Simon Watt: Science Should Beg, Borrow or Steal from SOCs as Much as Possible

Pandas are so cuddly? and are given too much attention, whilst there are many other, unknown and "aesthetically challenging" animals we should work more to preserve. That's what biologist, writer, science communicator and TV presenter Simon Watt believes. He is in Bulgaria as part of the Sofia Science Festival, a series of events which the British Council organizes near the capital's downtown area for the fifth year running.

Mr Watt runs Ready, Steady Science, a science communication which its own website describes as "a company committed to making information interesting and takes science based performances into schools, museums, theatres and festivals. " He is MC/president for life of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, a comedy night with a conservation twist.  

Wherever he tours in the UK, a town or city elects its own "ugly animal mascot", through a "democratic vote" as he puts it; but what is unique during his current visit is that on Sunday at 19:00, Sofia is to become the first place outside Britain to pick a mascot of its own.

Less than two hours before Simon Watt's Frogs and Friends, his brilliant, adults-only comedy event on Friday evening, he talked to Novinite about his mission, his fondness for "ugly animals", and his determination that science should in no way be confined only to scientists.

Though the show could hardly be summarized in a few words, we must say that here in Sofia it fully served its purpose.

To Bulgarians the notion of a science communicator is a little bit strange. Why didn't you choose instead to delve into science writing complicated analyses or spend more time...