Just a Minute, the long-running Radio 4 panel show in which contestants have to speak for 60 seconds on a subject without hesitation, deviation or repetition, might be thought of as just a harmless piece of comedy, but a scientific study of those who are skilled players of the game could reveal that they are wired differently from the rest of us.
Researchers in experimental psychology at University College London are asking volunteers to play Just a Minute while lying inside an MRI scanner, which shows how the brain handles the challenge.
A control group of 20 “normal” volunteers has already been tested. Now the researchers are studying professional speakers.
“We are testing comedians, TV presenters and barristers,” Joe Necus, part of the UCL