The Future of London Theatre - Professor Anthony Field

Why has drama has never been destroyed, and how has it always outlived the very civilisations that produced it?

The Ageing Eye - Professor William Ayliffe

As the eye ages, profound structural changes occur, leading to visual impairment and even blindness. Exciting discoveries n in biological science and surgery are opening up possible new treatments for these common conditions. The economic impact on society as populations become older and the role of governments and charities will be discussed.

The Historical Collections of the Guildhall Library - Dr Peter Ross

A lecture on the collections of one of England's oldest libraries, founded in the 1420s from the will of Richard "Dick" Whittington.

Aneurin Bevan and the Socialist Ideal - Professor Vernon Bogdanor

Aneurin Bevan was the leading postwar representative in Britain of the socialist ideal. He is best remembered for the creation of the National Health Service which he regarded as a symbol of applied socialism, a national service free at the point of use and available to all. But, even before he resigned from the postwar Labour government in 1951, this ideal was being eroded. Were his hopes doomed to disappointment?

Acting on Evidence: How Medical Research has informed Historical Drama - Professor John Powell

John Powell is an experienced medical advisor on a range of television dramas including Casualty 1909 and Downton Abbey. In this lecture he will explain how research in hospital archives and in medical journals has informed drama storylines, and how the television medical advisor works with the writer, the director and the production team on the script and on set.

Britain Needs an Ivy League - Professor Terence Kealey

rofessor Kealey argues the case for world-class universities being established in the UK as charitable bodies independent of the state for teaching, alongside the benefits of access to state funding for research. The lecture is delivered by Professor Terence Kealey, Vice-Chancellor, Buckingham University, with a response by Professor Malcolm Gillies, Vice-Chancellor, London Metropolitan University. The event is chaired by Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas.

West End Theatre in China - David Lightbody

What does the success of the Mandarin version of Mamma Mia! say about modern China and other opportunities for British theatre in East Asia?