Dr. Justine Rogers, organiser and host of the Nerd All-Star Comedy Gala, took the stage before a full house with an understandable nervous energy. No one would envy the job of segueing between a comedian and an academic when there is no clear similarity between the former's material and latter's field of expertise. Rogers was as wordy as a host can be to get from dildos to mathematics.
Indeed the comedians seemed to have more in common with each other than with the other half of the program. The women of King's Cross became a tiresome theme. As often happens with a gala, the night was a mixed bag that weighed in favour to the academics. Tom Denson, a professor of psychology, and Rob Brooks, a professor of evolution, were funnier and more engaging than their stand-up counterparts. No doubt about it, it is now cool to be a nerd.
