Dr Justine Rogers

Nerds and comedians are sort of like peanut butter and jelly. They go perfectly together, but unlike peanut butter and jelly, comedians and nerds rarely share a single night. For those who have been suffering withdrawal symptoms of comedian-nerd double since Adam Spencer and Wil Anderson left the morning airwaves, the Nerd All-Star Comedy Gala is the antidote.

A spin-off from the hugely popular Nerd Nite, the Nerd All-Star Comedy Gala is an “extended, grander version of Nerd Nite,” says Dr Justine Rogers, host of the evening, and an academic/comedian herself. Brilliant academics and hilarious comedians will take to the stage for a night of learning and laughter. To Rogers' knowledge, it is “the first of its kind to bring comedians and academic-experts together in such a way.”

Over the course of the night, research astronomer Simon O'Toole will speak about the hunt for planets; Rob Brooks, a professor of evolution, will address the problem with men; maths genius Nalini Joshi will contemplate the patterns of life and mathematics; and Tom Denson will explore ways to stem anger and reduce aggression.

A slew of comedians will be peppered throughout the night with their own, maybe slightly more askew, observations, including Dan Ilic (Hungry Beast, A Rational Fear), Jazz Twemlow (The Roast, A Rational Fear) and Alice Fraser (Aggressively Helpful, A Rational Fear).

Not to say that nerds can't be funny. “All of the speakers,” Rogers says, “have been picked because they're warm and funny people.” Comedians and nerds aren't that far removed anyway, as Rogers explains, “they're both pretty neurotic groups of people and they have overlapping memberships. But they're (we're) all pretty self-motivated and focused and therefore easy to work with. It's funny, I have never considered this before because these people are around me all the time. I love comedians and nerds!”

Audiences can expect to go home not only with their sides splitting from laughter, but also with new ideas and ways of looking at the world. “All of the academics and other experts or artists or performers [at Nerd All Star Gala] are in some ways trying to challenge or extend what we know as truthful,” says Rogers.

Like any presentation of new ideas, questions will be nagging on the audience by the end of the night but Rogers has it all thought through. “All of the speakers have been asked and are keen to hang around afterwards to take questions,” Rogers says, “because that's part of it, being able to clarify ideas, test them against others, open them to scrutiny.”

Get in early for tickets. Nerds and comedy aficionados alike are known for their enthusiasm and for coming out in hordes.