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?

Is the growth in the emerging economies additional? - Professor Douglas McWilliams

What are the limits to world economic growth from an environmental and economic perspective? Will inflation caused by rising primary product prices be likely to be the key constraint on economic growth? Douglas McWilliams, Thras Moraitis and Mike McWilliams consider whether this constraint will bite at a sufficiently slow rate for the impact of the extra growth in emerging economies to mean that the West will have to grow more slowly.

Building the Victorian City: Splendour and Squalour - Dr Simon Thurley

By 1900 Britain had produced the world’s largest cities and the first industrial cities. These phenomena led to vast technical, social and architectural challenges. Victorian architects and engineers met these with some of the most impressive feats of construction since the cathedrals of the middle ages.

Our nearest neighbour, the Moon - Professor Carolin Crawford

Our only natural satellite has been an object of fascination for humankind since prehistory. Despite being the only other place in the Solar System we have visited in person, we are still making startling discoveries about the Moon - and what it reveals about our planet.

Personality and the Brain - Professor Glenn D Wilson

Does personality originate in the brain? Can psychology and neuroscience explain everything there is to know of personality?

Markets in their Place: Moral Values and the Limits of Markets - Lord Plant

How are we to understand the moral basis of markets? For example property rights, the role of trust in economic exchange and questions of justice in relation to markets.

Reducing Inequalities in Child Health: What counts? What works? What matters? - Professor Helen Roberts

In the UK, children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to be born small, born early and die in childhood. Professor Helen Roberts describes something of what counts, what works and what matters in the fight against inequality in child health.

Is Theatre History? The Alternative Explosion - Sam Walters

We have just lived through the century of film and television, and now we are in the new digital age. Is the survival of the theatre now really threatened? If so, how should the challenge be met?

Vienna and Schubert: Piano Duet Fantasy in Fm, D. 940 - Professor Christopher Hogwood

A lecture by Christopher Hogwood on Franz Schubert and Vienna, followed by a full performance of Schubert's piano duet Fantasy in F minor D.940 by Florian Mitrea and Alexandra Vaduva.

The End of Slobodan Milošević - Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice

Milošević died a few months before the end of his trial. There were no closing arguments and there was no judgment by the judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Sir Geoffrey Nice had been preparing closing arguments as the case proceeded and will explain what some of them were.

London Theatre: Past Glories, Today’s Success and Tomorrow’s Opportunities - Julian Bird

A lecture on the history of London theatre and its relative strengths in the world today. What is the important economic impact of London theatre around the world and what are some of the opportunities and challenges which lie ahead?

Darwin and Derivatives - Charles Taylor

How might the modern financial sector learn lessons from Darwin's theory of evolution?

Anatomy Museums: Past, Present and Future - Professor William Ayliffe

A short history of dissection, anatomy museums and some of the gruesome characters involved.

Ghosts of Departed Quantities: Calculus and its Limits - Professor Raymond Flood

The history of calculus and the origins of what is now called analysis, from the 18th to the 19th Centuries. On the way figures such as Newton, Leibniz, Bishop Berkeley and Augustin-Louis Cauchy will be addressed.