Claims that Sir Tim Hunt’s infamous remarks about his “trouble with girls” in science were a joke have been bolstered by a recording that shows his toast was received with appreciative laughter.

The British Nobel prize-winner was swiftly caught up in a social media row over alleged sexism in his speech at a lunch event in Seoul last month and within 24 hours was asked to resign his honorary professorship at University College London (UCL).

Sir Tim referred to himself as a “chauvinist monster” in his short speech and said there were three problems with mixed-sex laboratories: that women were prone to fall in love with male scientists, that men were prone to fall in love with female scientists, and that women cried when they