Gresham College

Privateer and Mathematician: The Voyages of Edward Wright

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 06:00:00 -0000

THE 2019 BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS / GRESHAM COLLEGE ANNUAL LECTURE

Uploaded 10-06-26

The event will focus upon mathematical expeditions, outlining how the use of mathematics has been instrumental to the success of historical voyages of exploration.

The main speaker, Professor Ana Simões, will discuss A Global History of the Eclipse of 29 May 1919 (6pm). This will be preceded by shorter presentations by Dr Stephen Johnson on Privateer and Mathematician: the Voyages of Edward Wright (4pm) and by Dr Rebekah Higgitt on Mathematical Practice and 18th-Century British Voyages of Scientific Exploration (4:45pm).

A lecture by Dr Stephen Johnston, University of Oxford 23 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/privateer-and-mathematician

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Shapes of Free Fall

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 05:00:00 -0000

The shapes of the orbits of many planets and comets orbiting their mother-ship stars are well known to be circles or ellipses (an idea that was explained by Isaac Newton). But we now understand that, depending on the history and the energy of the orbiting system, other geometric shapes are possible and indeed frequently observed.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will explore how simple changes to the circumstances can make dramatic differences to the shapes of the orbits, all of which belong to a special family of shapes known as the conic sections.

A lecture by Katherine Blundell 29 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/shapes-of-freefall

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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A is for Autism - Dame Stephanie Shirley

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 04:51:22 -0000

Half a million people in the UK are on the autistic spectrum, all finding it hard to make sense of the world around them. The disorder impacts both the highly intelligent and the profoundly learning disabled (including Dame Stephanie Shirley's late son).

Uploaded 30-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/a-is-for-autism

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Twenty-first Century Threats: Malaria - Professor Frank Cox DSc

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 04:00:00 -0000

In 1955, the World Health Organization announced an ambitious plan to eradicate malaria from the face of the earth. Now, nearly sixty years later, malaria still afflicts some 250 million people of whom over a million, mostly children, die each year. What went wrong?

Uploaded 17-05-12

In this lecture, Professor Frank Cox of Gresham College and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will attempt to answer this question against a background of the history of malaria until 1955, what happened between 1955 and 1978 when the eradication plan was abandoned and finally where this leaves us today and concludes with the sobering possibility that malaria may never be eradicated.

he transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/twenty-first-century-threats-malaria

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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A History of Hair

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 03:00:00 -0000

The 2014 scandal over Rachel Dolezal's lying about being of African-American heritage reignited debates about the politics of hair. It has been followed by numerous books with titles such as Don't Touch My Hair.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture explores how hair has been seen as symbolic of empowerment, deviance, and identity. It looks at the role of big business in promoting grooming products (including scalp-damaging chemicals); the hair grooming regulations of the military; and the political significance of facial hair.

A lecture by Joanna Bourke, Gresham Professor of Rhetoric 31 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/history-of-hair

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Formal and Informal Empire in the 19th Century - Professor Richard Evans

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 02:00:00 -0000

From the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the 1880s, British industrial might and British command of the oceans underpinned the 'imperialism of free trade', in which economic interests of various kinds were paramount. In the industrial era, the major non-European empires, notably the Chinese, Japanese and Mughal states, failed to keep pace with this expansion of European influence, and the lecture discusses the reasons for this failure. New European empires emerged following the collapse of the old, and gradually European states found themselves intentionally or otherwise involved in converting economic and trading interests into imperial administration. Existing centres of European settlement and economic penetration, from Canada and South Africa to India and Algeria, generated a further impetus towards imperial expansion, driven by settlers' interests in trade, labour exploitation or security.

Uploaded 03-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/formal-and-informal-empire-in-the-nineteenth-century

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The Future of EU and Global Markets - Dr Robert Barnes

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 01:00:00 -0000

After the largest financial crisis in the history of the capital markets, what changes do we need to promote liquidity recovery? As authorities world-wide seek a safe framwork within which we can behave as entrepreneurs, what insights can Equities offer Over-The-Counter markets and vice-versa? Investors and Exchanges empowered with choice of on-and-off-orderbook mechanisms, dark and light, will innovate electronic trading to diversify by geography and asset class. Come and learn the bold ideas shaping the new landscape.

Uploaded 13-12-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-future-of-the-eu-and-global-markets

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Universities: Under Regulation - Baroness Ruth Deech

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 -0000

All universities are anxious to raise funds and some have come under criticism for accepting funds from despotic regimes which are seeking credibility and influence. What are the limits of fundraising? British universities have also acquired a reputation for hosting extremist speakers and for failing to control racial and religious hatred on campus, in the name of academic freedom and freedom of speech. What are the ambits of freedom of speech? Why is campus life threatening to some students, and what should universities do about it? Student complaints are on the increase. The Coexistence Trust has come into being to build networks of trust between Muslim and Jewish students on campus and to fight antisemitism and Islamophobia. How can students be encouraged to take up peaceful dialogue and not fight international battles at home?

