Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Explained

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic each, which have been held at the Royal Institution in London each year since 1825. The lectures present scientific subjects to a general audience, including young people, in an informative and entertaining manner. Michael Faraday conceived and initiated the Christmas Lecture series in 1825, at a time when organised education for young people was scarce. Many of the Christmas Lectures were published.[1]

History

The Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures were first held in 1825,[2] and have continued on an annual basis since then except for four years during the Second World War.[3] They have been hosted each year at the Royal Institution itself, except in 1929 and between 2005 and 2006, each time due to refurbishment of the building.[4] They were created by Michael Faraday, who later hosted the lecture season on nineteen occasions.

The Nobel laureate Sir William Bragg gave the Christmas lectures on four occasions, and his co-laureate son Sir Lawrence Bragg gave them twice. Other notable lecturers have included Desmond Morris (1964), Eric Laithwaite (1966 & 1974), Sir George Porter (1969 & 1976), Sir David Attenborough (1973), Heinz Wolff (1975), Carl Sagan (1977), Richard Dawkins (1991), Baroness Susan Greenfield (1994), Dame Nancy Rothwell (1998), Monica Grady (2003), Sue Hartley (2009), Alison Woollard (2013), Danielle George (2014), and Saiful Islam (2016).[5] [6] [7]

The props for the lectures are designed and created by the RI's science demonstration technician, a post which Faraday previously held. A popular technician, with the advent of television, serving from 1948 to 1986, was Bill Coates. The technician is informed of the general subject of the lectures during spring, but the specifics are not settled until September, with the recordings made in mid-December. By 2009, the lectures had expanded to a series of five sessions each year. However, in 2010 the Royal Institution cut back on costs, as it had become over £2 million in debt, and this resulted in a reduction from five sessions to three.[8]

Television

A single Christmas Lecture, by G. I. Taylor, was the first to be televised, in 1936, on the BBC's fledgling Television Service.[9] They were broadcast on BBC Two from 1966 to 1999 and Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004. In 2000 one of the lectures was broadcast live for the first time. Following the end of Channel 4's contract to broadcast the lectures, there were concerns that they might simply be dropped from scheduling as the channel was negotiating with the Royal Institution over potential changes to the format, while the BBC announced that "The BBC will not show the lectures again, because it feels the broadcasting environment has moved on in the last four years."[10] Channel Five subsequently agreed to show the lectures from 2005 to 2008, an announcement which was met with derision from academics.[11] The lectures were broadcast on More4 in 2009. In 2010, the lectures returned to the BBC after a ten-year absence from the broadcaster, and have been shown on BBC Four each year since then.[12]

In 1994, Professor Susan Greenfield became the first female scientist to present the Christmas Lectures. The first non-white science lecturer was Kevin Fong in 2015, and in August 2020 it was announced that Professor Christopher Jackson would jointly present the 2020 lecture series, thus becoming the first black scientist to do so.[13]

In January 2022, the RI launched an appeal to trace copies of those televised lectures which are missing from the BBC's archives, these being the complete series of five lectures each from 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970 and 1971, plus one episode of David Attenborough's 1973 lectures, "The language of animals".[14]

List of Christmas lectures

1825 to 1965

The following is a complete list of the Christmas Lectures from 1825 to 1965:

