James May having one of the all-time great Twitter interactions with Professor Brian Cox. It all started when Brian Cox mentioned that the total mass of the observable universe could be expressed as the equivalent of around 5 × 10⁵⁴ pints of bitter. James May then couldn’t resist asking one of the most ridiculous questions imaginable. He asked Professor Cox that if he’d drunk an average of 12 pints of bitter a week since 1980, what percentage of the observable universe’s total mass had passed through his body. Rather than ignoring it, Brian actually worked it out. He estimated James had consumed around 30,000 pints, adding that it equated to roughly 70,000 cubic light seconds’ worth of the universe. James’ reply was perfect in its simplicity: “Thanks. That’s what I thought.” It’s such a brilliant exchange because it’s exactly what you’d expect from the pair of them. James comes up with an absurdly specific question, Brian gives it a genuine scientific answer, and James responds as though he’d simply had a minor curiosity confirmed. From TV CLASSIC MOMENTS