Uploaded 24-04-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-universities-under-regulation

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Thomas Harriot on the Coins of England

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 23:51:22 -0000

This event, jointly hosted with the British Society for the History of Mathematics, will focus upon the relationship between mathematics and money, from coinage through to cryptocurrencies.

Uploaded 11-06-26

A lecture by Norman Biggs 21 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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"To Wear Or Not To Wear?" - Changing Social Norms With Regard To Eyewear - Neil Handley

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Studying the history of spectacles brings together the twin themes of technological development and mankind's increasing understanding of physical optics, but it is as much about charting different historical attitudes to the face and one's appearance before others. Only if we attempt to understand the cultural influences and motivations for wearing (or not wearing) spectacles do we gain an accurate picture of why some developments in eyewear styles were so slow to gain speed and why ideas of fashion have always caused some people to prefer suffering over the available relief.

Uploaded 12-04-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/to-wear-or-not-to-wear-changing-social-norms-with-regard-to-eyewear

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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James I: The Court at Play

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Before he became King of England in 1603 James I had never set foot in an English royal palace. What he found when he did was a mixed blessing: he may have liked the grandeur and riches, but he hated the stuffy formality. His answer was to create an entirely new sort of country residence devoted to hunting, reading and relaxation with his male favourites.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Architecturally incoherent these places may have been, but James's remarkable forgotten country houses tell us a huge amount about the man and the dawn of the Stuart age.

A lecture by Simon Thurley CBE, Visiting Professor of the Built Environment 18 September 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-court-at-play

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Infection, Immunity and Cancer

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Examples of cancers caused largely by infections include cervical cancer, some liver cancers, and gastric cancer. If the infection can be prevented, or treated, the cancer can also be prevented. When the immune system is damaged, including by infections like HIV, cancers increase. Understanding the importance of the immune system has led to new avenues for the treatment of cancer.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture will also consider one of the fastest moving areas of cancer treatment, stimulating the immune system to attack cancers.

A lecture by Chris Whitty, Gresham Professor of Physic 30 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/infection-immunity-cancer

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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William And Mary: The Court Divided

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Like James I, King William III was fundamentally unhappy with the stuffy formality of England's vast crumbling royal estate. But unlike James, who virtually abandoned Edinburgh, William maintained a second court, and a parallel suite of royal houses, in the Netherlands.

Uploaded 11-06-26

Mostly ignored by English historians, these houses are the key to understanding the style that we now know as William and Mary, and its impact on England.

A lecture by Simon Thurley 10 June

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/william-mary-court-divided

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Frozen in Time?

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Most information from outer space reaches us at the speed of light and this governs our understanding of time and evolution in the cosmos. When we observe the Universe, we are 'looking back in time': we see the Universe as it was, not how it is. This is actually very helpful as we seek to discern and understand cosmic history and how the Universe has changed since earlier times.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Katherine Blundell OBE, Gresham Professor of Astronomy 23 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/frozen-in-time

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Why should we protect endangered languages? - Nicholas Ostler

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 18:51:22 -0000

Dr Nicholas Ostler argues for the preservation of the world's endangered languages, considering historical examples of threatened languages that have been wiped out (like Gaulish) and those that have been rescued from extinction (such as Basque).

Uploaded 30-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/symposium-rare-and-endangered-languages

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Lost Hospitals of London: St Luke's - Professor Nick Black

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

The extraordinary story of this neglected quarter of London that in the late 19th century boasted seven major hospitals, of which only one survives today.

Uploaded 13-04-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-lost-hospitals-of-london-st-luke%E2%80%99s

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Human Traffic: Race and Post-War Migration Policy

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

THE 2019 ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLIN MATTHEW MEMORIAL LECTURE

Uploaded 10-06-26

PART OF OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH SERIES

In the years after 1945 successive British governments set out to weaponise the nation's immigration policy. To maintain historic ties to the Old Commonwealth, and shore up Britain's position as a 'world power' they encouraged and even subsidised the emigration of over a million Britons while simultaneously recruiting thousands of East Europeans for new lives in Britain.

Yet in 1948, with the arrival of the Empire Windrush and the passing of the British Nationality Act, another, unplanned and unwanted migration was set in train.

A lecture by David Olusoga OBE, University of Manchester 1 October 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/human-traffic

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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English Architecture, 1760 to 1830: Engine House - Professor Simon Thurley

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

England's take off as the first industrial nation created a whole new language of building underpinned by technology and by an emerging view of the rest of the world.

