Talks and shows
Tim is an accomplished speaker and regularly gives talks across the UK and internationally, both live and online. Venues and audiences have spanned festivals, museums, schools and universities.
Tim’s talks draw on his unique background as an academic and performer, being a combination of fascinating, funny, and always entertaining.
“The perfect mix of fascinating and hilarious!”
— Audience member from a public talk at the Grant Museum of Zoology, London
Some examples of Tim’s talks…
In The Jungle (the mighty jungle)
A versatile talk on Tim’s experiences working in the Bornean rainforest, home to the orangutan, the pygmy elephant and (more importantly) some of the world’s most impressive insects, spiders and other invertebrates. Everything from discovering new species, making TV programmes with Sir David Attenborough, and the challenges faced by this magnificent habitat.
This talk has featured at London’s Natural History Museum, The University of Cambridge, and in schools and other venues around the UK.
The Flea Circus: The Smallest Show on Earth
Roll up and see the world-famous performing fleas! For over 150 years, audiences have been paying their sixpences to be amazed by whole troupes of real, live, performing fleas. Believe it, or not?
In this talk Tim will persuade you that the flea circus, until recently, was a 100% genuine spectacle, made up of live fleas pulling chariots, riding tricycles and even fighting duels with perfectly crafted miniature swords. Find out how the Flea Circus ‘Professors’ fed their fleas, which household appliance spelled the demise of the Flea Circus in the 1950s, and how a flea could make a Victorian lady take all of her clothes off.
Features rare images and footage from Tim’s Flea Circus collection. If exhibition space is available, ephemera and artefacts can be placed on display, including rare Mexican Dressed Fleas and the props from a genuine flea circus.
The talk has appeared at London’s Natural History Museum, the Grant Museum of Zoology, The Royal Institution, The Congress for Curious People, The Edinburgh Science Festival, The University of Illinois’ Insect Fear Film Festival, and other venues around the UK.
Hot Stuff! How to eat fire and survive
A talk on the history and techniques of fire eaters, with a live demonstration of how to eat fire and survive! Packed with rare images and footage from Tim’s collection.
In venues where a live demonstration of fire eating is an absolute no-no, there is a video version of this section (although there’s nothing quite like the real thing).
This talk has featured at the Showzam! festival of circus and variety, the conference of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, The Northern Magic Circle Convention, The Hull Magicians’ Circle, and other venues around the UK.
Other titles:
If Bugs Got Big — a demonstration-packed science show imagining a world with super-sized insects. Developed for the Natural History Museum’s Dino Snores for Grown-ups events.
Adventures of an Insect Wrangler — the fascinating behind-the-scenes world and unnatural history of making wildlife TV programmes.