YearLecturer(s)Title of series
1825John MillingtonNatural Philosophy
1826John Wallis[15] Astronomy
1827Michael FaradayChemistry
1828J. Wood Architecture
1829Michael FaradayElectricity
1830Thomas WebsterGeology
1831James RennieZoology
1832Michael FaradayChemistry
1833John LindleyBotany
1834William Thomas BrandeChemistry
1835Michael FaradayElectricity
1836William Thomas BrandeChemistry of the Gases
1837Michael FaradayChemistry
1838John WallisAstronomy
1839William Thomas BrandeThe Chemistry of the Atmosphere and the Ocean
1840John Frederic DaniellThe First Principles of Franklinic Electricity
1841Michael FaradayThe Rudiments of Chemistry
1842William Thomas BrandeThe Chemistry of the Non-Metallic Elements
1843Michael FaradayFirst Principles of Electricity
1844William Thomas BrandeThe Chemistry of the Gases
1845Michael FaradayThe Rudiments of Chemistry
1846John WallisThe Rudiments of Astronomy
1847William Thomas BrandeThe Elements of Organic Chemistry
1848Michael FaradayThe Chemical History of a Candle
1849Robert Walker The Properties of Matter and the Laws of Motion
1850William Thomas BrandeThe Chemistry of Coal
1851Michael FaradayAttractive Forces
1852Chemistry
1853Voltaic Electricity
1854The Chemistry of Combustion
1855The Distinctive Properties of the Common Metals
1856Attractive Forces
1857Static Electricity
1858The Metallic Properties
1859The Various Forces of Matter and their Relations to Each Other
1860The Chemical History of a Candle
1861John TyndallLight
1862Edward FranklandAir and Water
1863John TyndallElectricity at Rest and Electricity in Motion
1864Edward FranklandThe Chemistry of a Coal
1865John TyndallSound
1866Edward FranklandThe Chemistry of Gases
1867John TyndallHeat and Cold
1868William OdlingThe Chemical Changes of Carbon
1869John TyndallLight
1870William OdlingBurning and Unburning
1871John TyndallIce, Water, Vapour and Air
1872William OdlingAir and Gas
1873John TyndallThe Motion and Sensation of Sound
1874John Hall GladstoneThe Voltaic Battery
1875John TyndallExperimental Electricity
1876John Hall GladstoneThe Chemistry of Fire
1877John TyndallHeat, Visible and Invisible
1878James DewarA Soap Bubble
1879John TyndallWater and Air
1880James DewarAtoms
1881Robert Stawell BallThe Sun, the Moon and the Planets
1882John TyndallLight and the Eye
1883James DewarAlchemy in Relation to Modern Science
1884John TyndallThe Sources of Electricity
1885James DewarThe Story of a Meteorite
1886The Chemistry of Light and Photography
1887Robert Stawell BallAstronomy
1888James DewarClouds and Cloudland
1889Arthur RückerElectricity
1890James DewarFrost and Fire
1891John Gray McKendrickLife in Motion; or the Animal Machine
1892Robert Stawell BallAstronomy
1893James DewarAir: Gaseous and Liquid
1894John Ambrose FlemingThe Work of an Electric Current
1895John Gray McKendrickSound, Hearing and Speech
1896Sylvanus Phillips ThompsonLight, Visible and Invisible
1897Oliver LodgeThe Principles of the Electric Telegraph
1898Robert Stawell BallAstronomy
1899Charles Vernon BoysFluids in Motion and at Rest
1900Robert Stawell BallGreat Chapters from the Book of Nature
