photo by Alex Brenner

Who is Helen?

  • Look, Mum, I’m on University Challenge!

    In news that would sound like the ramblings of a fantasist if it weren’t completely true, I am competing in Christmas University Challenge on BBC Two – tonight! And on iPlayer for all eternity.

    I’m representing my old university Imperial College London, where I spent a happy three years both studying and not studying physics. My team-mates in this absolutely bonkers endeavour are the brilliant science writer Anjana Ahuja, stegosaur expert Susie Maidment and comedian Mark Silcox.

    It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Our captain Anjana wrote this about our shared experience on the Financial Times. It’s scarily accurate.

    I can’t say which team won (yet…) but I can say that I’ll be live tweeting the whole thing from about 8.15pm over on twitter.com/helenarney and if you miss the broadcast tonight you can watch it all again and again forever.

  • The Unstoppable Letty Pegg – live on stage

    The Unstoppable Letty Pegg – live on stage

    Incredible scenes to report from November, when my song “Unstoppable” (from the teenage jiu jitsu suffragette musical I’m writing with James Hughes) was performed at the Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize Concert. Watch as Sienna Aurora Clarke knocks it out the park! Hear that brilliant band with a new arrangement of the song! Revel in the awesome air punch at the end!

    It’s on YouTube here. Do share it far and wide if you love it as much as we do!

  • Living out my fantasy as the voice of Mary Wollstonecraft

    Living out my fantasy as the voice of Mary Wollstonecraft

    In the middle of a busy month full of wild gigs (Our Cambridge Theatre show sold out to 1,200 nerds and brought Unnecessary Detail to the West End! I recorded a cool TV show I can’t tell you about until Christmas! Sienna Clarke sang our teenage jiu jitsu suffragette song in the Stiles + Drewe Best Song Prize final! I wrote two new songs for A Podcast Of Unnecessary Detail including a 9 minute musical about automotive pioneer Bertha Benz! The Overture showcase for my Astronaut show is happening this Friday! I did a solo show in a planetarium in Leicester!) here is a moment of calm and a podcast you might like to listen to.

    Before all the busy stuff started, I recorded the voice of Mary Wollstoncraft (yes, the mother of Mary Shelley, yes the Frankenstein one) and sang the closing song for this dark literary, fantasy, storytelling podcast “Submitted For The Approval Of The Midnight Pals” and the whole episode is finally out today. Follow that link, or search for “midnight pals” wherever you get your podcasts.

    I got to channel my most classic embarrassing mum vibes for the script, and my twisted Frank Sinatra vibes for the song. Enjoy!

· Unless otherwise stated, copyright ©2026 Helen Arney ·