Experiment is at the heart of science and this was a consideration in the planning of an Association for Science Education (ASE) conference in the summer term that could be guided, but not controlled, by experience from the Annual Conference at New Year. Different formats for the exhibitions, lectures and practical presentations could all be tried to discover whether they improved on well-known methods. Early in the event, an unusual interview of (rather than by) a radio personality indicated how he came to appreciate science and a science education long after his schooldays, and how he found the need for careful factual research in order to make a work of fiction seem plausible.