1901John Ambrose FlemingWaves and Ripples in Water, Air and Aether
1902Henry Selby Hele-ShawLocomotion : On the Earth, Through the Water, in the Air
1903Edwin Ray LankesterExtinct Animals
1904Henry CunynghameAncient and Modern Methods of Measuring Time
1905Herbert Hall TurnerAstronomy
1906William DuddellSignalling to a Distance
1907David GillAstronomy, Old and New
1908William StirlingThe Wheel of Life
1909William DuddellModern Electricity
1910Silvanus Phillips ThompsonSound: Musical and Non-Musical
1911Peter Chalmers MitchellThe Childhood of Animals
1912James DewarChristmas Lecture Epilogues
1913Herbert Hall TurnerA Voyage in Space
1914Charles Vernon BoysScience in the Home
1915Herbert Hall TurnerWireless Messages from the Stars
1916Arthur KeithThe Human Machine Which All Must Work
1917John Ambrose FlemingOur Useful Servants : Magnetism and Electricity
1918D'Arcy Wentworth ThompsonThe Fish of the Sea
1919William Henry BraggThe World of Sound
1920John Arthur ThomsonThe Haunts of Life
1921John Ambrose FlemingElectric Waves and Wireless Telephony
1922Herbert Hall TurnerSix Steps Up the Ladder to the Stars
1923William Henry BraggConcerning the Nature of Things
1924Francis Balfour-BrowneConcerning the Habits of Insects
1925William Henry BraggOld Trades and New Knowledge
1926Archibald Vivian HillNerves and Muscles: How We Feel and Move
1927Edward AndradeEngines
1928Alexander WoodSound Waves and their Uses
1929Stephen GlanvilleHow Things Were Done in Ancient Egypt
1930Arthur Mannering TyndallThe Electric Spark
1931William Henry BraggThe Universe of Light
1932Alexander Oliver RankineThe Round of the Waters
1933James Hopwood JeansThrough Space and Time
1934William Lawrence BraggElectricity
1935Charles Edward Kenneth MeesPhotography
1936Geoffrey Ingram TaylorShips
1937Julian HuxleyRare Animals and the Disappearance of Wild Life
1938James KendallYoung Chemists and Great Discoveries
1939–1942No lectures due to the Second World War
1943Edward AndradeVibrations and Waves
1944Harold Spencer JonesAstronomy in our Daily Life
1945Robert Watson-WattWireless
1946Hamilton HartridgeColours and How We See Them
1947Eric Keightly RidealChemical Reactions: How They Work
1948Frederic BartlettThe Mind at Work and Play
1949Percy DunsheathThe Electric Current
1950Edward AndradeWaves and Vibrations
1951James GrayHow Animals Move
1952F. Sherwood TaylorHow Science Has Grown
1953John Ashworth RatcliffeThe Uses of Radio Waves
1954Frank WhittleThe Story of Petroleum
1955Harry W. MelvilleBig Molecules
1956Harry Baines Photography
1957Julian Huxley and James FisherBirds
1958John Ashworth Ratcliffe, James M. Stagg,
Robert L. F. Boyd,
Graham Sutton,
George E. R. Deacon,
Gordon de Quetteville Robin
International Geophysical Year
1959Thomas AlliboneThe Release and Use of Atomic Energy
1960Vernon Ellis CosslettSeeing the Very Small
1961William Lawrence BraggElectricity
1962R. E. D. (Richard Evelyn Donohue) BishopVibration
1963Ronald KingEnergy
1964Desmond MorrisAnimal Behaviour
1965Bernard Lovell, Francis Graham-Smith,
Martin Ryle, Antony Hewish
Exploration of the Universe

