BY DAY, Jase Taylor programmes algorithms for our touch screen devices that work out just what we want our phones and tablets to do when we prod them.

But by night, he has unleashes his inner Brian Cox.

The computer programmer has a hidden talent for explaining the most complicated scientific concepts in a way that is fun, engaging, and sometimes even funny.

Last week, the 27-year-old from Abingdon was crowned join runner-up in this year's FameLab UK – the X Factor of the science world.

He saw off competition from hundreds of hopefuls to win a silver medal in the science presentation contest that aims to find the next Brian Cox or David Attenborough.

Mr Taylor, who works at Sharp Laboratories at Oxford Science Park, said he dreams of being able to wow big audiences with big concepts, and winning a silver medal on Monday night was a "fabulous honour".

Born and raised in Nottingham, Mr Taylor moved to Oxfordshire 18 months ago with his wife Rebekah Tennyson Taylor after she won a place to study for a doctorate in clinical psychology at Oxford University.

Shortly afterwards, looking for something to do one night, they saw an advert for the 2015 FameLab heats being held above St Aldate's Tavern in Oxford.

Watching the performers, he immediately felt a spark of inspiration and signed up for this year's contest.

He said: "I realised this was something I really enjoyed.

"I learn science most easily from TV and radio programmes myself and I just thought it would be a really great area to get into.

"Obviously there isn't much room on TV and radio, so maybe this won't be something I can do as a career, but there are so many people who do this just at evenings and weekends."

FameLab contestants deploy a wide range of tricks and gimmicks to tell their science stories: some sing songs, others use magic tricks or deploy test tubes and Bunsen burners to do live experiments; others use comedy.

By comparison, Mr Taylor goes on stage practically naked, relying on his raw passion for his subject to grab his audience's imagination.

On Monday night, he wowed his audience at London's Greenwood Theatre with a crash-course in game theory – the study of human decision-making, from why we chose certain queues at the supermarket to why we pick rock, paper or scissors.

He said: "My strategy is to show how much I enjoy these topics.

"I always imagine I'm just sitting around with a couple of friends explaining something to them, and I always try and think about what made me go 'wow' when I first understood the subject."

Mr Taylor was narrowly beaten to first place by singing science teacher Kyle Evans from Hampshire, who also won a place in the final by performing at the Oxford heats.

Both men now have more performance dates lined up with Science Oxford, the educational charity which helped organise this year's FameLab heats in the city.

Find out where you can catch them live at scienceoxford.com