''Ask Dr. Science'' was a daily humorous radio sketch produced by members of the comedy troupe
Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre
Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre is a comedy team best known for its live performances and radio sketches broadcast on National Public Radio.
The group was formed in 1975 by University of Iowa students Bill Allard, Dan Coffey, Merle Kessler, Leon M ...
. It is broadcast on many
public radio
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
stations, using a format that mixes elements of a
commercial bumper and a
public service announcement. A concerned citizen asks a question, which is answered by an expert, "Dr. Science." Not surprisingly, the questions are never answered correctly, and are often little more than a launching point for a
non sequitur monologue
In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...
from Dr. Science. The show's motto is "He knows more than you do." The sketch always concludes with the
disclaimer that he is "not a real doctor," although Dr. Science insists he has "a Master's Degree... in ''science''!"
In the segment's earliest days, it was known as ''Ask Mr. Science''; the character's name was changed due to a trademark conflict.
The program features two Duck's Breath members,
Dan Coffey
Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre is a comedy team best known for its live performances and radio sketches broadcast on National Public Radio.
The group was formed in 1975 by University of Iowa students Bill Allard, Dan Coffey, Merle Kessler, Leon M ...
as Dr. Science and
Merle Kessler
Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre is a comedy team best known for its live performances and radio sketches broadcast on National Public Radio.
The group was formed in 1975 by University of Iowa students Bill Allard, Dan Coffey, Merle Kessler, Leon M ...
as his assistant/announcer Rodney.
The character originated as a quasi-improvised part of the Duck's Breath comedy show. The questions for Dr. Science were solicited from the audience in advance.
Other media
Coffey and Kessler wrote ''The Official Dr. Science Big Book of Science Simplified!'' in 1986.
In 1987, a Dr. Science television series on the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
network starred all five members of the Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre, as well as Denny Dillon. It ran for about 12 episodes.
During the early 2000s, the
Warner Bros. website Entertaindom aired a series of
CG animated shorts featuring popular clips from the ''Ask Dr. Science'' radio broadcasts.
References
External links
''Ask Dr. Science'' website*
American comedy radio programs
{{Comedy-stub