Doors open (probably to a sound like this)

There will be both cabaret-style seating at tables and standing room.  Please arrive early for a seat!

@festivalofinnov #InnovateMalvern #science #egghead #nerd #geek #boffin #LOL

while comedians_seen < 5:

An evening of high-brow science and technology amusement

Our host for the evening

Dr Steve Cross is the founder of Science Showoff, a presenter and producer, travelling across the UK helping all sorts of intellectual types share their passions. He founded Bright Club, the international network of academic comedy clubs, and performs at comedy, music, science and tech festivals around the world.

He's a Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow, an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association, chair of the Royal Society of Biology’s Science Communication Awards, a previous winner of the Josh Award, a chair of two judging panels for the National Public Engagement Awards and an advisor to public engagement projects across Europe. Fortunately he's also a stand-up comedian, so well qualified to host our evening.

@steve_x, @ScienceShowoff

20:20 - 20:35ish

Dr Hannah Little is a senior lecturer in science communication at UWE Bristol, as well as a linguist, digital rights activist and (fortunately for this evening) a comedian. She has performed science comedy at a number of venues in the UK and Belgium, including at the British Science Festival, TEDx, and has also been on BBC Radio 4’s "Stranger than Sci-Fi". One of her favourite things to talk about is language evolution and science fiction, and she is currently writing her first non-fiction book "The Alien Linguist".

@hanachronism

20:40 - 21:00

Jon Matthews is an insightful and witty comedian, writer and satirist, who tells jokes on subjects as varied as science, politics, relationships and religion, often drawing these diverse fields together into "punchlines you can feel smart for getting" (Chortle). He cut his comedy teeth on the ex-pat comedy circuit in China, where he became a popular figure on the Beijing scene, performing alongside touring American comedians as well as headlining and MCing local shows.

More notable for the Malvern audience was his second place up the road at the Hereford Comedy Festival New Act contest (2017). Not that this accolade will carry much weight over here in Worcestershire.

@jonmatthewsuk

21:00 - 21:20

setTimeout (Intermission, 1200);

Ingestion of nutrients, excretion of waste, as appropriate.

21:20 - 21:35ish

Lucy Eckersley is a wildlife biologist, science presenter, comedian, and live & dead animal wrangler, whichever fits the situation best. Having studied and worked at the Royal Veterinary College, she has a wealth of ridiculous animal stories to entertain you, featuring leeches, snakes, lions and tapeworms! Expect some gasps, lots of gross anecdotes, and hopefully plenty of laughs.

Lucy has performed at comedy and science shows around the country, including the British Science Festival, Cheltenham Science Festival, and more recently, in her living room in front of a laptop.

@PunkBiologist

21:40 - 22:00

John Hinton trained as an actor at the Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, and he has gone on to become a director, science communicator, playwright, singer-songwriter, teacher and of course juggler. His science communication work stretches back to his first solo show 'The Origin of Species...' in 2009, about the life and theories of Charles Darwin.

The Darwin show became the first instalment of a trilogy, known as the 'Scientrilogy'; the other shows being about Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. In February 2017 he set up the company Ensonglopedia, which has since produced a wide range of science communication music shows.

@johnny_acecraft

22:00

More drink*

*drink sensibly, the liquid does not need to contain C₂H₅OH to have a good time.

Log off

Unless we get the Blue Screen of Death before now.