Since 1966

The following is a list of televised Christmas Lectures from 1966 onward :

YearLecturer(s)Title of seriesLecture titlesNetwork
1966Eric LaithwaiteThe Engineer in Wonderland[16] 1. The White Rabbit

2. Only the Grin was Left

3. The Caucus Race

4. Curiouser and Curiouser

5. If only I were the right size to do it

6. It's the Oldest Rule in the Book

BBC Two
1967Richard L. GregoryThe Intelligent Eye[17] 1. Ancient Eyes and Simple Brains

2. Learning to See Things

3. Playing with Illusions

4. How Illusions Play Games with Us

5. Human Eyes in Space

6. The Future-Machines that See?

1968Philip MorrisonGulliver's Laws: The Physics of Large and Small[18] 1. The World of Captain Gulliver

2. Meat and Drink Sufficient...

3. A Prodigious Leap?

4. Lilliput and Brobdingnag since the Industrial Revolution

5. Dwarf and Giant Numbers

6. Beyond the Map

1969George PorterTime Machines[19] 1. In the Beginning...

2. Clockwork Harmony

3. The Tick of the Atom

4. Big Time, Little Time

5. Faster, Faster

6. To the Ends of Time

1970John NapierMonkeys Without Tails: A Giraffe's Eye-view of Man[20] 1. Man has a very short neck and no tail

2. Man comes in several different sizes and shapes

3. Fancy having to climb trees in order to eat

4. Man chooses a sensible place to live at last

5. Why choose to walk on two legs when it is much safer on four?

6. What's the idea of shooting at us?

1971Charles TaylorSounds of Music: The Science of Tones and Tune[21] 1. Making and Measuring the Waves

2. From Small Beginnings

3. Growing and Changing

4. Craftsmanship and Technology

5. On the Way to the Ear

6. The End of the Journey

1972Geoffrey G. GourietRipples in the Ether: The Science of Radio Communication[22] 1. How It All Began

2. Getting Rid of the Wires

3. The Sound of Broadcasting

4. Pictures With and Without Wires

5. But Electrons aren't Coloured!

6. Vision of the Future

1973David AttenboroughThe Language of Animals1. Beware!2. Be Mine

3. Parents and Children

4. Simple Signs and Complicated Communications (lost from archives)

5. Foreign Languages

6. Animal Language, Human Language

1974Eric LaithwaiteThe Engineer Through the Looking Glass1. Looking Glass House2. Tweedledum and Tweedledee

3. Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow

4. The Jabberwock

5. The Time has come the Walrus said

6. It's my own Invention

1975Heinz WolffSignals from the Interior1. You as an engine2. Pumps pipes and flows

3. Spikes and waves

4. Probes, sondes and sounds

5. Looking through your skin

6. Signals from the mind

1976George PorterThe Natural History of a Sunbeam[23] 1. First Light

2. Light and Life

3. A Leaf from Nature

4. Candles from the Sun

5. Making Light Work

6. Survival Under the Sun

1977Carl SaganThe Planets1. The Earth as a Planet2. The Outer Solar System and Life

3. The History of Mars

4. Mars before Viking

5. Mars after Viking

6. Planetary Systems Beyond Our Sun

1978Erik Christopher ZeemanMathematics into Pictures1. Linking and Knotting2. Numbers and Geometry

3. Infinity and Perspective

4. Games and Evolution

5. Waves and Music

6. Catastrophe and Psychology

1979Eric M. RogersAtoms for Engineering Minds: A Circus of Experiments[24] 1. Getting to Know Atoms

2. Molecules in Motion

3. Electrified Atoms

4. Atoms that Explode

5. Atoms and Energy

6. Seeing Atoms at Last

1980David Chilton Phillips
with Max Perutz in Lecture 5
The Chicken, the Egg and the Molecules1. What are chickens made of?2. Machine tools of life

3. Muscle power

4. Eggs, genes and proteins

5. Haemoglobin: the breathing molecule

6. Molecules at work

1981Reginald Victor JonesFrom Magna Carta to Microchip[25] 1. Principles, Standards and Methods

2. The Measurement of Time

3. More and More About Less and Less

4. Onwards to the Stars

5. Measurement and Navigation in War

6. Some Impacts of Measurement on Life: And Can We Take it too Far?

1982Colin BlakemoreCommon Sense[26] 1. Making Sense

2. The Sound of Silence

3. The Sixth Sense - and the Rest

4. Show Me the Way to Go Home

5. Vive la différence

6. Enchanted Loom

1983Leonard MaunderMachines in Motion[27] 1. Driving Forces

2. Gathering Momentum

3. Vibration

4. Under Control

5. Fluids and Flight

6. Living Machines

1984Walter BodmerThe Message of the Genes[28] 1. We're All Different

2. The Spice of Life

3. Genetic Engineering

4. Bodies and Antibodies

5. Normal Cells and Cancer Cells

6. When Will Pigs Have Wings?

1985Communicating[29] 1. No Man is an Island

2. Animal Talk

3. The Bionic Bat

4. The Pace of Technology

5. The Integrated Body

6. Computers

1986Lewis WolpertFrankenstein's Quest: Development of Life[30] 1. First Take an Egg...

