Brainiac Live at a glance

Show
Brainiac Live!
Status
UK tour, 4 July – 13 September 2026
Also playing
A West End summer season in London
Tour tickets from
£32.50 (varies by venue)
Booking partner
ATG Tickets (ATG-operated tour venues)
Genre
Family science show
Running time
About 1 hour, no interval
Age guidance
Recommended 5+; loud bangs, flashing lights, smoke and haze
Award
2025 Olivier Award — Best Family Show
Created by
Dan Colman
Inspired by
The TV series Brainiac: Science Abuse
First staged
London, 2008

UK Tour — book now

Brainiac Live is back for 2026 with a UK tour running from 4 July to 13 September 2026. ATG-operated venues can be booked directly through ATG Tickets:

  • Theatre Royal Brighton
  • Grand Opera House York
  • Plus a third ATG tour venue

The show also plays a West End summer season in London during the same period. Tour tickets from £32.50 · ATG tour runs 4 July – 13 September 2026.

Book Brainiac Live Tickets on ATG →

Expert Review: Brainiac Live

4.4
★★★★☆

LTH Expert Rating

Reviewed by the London Theatre Hub editorial team. Last updated: 3 July 2026.

The Verdict

There's a reason Brainiac Live has become the UK's go-to family science show — and a reason it walked away with the 2025 Olivier Award for Best Family Show. It takes the simple, irresistible premise of the original TV series — do the dangerous, spectacular experiments you're not allowed to do at home — and turns it into a tightly-paced, genuinely funny hour of live theatre. For a family audience, especially one with school-age children, it's about as reliable a crowd-pleaser as touring theatre gets.

What lifts it above a straightforward science demo is showmanship. The experiments are real — liquid nitrogen clouds, vortex smoke rings, exploding hydrogen balloons — but they're delivered with comic timing and audience interaction that keep the energy high from start to finish. As City AM put it, it's noisy, anarchic fun, and leaves young audiences with ringing ears and wide smiles. The one-hour, no-interval running time is judged perfectly for younger attention spans.

What Makes It Special

  • Olivier Award-winning. Named Best Family Show at the 2025 Olivier Awards — a rare mark of quality for a live science production.
  • Real experiments, real spectacle. Liquid nitrogen, hydrogen balloon explosions and smoke-ring cannons performed safely on stage, up close.
  • Comedy and curiosity together. The show's motto — make you laugh, make you listen, make you learn — captures its blend of chaos and genuine STEM appeal.
  • Perfectly pitched length. About an hour with no interval, ideal for families with younger children.
  • A global track record. Born in London in 2008, Brainiac Live has since played the West End, the Sydney Opera House, Hong Kong, Dubai and Barcelona.

You'll love Brainiac Live if you...

  • Have curious, science-loving kids aged 5 and up
  • Want a lively, affordable school-holiday day out
  • Enjoy big, spectacular, hands-off experiments
  • Prefer a punchy one-hour show for younger children
  • Loved the original Brainiac TV series

It might not be for you if you...

  • Have very young or noise-sensitive children (loud bangs throughout)
  • Are sensitive to flashing lights, smoke or haze
  • Want a scripted, story-driven play rather than a live spectacle
  • Prefer a quiet, low-key theatre experience
  • Are looking for an adult-oriented night out

Best for

  • Families
  • Kids 5+
  • School holidays
  • Budding scientists
  • STEM fans
  • Grandparents & grandkids

Not suited to very young or noise-sensitive children, or to those wanting a quiet, story-driven play.

Awards & Reception

Brainiac Live won the 2025 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Family Show, the highest recognition in British theatre for a family production. Since its 2008 London debut it has grown into one of the world's most popular family science shows, praised for its high-energy mix of comedy and genuine science. Press coverage has highlighted its anarchic, crowd-pleasing energy and its appeal across generations, from young children to grandparents.

Source: 2025 Laurence Olivier Awards; published press coverage of Brainiac Live.

Everything You Need to Know

What happens in Brainiac Live?

Brainiac Live is a fast-paced, all-action science spectacular. Over about an hour, the Brainiacs work through a run of big, bold experiments live on stage — the kind of demonstrations that are far too loud, messy or dangerous to attempt at home — while the audience watches (safely) from their seats.

Explosions, clouds and smoke rings

Expect liquid nitrogen clouds, vortex smoke-ring cannons and exploding hydrogen balloons, alongside a range of other crowd-pleasing demonstrations. Each one is built for maximum spectacle — a bang, a flash, a gasp — and then explained in a way that lands the science without slowing the pace.

Make you laugh, make you listen, make you learn

The show's guiding motto sums up its approach. It's genuinely funny and anarchic, but it's also rooted in real science communication, combining expert theatre creatives with leading science communicators. The result is entertainment first, with curiosity and learning riding along on the laughs.

A show for the whole family

Brainiac Live is pitched at children aged 5 and over but plays just as well to parents and grandparents. Its short, punchy running time and constant sense of jeopardy make it especially well-suited to younger audiences who might find a longer production hard going.