Stephen Hawking would 'just turn up' to Simpsons script readings

Stephen Hawking may have been the greatest physicist of his generation, but he also had a sense of humour. According to Matt Selman, a writer for The Simpsons, Hawking enjoyed his cameos on the animated sitcom so much that for "a couple of years" he would turn up to rehearsals just to watch the cast run through their lines.

"He was just hanging out – he would come to table reads and be there hanging out,” Selman told the AV Club. “Like, ‘There’s [animator] Matt Groening. There’s [Homer Simpson actor] Dan Castellaneta. There’s… Stephen Hawking. At the read. Just enjoying our world."

He didn't just listen quietly, but joined in with the repartee. "He would tell jokes when he came to our table reads, which he did several times," showrunner Al Jean told the Hollywood Reporter. "He was certainly a hero to all of us."

Hawking, who died yesterday aged 76, appeared as himself the hit sitcom four times between 1999 and 2010 – and his cartoon avatar was even turned into a plastic action figure, which he kept on his desk.

In one episode, he shares a beer with Homer, and is impressed by his idea of a "doughnut-shaped universe".

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“I think he saw that there’s a certain absurdity in everything, like in trying to figure out the laws of the universe or silly Simpsons stories," Selman added. "I think he shared that absurdist sense of humour. Our show is sort of about trying to find meaning in a chaotic world – I think he related to that as well.”

As well as The Simpsons, the scientist also popped up The Big Bang Theory, and made a guest appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation, as a hologram playing poker with Albert Einstein.