Helen Arney

Helen Arney is an award-winning science presenter, musical comedian and sought-after event host who specialises in making complex ideas entertaining, accessible and unforgettable through her unique blend of physics, performance and song. With a background in physics and extensive broadcasting experience across BBC Radio and television, including all ten series of Discovery Channel's Outrageous Acts of Science, she's best known as one-third of Festival of the Spoken Nerd, which has sold out theatres across the UK. Helen has hosted events for clients including Google, the United Nations and CERN, and recently expanded her work into musical theatre writing and creating educational resources that support mathematical thinking in young children, helping audiences of all ages discover the wonder and brilliance in the world around them.

When Helen Arney sang the periodic table on Channel 4, smashed a wine glass with her voice on Blue Peter, and explained physics whilst riding a rollercoaster for BBC2's Coast, she proved that science communication could be as entertaining as it was enlightening. With a background in physics and a passion for performance, she has carved out a unique space where science meets song, and made it her mission to make complex ideas entertaining, accessible and unforgettable. She's best known as one-third of the science-comedy phenomenon Festival of the Spoken Nerd, which has sold out theatres across the UK and earned a global fanbase through radio shows, podcasts and live tours.

Helen's extensive broadcasting work includes all ten series of Outrageous Acts of Science on the Discovery Channel, presenting Great Inventions, and numerous appearances across BBC Radio 3, 4, 5 and 6. Her voice and musical talent have featured in everything from comedy panel shows to educational documentaries, and she's the voice of The Elements on Amazon Alexa in North America. She has also co-hosted the BBC Radio 4 series Did the Victorians Ruin the World? with her sister, geneticist Dr Kat Arney. Beyond broadcasting, Helen has expanded her creative work into musical theatre writing, working with Mercury Musical Development's Advanced Writer's Lab and completing Book, Music and Lyrics workshops in London. She has developed new work through residencies at Birmingham Hippodrome, and recently created a suite of free songs, videos and classroom resources designed to support mathematical thinking in children aged three to six, demonstrating her commitment to making learning joyful from the earliest years.

As a regular on the live events circuit, Helen has performed and hosted for clients ranging from Google, the United Nations and CERN to the Science Museum, WIRED and the Royal Society. Her unforgettable live appearances include singing at Google's California headquarters, performing under a dinosaur skeleton for Europe's science ministers, and sharing the stage with Commander Chris Hadfield at the Royal Albert Hall. She is a trusted host of science-themed classical concerts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and she curates and stars in An Evening of Unnecessary Detail, a regular showcase of the UK's smartest and silliest science comedy. From high-level scientific institutions to school science festivals, from intimate dinners to major conference stages, Helen captivates audiences not just by making them laugh, but by helping them see the wonder and brilliance in the world around them, leaving them inspired to engage with ideas they never thought they could understand.