2. The Medium and the Message

3. The Right Stuff

4. Genes and Flies

5. Chain of Command

6. Growing Up and Growing Old

1987John Meurig Thomas and David PhillipsCrystals and Lasers1. The Micro-world

2. The architecture of crystals

3. Crystal Miracles

4. Constructing a LASER

5. The Light Fantastic

6. Crystals, lasers and the human body

1988Gareth RobertsThe Home of the Future[31] 1. Appliance Science

2. Home, Safe Home

3. Electronics for Pleasure

4. Home, Smart Home

5. Mixers, Meters and Molecules

1989Charles TaylorExploring Music[32] 1. What Is Music?

2. The Essence of an Instrument

3. Science, Strings and Symphonies

4. Technology, Trumpets and Tunes

5. Scales, Synthesisers and Samplers

1990Malcolm LongairOrigins[33] 1. The Grand Design

2. The Birth of the Stars

3. The Origin of Quasars

4. The Origin of the Galaxies

5. The Origin of the Universe

1991Richard DawkinsGrowing Up in the Universe1. Waking Up in the Universe

2. Designed and Designoid Objects

3. Climbing Mount Improbable

4. The Ultraviolet Garden

5. The Genesis of Purpose

1992Charles J. M. StirlingOur World Through the Looking Glass1. Man in the Mirror

2. Narwhals, Palindromes and Chesterfield Station

3. The Handed Molecule

4. Symmetry, Sensation and Sex

5. In the Hands of Giants

1993Frank CloseThe Cosmic Onion1. A is for Atoms

2. To the Centre of the Sun

3. Invaders from Outer Space

4. Anti-Matter Matters

5. An Hour to Make the Universe

1994Susan GreenfieldJourney to the Centre of the Brain[34] [35] 1. The Electric Ape

2. Through a Glass Darkly

3. Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble

4. The Seven Ages of the Brain

5. The Mind's I

1995James JacksonPlanet Earth, An Explorer's Guide1. On the Edge of the World

2. Secrets of the Deep

3. Volcanoes: Melting the Earth

4. The Puzzle of the Continents

5. Waterworld

1996Simon Conway MorrisThe History in our Bones[36] 1. Staring into the Abyss2. The Fossils Come Alive

3. The Great Dyings: Life after Death

4. Innovations And Novelty

5. Feet on the Ground, Head in the Stars: The History of Man

1997Ian StewartThe Magical Maze1. Sunflowers and Snowflakes

2. The Pattern of Tiny Feet

3. Outrageous Fortune

4. Chaos and Cauliflowers

5. Fearful Symmetry

1998Nancy RothwellStaying Alive1. Sense and Sensitivity

2. Fats and figures

3. Chilling out

4. Times of our lives

5. Pushing the limits

1999Neil F. JohnsonArrows of Time[37] [38] 1. Back to the Future2. Catching the Waves

3. The Quantum Leap

4. Edge of Chaos

5. Shaping the Future

2000Kevin WarwickRise of the Robots[39] 1. Anatomy of an Android

2. Things That Think

3. Remote Robots

4. Bionic Bodies

5. I, Robot

Channel 4
2001John SulstonThe Secrets of Life[40] 1. What is life?

2. How do I grow?

3. What am I?

4. Can we fix it?

5. Future of life?

2002Tony RyanSmart Stuff[41] 1. The Spider that Spun a Suspension Bridge

2. The Trainer That Ran Over The World

3. The Phone that Shrank the Planet

4. The Plaster that Stretches Life

5. The Ice Cream that Will Freeze Granny

2003Monica GradyVoyage in Space and Time[42] 1. Blast Off

2. Mission to Mars

3. Planet Patrol

4. Collision Course

5. Anybody Out There?

2004Lloyd PeckAntarctica1. Ice People

2. Ice Life

3. Ice World

2005John KrebsThe Truth About Food1. The ape that cooks

2. Yuck or yummy?

3. You are what you eat

4. When food goes wrong

5. Food for the future

Channel Five
2006Marcus du SautoyThe Num8er My5teries[43] 1. The curious incident of the never-ending numbers

