http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-21/having-a-scientific-laugh-nine-scientists-turned-comedians/8188182
I begin 152 years ago with the mathematician’s answer to The Goon Show.
Published in 1865, The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland was written by a shy maths lecturer at Christ Church College in Oxford.
His comedy was a revolt (all comedy is an equal and opposite reaction to pompous formality) against the rigidity of college life.
But it was also a celebration of the paradoxes — like having to run flat out just to stand still — Carol was constantly finding in his equations.
The full story has been told on both The Science Show and The Spirit of Things on RN and is certainly worth exploring to see how the natural world inspires and prompts mirth.
Another mathematician, Tom Lehrer from Harvard, carried the tradition forward in the 1950s, mainly in song. Poisoning Pigeons in the Park had more to do with psychosis than ornithology or population management.
Lehrer did set maths to music with songs about plagiarism (Lobachevksy) and chemistry (The Periodic Table). He managed to recite the latter at speed and without slip, with only a piano to assist his live performance.
Lehrer is now 88 and lives in California. I once called him about writing a song to celebrate the election of Jimmy Carter to the US Presidency. Lehrer replied that when Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 satire died. What he thinks of Donald Trump one can only imagine. But his songs are still fresh and well worth listening to
Warren Mitchell was one of the comedy superstars of the 50s, 60s and 70s. He studied physical chemistry at University College, Oxford. His character in Till Death Us Do Part, Alf Garnett, was one of the original loudmouth non-PC gits in showbiz.
He was famous for calling his on-screen son-in-law a “Scouse git”; the actor playing the Liverpudlian layabout was Anthony Booth, father of Cherie Booth, later the wife of UK PM Tony Blair.
I never performed with Warren Mitchell, but I did a few times with Python — and Cambridge trained physician — Dr Graham Chapman. This star of The Life Of Brian was once rather poorly when I visited him at his London home for a Science Show interview. I made him a cup of tea in his kitchen (his arm was injured). “Sugar?” I asked him. “No,” he replied, “I’m gay.”
You probably know Ricky Gervais as an actor, writer and withering solo stand-up performer. But he also studied the history and philosophy of science at University College, London.
The star of Extras is also a committed atheist, and often takes to Twitter poke fun at the less rational aspects of religion.
Jo Brand, seen often on the ubiquitous QI, was trained as a psychiatric nurse. She is intellectually swift and deliciously succinct.
She previously channelled her nursing experience in the series Getting On, and has even said nursing and comedy have their similarities: “It’s important to look calm on the surface when you’re absolutely crapping yourself inside.”
Brand’s new series, Damned, features social workers in a local council and co-stars Alan Davies.
The ABC’s own Bernie Hobbs is also astringent and pitiless as a comedienne (she learned stand-up survival the hard way: practising in classrooms in Queensland).
She was trained in the state’s science teachers’ college
Hobbs’ colleague in and out of the ABC is Adam Spencer, mathematician and Sleek Geek (along with Dr Dr Dr Dr Karl, who deserves an entire piece to himself for having pioneered funny science on TV and stage in Australia).
Spencer is now writing maths books and being MC for everyone from Malcolm Turnbull to schoolkids everywhere.
Which brings me, finally, to Tom Gleeson, the host of Hard Quiz and The Weekly’s Hard Chat segment on ABC TV. He also has a splendid record on commercial TV. He read maths and physics, both hard subjects, at the University of Sydney. Still, when he was asked on radio to explain Fermat’s Last Theorem, he failed.
He will be invited on to The Science Show when the next series of Hard Quiz takes off so that he can have another go.
Considering the names above, if the new Science Minister Arthur Sinodinos wants to encourage Australian schoolkids to go into STEM careers, he should sell them as good preparation for the world of comedy. Seriously.
