Funny fellows

Half a dozen Cambridge academics are about to take the plunge and attempt to communicate their research through the medium of stand-up comedy. Nobody is quite sure what will happen next.

It helps more people to understand what researchers at universities do, and why we enjoy our subjects so much."
—Andy Holding

Heard the one about the wise-cracking post-doc‘ What about the mite that could be used as a biocontroller for invasive species of ladybird’ If your answer to these questions is, as for most people, no, then congratulations on being a perfectly normal and well-rounded human being. In spite of which, six intrepid academics will be taking to the stage this week in an effort to convince you that their research is actually funny.

In a venture that uniquely bridges stand-up comedy, scholarship and the thrilling potential for toe-curling humiliation in a public setting, these foolhardy Fellows, PhD students and post-docs will be discussing their research as never before on Friday, when Bright Club makes its first visit to Cambridge.

Bright Club began in London, and invites academics to talk about what they do as part of a stand-up comedy routine. The aim is to inform people about the purpose of academic research and, at the same time, convey something of the excitement and fun that being a researcher often involves.

Andy Holding, a research scientist in Molecular Biology who has organised Bright Club’s Cambridge debut, has already endured the nerve-wracking experience of trying to tell jokes about his research to a room-full of punters at a previous event in London.

"It’s not easy, but it is fun," he says. "It helps more people to understand what researchers at universities do, and why we enjoy our subjects so much. It also makes you look at your own work in a completely different light."

The line-up for Friday includes an historian of phrasebooks, an architect, a gene sequencer, a high energy physicist, a researcher specialising in memory, and another who looks at ways to control invasive ladybirds.

All will be making their first appearance behind the mic and in some cases their only prior experience of stand-up is standing up – making them very brave, very stupid, or possibly both. Any academic who gets involved does receive some introductory training first, however. The event will also be MC’d by the critically-acclaimed stand-up comedian, Kent Valentine.

"BrightClub: Beginnings" will be taking place on Friday, 18 November, in the Portland Arms pub, Chesterton Road, Cambridge. The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets can be purchased in advance from http://wegottickets.com/thinkoutreach. Some tickets are also being held for purchase on the door.

Researchers interested in performing at future events can find out more at: http://bit.ly/qe10Qf

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It helps more people to understand what researchers at universities do, and why we enjoy our subjects so much."