2. The quest to predict the future

3. The story of the elusive shapes

4. The case of the uncrackable code

5. The secret of the winning streak

2007Hugh MontgomeryBack from the Brink: The Science of Survival1. Peak Performance

2. Completely Stuffed

3. Grilled and Chilled

4. Fight, Flight and Fright

5. Luck, Genes and Stupidity

2008Christopher BishopHi-tech Trek1. Breaking the Speed Limit

2. Chips with Everything

3. The Ghost in the Machine

4. Untangling the Web

5. Digital Intelligence

2009Sue HartleyThe 300-Million-Year War1. Plant Wars

2. The Animals Strike Back

3. Talking Trees

4. Dangerous to Delicious

5. Weapons of the Future

More4
2010Mark MiodownikSize Matters1. Why Elephants Can't Dance but Hamsters Can Skydive

2. Why Chocolate Melts and Jet Planes Don't

3. Why Mountains Are So Small

BBC Four
2011Bruce HoodMeet Your Brain[44] 1. What's in your head?

2. Who's in charge here anyway?

3. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

2012Peter WothersThe Modern Alchemist1. Air: the elixir of life

2. Water: the fountain of youth

3. Earth: the philosopher's stone

2013Alison WoollardLife Fantastic1. Where do I come from?

2. Am I a Mutant?

3. Could I live forever?

2014Danielle GeorgeSparks will fly: How to Hack your Home1. The light bulb moment

2. Making contact

3. A new revolution

2015Kevin FongHow to survive in space1. Lift off!

2. Life in Orbit

3. The next frontier

2016Saiful IslamSupercharged: Fuelling the future1. Let there be light!

2. People Power

3. Fully charged

2017Sophie ScottThe Language of Life1. Say it with Sound

2. Silent Messages

3. The Word

2018Alice RobertsAoife McLysaghtWho am I?[45] 1. Where Do I Come From?

2. What Makes Me Human?

3. What Makes Me, Me?

2019Hannah FrySecrets and Lies: The Hidden Power of Maths[46] 1. How to Get Lucky

2. How to Bend the Rules

3. How Can We All Win?

2020Christopher JacksonHelen Czerski

Tara Shine

Planet Earth: A user's guide[47] 1. Earth Engine2. Water World

3. Up in the Air

2021Jonathan Van-TamGoing viral: How Covid changed science forever[48] 1. The Invisible Enemy2. The Perfect Storm

3. Fighting Back

2022Sue BlackSecrets of Forensic Science[49] 1. Dead Body2. Missing Body

3. Living Body

2023Michael WooldridgeThe Truth about AI[50] [51] 1. How to Build an Intelligent Machine2. My AI Life

