The Physics Chanteuse: when science hits a high note

What do pulsars, nuclear politics and hypothetical love particles have in common? They’ve all inspired songs by Lynda Williams – physicist, performer and self-styled “Physics Chanteuse”. In this month’s Physics World Stories podcast , host Andrew Glester is in conversation with Williams, whose unique approach to science communication blends physics with cabaret and satire. You’ll be treated to a selection of her songs, including a toe-tapping tribute to Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the Northern Irish physicist who discovered pulsars. Williams discusses her writing process, which includes a full-blooded commitment to getting the science right. She describes how her shows evolve throughout the course of a tour, how she balances life on the road with other life commitments, and how Kip Thorne once arranged for her to perform at a birthday celebration for Stephen Hawking. (Yes, really.) Her latest show, Atomic Cabaret , dives into the existential risks of the nuclear age, marking 80 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The one-woman musical kicks off in Belfast on 18 June and heads to the Edinburgh Festival in August. If you like your physics with a side of showbiz and social activism, this episode hits all the right notes. Find out more at Lynda’s website .

You can listen to The Physics Chanteuse: when science hits a high note online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Physics Chanteuse: when science hits a high note is an episode from Physics World Stories Podcast by Physics World.

This episode is 47:24 long.

This episode was published on May 27, 2025.

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