Professor Stephen Hawking has gone one better than Brian Cox’s efforts to make physics fascinating to teens – by suggesting that somewhere in an alternate universe, Zayn Malik is still in One Direction.

The physicist had already ramped up the cool factor of science by appearing in holographic form at Sydney Opera House, beamed in from Cambridge University at the weekend.

Asked what the cosmological effect was of Zayn quitting the pop group, according to the Guardian he reassured 1D fans: “One day there may well be proof of multiple universes… and in that universe Zayn is still in One Direction.”

Professor Stephen Hawking
Professor Stephen Hawking (Joel Ryan/Invision)

Professor Hawking, whose daughter Lucy Hawking was on stage in person in Sydney, also talked about the recent film The Theory Of Everything which saw Eddie Redmayne win a best actor Oscar for playing him.

The film was based on a book by Hawking’s ex-wife Jane Wilde and he said of the big screen adaptation: “It was surprisingly honest about our marriage. It was as close as I’ll ever get to travelling back in time.”

He added that any differences to real life were minor, saying: “I won’t tell them how to make movies, if they don’t tell me how to solve the mysteries of the universe.” He thought it should have had “more physics and fewer feelings”, but admitted that was how he felt about all films.

Professor Stephen Hawking with Eddie Redmayne
Professor Stephen Hawking with Eddie Redmayne (Ian West/PA)

Talking about why so many people enjoyed sci-fi films and TV programmes, he said: “We have come to expect a steady increase in standard of living that science and technology have brought. But people distrust science because they don’t understand it or feel they can control it.

“The popularity of science fiction like Star Trek is because this is a form of science with which people feel safe, but an understanding of science fact would allay their fears much better.”

He ended his holographic appearance by saying: “Now beam me up, Scotty.”