3. The Future of AI: Dream or Nightmare?

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shaner . Arlene . 2013-12-23 . The Christmas Lectures . 2024-01-21 . New York Academy of Medicine . en.
  2. News: Cole. Rupert. Science and Christmas: a forgotten Victorian romance. 15 December 2012. The Guardian. 14 December 2012.
  3. Web site: History of the Christmas Lectures. The Royal Institution. 22 April 2015.
  4. News: Highfield. Roger. Through the keyhole of the Royal Institution. https://web.archive.org/web/20090923154834/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3300650/Through-the-keyhole-of-the-Royal-Institution.html. dead. 23 September 2009. 15 December 2012. The Daily Telegraph. 16 July 2007.
  5. News: Baxter. Elizabeth. The secrets behind the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6840728/The-secrets-behind-the-Royal-Institution-Christmas-Lectures.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. 15 December 2012. The Daily Telegraph. 18 December 2009.
  6. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/professor-newcastle-becomes-only-sixth-7639217 Professor from Newcastle becomes only sixth woman to present Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
  7. http://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch
  8. News: Sample. Ian. Cash-strapped Royal Institution scales back Christmas lectures. 15 December 2012. The Guardian. 12 August 2010.
  9. Web site: Broadcast - BBC Programme Index.
  10. News: Adam. David. Christmas lectures threat. 15 December 2012. The Guardian. 26 March 2004.
  11. News: Fazackerley. Anna. Academics scorn TV lecture move. 15 December 2012. Times Higher Education. 4 February 2005.
  12. News: Science lectures back on BBC. 15 December 2012. The Scotsman. 17 August 2010.
  13. News: Davis . Nicola . 'I'm up for the fight': Chris Jackson to be first black scientist to give Christmas lecture . 27 August 2020 . The Guardian . 22 August 2020 .
  14. Web site: Missing Christmas Lectures . Royal Institution . 8 January 2022 .
  15. Book: James, Frank A. J. L.. Christmas at the Royal Institution. World Scientific. 2007. xvii.
  16. Web site: BBC Two England - 27 December 1966 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  17. Web site: BBC Two England - 28 December 1967 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  18. Web site: BBC Two England - 28 December 1968 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  19. Web site: BBC Two England - 4 January 1970 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  20. Web site: BBC Two England - 3 January 1971 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  21. Web site: BBC Two England - 2 January 1972 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
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  23. Web site: BBC Two England - 2 January 1977 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  24. Web site: BBC Two England - 31 December 1979 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  25. Web site: BBC Two England - 28 December 1981 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-21.
  26. Web site: BBC Two England - 29 December 1982 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-21.
  27. Web site: BBC Two England - 27 December 1983 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-21.
  28. Web site: BBC Two England - 1 January 1985 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-21.
  29. Web site: BBC Two England - 6 January 1986 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-21.
  30. Web site: BBC Two England - 5 January 1987 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-21.
  31. Web site: BBC Two England - 28 December 1988 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  32. Web site: BBC Two England - 27 December 1989 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-20.
  33. Web site: BBC Two England - 27 December 1990 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-19.
  34. Web site: Issue 3701 - 15 December 1994 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-19.
  35. Web site: Issue 3702 - 29 December 1994 - BBC Genome. genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 2017-03-19.
  36. Web site: RIGB Christmas Lectures . 2001-05-04 . 2017-03-19 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20010504220047/http://www.ri.ac.uk/Christmas/1996/ . 4 May 2001 .
  37. Web site: 1999-12-01 . Arrows of time – Back to the future (1999) Royal Institution . 2023-08-08 . www.rigb.org . en.
  38. Web site: BBC Online - Science - Royal Institution Christmas Lectures . 2001-09-13 . 2017-03-19 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20010913002724/http://www.bbc.co.uk/rilectures/ . 13 September 2001 .
  39. Web site: Robots - Royal Institution . 2002-02-06 . 2017-03-19 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20020206070624/http://www.channel4.com/robots/ri.html . 6 February 2002 .
  40. Web site: Secrets of Life, The (Ri Christmas Lectures 2001) · British Universities Film & Video Council. bufvc.ac.uk. en-GB. 2017-03-19.
  41. Web site: smart stuff* - lectures . 2003-04-05 . 2017-03-19 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20030405082500/http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/S/smartstuff/lectures.html . 5 April 2003 .
  42. Web site: The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures - Episode Guide - All 4. www.channel4.com. en. 2017-03-19.
  43. Web site: The Royal Institution of Great Britain The number mysteries - The 2006 RI Christmas Lectures Microsite . 2010-05-07 . 2017-03-19 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20100507080223/http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayContent&id=00000001980 . 7 May 2010 .
  44. 24260513. 3829909. 2013. Gjersoe. N. L.. Changing children's understanding of the brain: A longitudinal study of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures as a measure of public engagement. PLOS ONE. 8. 11. e80928. Hood. B. 10.1371/journal.pone.0080928. 2013PLoSO...880928G. free.
  45. Web site: Christmas Lectures 2018: Who am I?. Royal Institution. en. 2019-12-27. 23 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191023210336/https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/2018-who-am-i. dead.
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