Brunel Museum to Host ENGINEERING IS A JOKE Comedy Night
Comedy meets engineering at Brunel Museum's upcoming event
By: Stephi Wild Feb. 19, 2026
This Spring, the Brunel Museum will stage a special comedy evening Engineering is a Joke as part of its French Révolution season, spotlighting engineering through sharp, intelligent stand-up. Hosted by science communicator and founder of Science Show-off, Steve Cross, the talented line-up of performers features Shiv Kapila, Shalaka Kurup, Oliver Broadbent, and James Connolly.
Leading the line-up is Shiv Kapila (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025; Backyard Comedy Club), a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Blending warmth and self-aware reflections on PhD life, he brings aerospace engineering to life with his precisely crafted punchlines. He's joined by Funny Women Finalist and winner of West End New Act of the Year, Shalaka Kurup (Get A Grip, Edinburgh Fringe 2025; Comedy Central Live), who is quickly establishing herself as one of the most distinctive new voices on the UK circuit.
Also performing is Oliver Broadbent, a writer, designer, and international speaker, who brings thoughtful insight into design and creativity with an engaging and accessible performance style. As the 2020 recipient of the Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education, he combines practical expertise with humour. Completing the line-up is James Connolly, Associate Professor of Modern French History at UCL, who weaves true stories, life experiences, and historical facts into clever puns and quick-witted comedy.
The evening forms part of the Museum's French Révolution season, running until Monday 13th April. Alongside live performance, the season includes guided tours on the second weekend of every month, National Lottery Open Week with free entry on 14th –15th March, and Unearthing Innovation: 200 Years of Tunnelling, marking the 183rd anniversary of the Thames Tunnel's opening on 25th March.
Katherine McAlpine, Director of Brunel Museum, comments, "We are absolutely thrilled to welcome some of the most exciting comedians to our iconic Tunnel Shaft at Brunel Museum. The Brunels were famous for trying inventive and innovative ways of bringing their ideas to life, so we're excited to be doing the same to engineering, by using humour. The Thames Tunnel was a space for Fancy Fairs, with a range of diverse acts and events, so we're delighted to be continuing keeping that tradition alive."
Videos