things can end up giving us so much joy”.

In anticipation of Sunday’s show in York, Charles Hutchinson sought more information from a man who is not alone in his puzzlement at the proliferation of round-robin letters from unknown family members.

So, you didn’t make up the word “offermation” yourself, Chris?

“No, it’s a word I overheard, said by a nerdy shop assistant in a nerdy shop and it sparked off these thoughts. You’ll find it at urbandictionary.com, along with words like ‘battyman’ and slang words, but if I bring the show out in DVD, maybe it will go into the Collins or Oxford dictionary.

“Basically the word ‘offermation’ struck a chord with me because most communication is like that, especially in a technical, social media sense, and it tied in really well with round-robin letters too.”

Why are you so averse to round-robin letters?

“I’m not of a generation where I feel it’s acceptable behaviour.

“I always got one dropping through the door from people I didn’t even know. They were called Bren and Mike and they were family members I’d never met. I was, like, man, what’s this?

“These letters are bad enough anyway but when they’re from unknown parties they’re even worse! Bren and Mike’s story now punctuates the show as I read out extracts from three of their letters and that’s not as bad as it sounds!”

Does it make you feel better reading them out, as a form of revenge?

“It’s like therapy. Like, get that out, squeeze that spot!”

You say “No” to round-robin letters, but are you a fan of such social media forums as Twitter?

“I have 28,000 followers. I’m an only child. I love it.

“As a performer it’s good to be on Twitter. It’s mad when people go and see the show: I might tweet something pointless in advance and then realise that I’ve started pedalling a monster!”

Aside from the Offermation material, what else will feature in Sunday’s show?

“Offermation forms the second half of the show. Before that, I go out for about 40 minutes of bantering to the crowd; what’s happening in my life; what’s happened that day. I’m dropping in some new material at the end of the first half, looking ahead to this summer’s Edinburgh Fringe.”

What made you first stand up on stage?

“I don’t know! It’s what I always wanted to do. I thought you had to be famous to do it, but when I saw my mate going up there, I thought, ‘I could do this’.”

What happened?

“It was at the Dog And Parrot in Newcastle, near the Central Station, £2 a night. It was really nerve-wracking – and I’ve got my first ever show on DVD because a student was filming it.

“It was very daunting, very scary, but for some reason, that night it was packed and went really well. If it hadn’t been so full, I might not have gone back, because I always think, ‘the more people there, the merrier’.”

How will you attempt to bring your audience closer together on Sunday?

“Basically, I don’t want to give too much away about the ‘closer together’ thing. I don’t know how to answer that without revealing what will happen. So come along on the night.”

• Chris Ramsey: Offermation, Hyena Lounge Comedy Club, The Basement. City Screen, York, Sunday, 7.30pm; sold out. Doors open at 7pm.