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If you were falling asleep in front of BBC2 on Friday 9th August around 11pm, you’ll have seen me talking to Gavin Esler about the Ugly Animal Preservation Society and all those endangered species who are blessed with neither large numbers nor classic good looks.

UAPS is actually a real thing – and right now, with the help of NSEC, we’re asking the public to choose a new mascot for 2013 and you can vote for it now!

Watch the trailer, or just go straight to vote for my animal of choice, the Awesome Axolotl. Click “like” by 5pm on 11th September and my rare little reptile could be in with a chance.

You’ll recognise a few comedians and friends in the other videos, like Paul Foot, Ellie Taylor, Sarah Bennetto, Steve Mould… if you’re London-based and want to see us pitch our animals in a live comedy night at the Natural History Museum, save 22nd October in your diary and check my gig list for tickets during September.

Last news-post until September… as there won’t be much going on in my life except for the Edinburgh Fringe, all the way through to 25th August.

I’m in two shows this year:

FESTIVAL OF THE SPOKEN NERD – Full Frontal Nerdity with Steve Mould and Matt Parker – Assembly George Square, 6.10pm (tickets)

DOMESTIC SCIENCE – free DIY science party with Rob Leworthy – Canons Gait Inn, 12.10pm (info)

Hope to see you there!

Continuing my current theme of “gigs in cool places” I have a fun-packed couple of weeks coming up…

1st July – Royal Society Twilight Science – we’re doing a couple of short Festival of the Spoken Nerd shows, but without our own mathematical Robert Pattinson and instead the Taylor Lautner of biology, Simon Watt. I assume that makes me Kristen Stewart, right?

6th & 7th July – Voice of an Angle and Domestic Science at Buxton Fringe – if you’re anywhere near Derbyshire this weekend you should pop along and watch either/both of these in the afternoon. Last year two of my shows sold out! And I won a prize! Which I won’t stop going on about! I doubt the same will happen this year, but, still… Exciting times.

10th July – Festival of the Spoken Nerd – back at the Udderbelly on the South Bank for another preview of our new Edinburgh Fringe show, Full Frontal Nerdity!

11th July – Stewart Lee’s Alternative Comedy Experience, Edinburgh – Some tickets still available for my first proper stand-up TV recording doodah, also featuring the brilliant Susan Calman, Alfie Brown and Henning Wehn.

12th July – Science on Fire! Festival of the Spoken Nerd – We’re returning to Shakespeare’s Globe for a night that celebrates (not recreates) the 400th year since the original Globe theatre burnt down, with special guest chemist Prof Andrea Sella. We’re doing all our fire experiments, and some smoke ones too.

What could possibly go wrong…? Answers on a Risk Assessment please.