Hi. I've been called for an interview next week and we have to do a 5mins informal talk on the topic. Now I'm panicking - I've only briefly read around the subject. Anyone had something similar/have any advice?

Five minutes isn't a long time if you think about it. 1 minute for the introduction, 3 minutes for the main content and 1 minute for a conclusion/research proposal. Try read as much as possible and anticipate any questions that might get asked. Don't panic and good luck!

5 mins.. panicking? Pfff...

Thats an odd interview... did not think presentation skills were particularly important for a phd. So treat it as just that. Just show your interest enthuasm and ability to identify research directions and leaders in the subject

Unfortunately, presentation skills are important for many PhD's. If you have no means to communicate your research at conferences and within your own department or research team, then you will find it difficult to progress in academia. Fortunately, most PhD students aren't that good at it when they set out, so nobody's expecting a Royal Society lecture.