Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
royal institution christmas lecture series lecture single topic held royal institution london year since lecture present scientific subject general audience including young people informative entertaining manner michael faraday conceived initiated christmas lecture series time organised education young people scarce many christmas lecture published royal institution christmas lecture first held continued annual basis since except four year second world war hosted year royal institution except time due refurbishment building created michael faraday later hosted lecture season nineteen occasion nobel laureate sir william bragg gave christmas lecture four occasion colaureate son sir lawrence bragg gave twice notable lecturer included desmond morris eric laithwaite sir george porter sir david attenborough heinz wolff carl sagan richard dawkins baroness susan greenfield dame nancy rothwell monica grady sue hartley alison woollard danielle george saiful islam prop lecture designed created ri science demonstration technician post faraday previously held popular technician advent television serving bill coates technician informed general subject lecture spring specific settled september recording made middecember lecture expanded series five session year however royal institution cut back cost become £ million debt resulted reduction five session three single christmas lecture g taylor first televised bbcs fledgling television service broadcast bbc two channel one lecture broadcast live first time following end channel contract broadcast lecture concern might simply dropped scheduling channel negotiating royal institution potential change format bbc announced bbc show lecture feel broadcasting environment moved last four year channel five subsequently agreed show lecture announcement met derision academic lecture broadcast lecture returned bbc tenyear absence broadcaster shown bbc four year since professor susan greenfield became first female scientist present christmas lecture first nonwhite science lecturer kevin fong august announced professor christopher jackson would jointly present lecture series thus becoming first black scientist january ri launched appeal trace copy televised lecture missing bbcs archive complete series five lecture plus one episode david attenboroughs lecture language animal following complete list christmas lecture following list televised christmas lecture onward december christmas lecture online ri channel royal institution christmas lecture bbc online