Question: What is the strangest thing you have ever done either for a dare, charity or for the fun of it?

Paul Roche answered on 16 Jun 2010:

I’ve done some pretty stupid stuff for dares over the years, but have managed to survive those mostly unharmed (just a few broken bones, broken teeth and bruising generally…never, ever play dares with drunken rugby players…). In terms of science-related stupid stuff, I’ve walked on a fire pit full of burning hot coals at ~1200 Centigrade, to prove that it’s all about physics (heat conduction) and not some magical trance thing, and I’ve lain on beds of nails and had paving stones broken on my chest, and bricks smashed with sledge-hammers on my head…that was pretty strange…but fun too!

I also went “on tour” with the Red Power Ranger once, as part of an educational project about the solar system for primary schools, that was sponsored by Bandai, the toy company. I ended up with this bloke from Glasgow, who was dressed as the Red Ranger, doing workshops on the scale of the solar system, in fruit-and-veg departments in Tesco stores around the UK in 2000. He was a male model, but only abut 5 foot 4 inches tall, and he really fancied himself, so every time we had a break, he’d be off wandering around the store (in costume…with false muscles and a helmet) chatting up the store workers – I usually had to go and drag him back when the next school group arrived, but once in Peterborough they allowed me to go on the tannoy system and announce “Would the Red Power Ranger please return to the fruit and veg department please…Red Ranger to Fruit and Veg….” which got a laugh from most of the shoppers…that was certainly a bit strange!