It’s Saturday night and I’m spending it with hundreds of children watching a man eat the world’s hottest chilli. The man breathes wide-mouthed, his eyes water, and he stands bent over with his hands on his knees. The children love it. The charismatic woman who forced the chilli onto the man assures everyone that he is unlikely to die…

This was just one of the many amusing scenes at this year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lecture, which also saw the lecture theatre being invaded by the world’s deadliest poison, two hungry ponies, a hand grenade and a selection of incredible plants. For those not in the know, the Christmas Lectures take place at the Royal Institution and are, well, a bit