Uploaded 13-02-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/engine-house-1760-to-1830

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The Ballets Russes: Courting the Exotic

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Diaghilev found that the Oriental style that had been cultivated by Russian composers was a perfect match for the Parisians' love of exoticism, and he started to commission new ballets for this market niche. These were so successful that even Parisian women's fashions came under their influence. But Russian folk art and music had the same exotic appeal in Paris, and Diaghilev discovered that Stravinsky was the man to turn this new 'product' into great art that was also modernist and attention-grabbing.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Marina Frolova-Walker, Gresham Professor of Music 29 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/ballets-russes-exotic

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Explosion of Modernism - Rt Revd Lord Richard Harries

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

The period before World War I saw an extraordinary burst of creativity in all the arts which has decisively effected all subsequent developments. This lecture will look at the emergence of expressionism and amongst other artists will consider in detail the work of Nolde, Jacob Epstein and Roualt.

Uploaded 03-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-explosion-of-modernism

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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An Introduction to Algorithms

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 13:51:22 -0000

Algorithms, loosely translated, are systems for doing things. Algorithms are thus the link from pre-history to the modern world - without algorithms we would have an inanimate universe without all the mess and complexity of real life. It turns out that the history of algorithms is messy.

Uploaded 11-06-26

There are also general theories of algorithms, and those ideas are not messy at all; they are very beautiful, powerful and should be required reading for the internet age.

A lecture by Richard Harvey 20 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/algorithms-intro

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Britain in the 20th Century: Thatcherism, 1979-1990 - Professor Vernon Bogdanor

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Margaret Thatcher sought to solve the deep-seated problems of the British state outside the parameters of the postwar settlement. The main ideological victims of the collapse of the postwar settlement were One Nation Conservatism, the paternalistic ethos of Churchill and Macmillan, and the belief in government intervention, the idea that governments could fine-tune the economy to secure full employment.
Margaret Thatcher's governments encouraged the spread of ownership so that Britain could become a property-owning democracy and a capital-owning democracy. Thatcherism seemed for a time to be in accordance with the trends of social change and by the end of the 20th century, Britain was a far more fluid and individualistic society than it had been in the immediate postwar years.

Uploaded 18-05-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britain-in-the-20th-century-thatcherism-1979-1990

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Charles II: The Court in Exile

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

For a decade after the execution of Charles I the Stuart courts were based in the Low Countries and France. Always short of money, but determined to maintain splendour and dignity, Charles II rented a series of mansions and used them as the headquarters of the exiled monarchy.

Uploaded 11-06-26

These hitherto unknown royal 'palaces' became the nursery of courtly fashion and etiquette where the king and his courtiers developed tastes that were to fundamentally fashion the art and architecture of Restoration England.

A lecture by Simon Thurley 18 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/charles-court-in-exile

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Olympism: Ethics and Politics - Dr Jim Parry

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

A lecture on the philosophy behind the modern Olympic Games.
What are the core ideals and values behind a world-wide celebration of sport? Can an approach to life be derived from its values? What implications does this have for the Olympics' touching on ethics and politics?

Uploaded 09-02-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/olympism-ethics-and-politics

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Bethlem Hospital: The history of the legendary institution for the mentally ill - Colin S. Gale

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Bethlem Hospital was an integral part of London's charitable provision for the poor in medieval and early modern times. Hand in hand with public benevolence went great public interest in the objects of charity. Until 1770, the Hospital was open (at specified times of the week) to any member of the public who wished to see inside, and 'poor boxes' were strategically placed near the entrance for donations. Bethlem was by no means the only early modern hospital to permit this level of public access to its inner workings, but it is probably the best known for having done so. The memory of Bethlem's display of the misery of its patients for entertainment and gain is a powerful metaphor to this day.

Uploaded 30-03-12

Bethlem Archivist Colin Gale will explore the reality behind this metaphor via written and pictorial sources from the Hospital's own archives and the published writings of visitors.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-lost-hospitals-of-london-bethlem-hospital-worth-a-visit

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Striking the Balance Between Common Sense and Legal Reasoning

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

THE 2019 GRAY'S INN READING

Uploaded 10-06-26

Lord Kerr intends to address the recent decision in Stocker v Stocker and the challenges which confront judges when required to take on the role of a jury in applying a common-sense approach to the meaning of words. He will try to consider and reflect on the essential role of the Courts in upholding individual rights and how best this role can be performed whilst also ensuring that decisions accord with society's broader expectations of justice.

A lecture by Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore PC QC, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdomw 20 June 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/grays-inn-reading-2019

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Collect, Protect, Connect: Documenting the Voices of Vanishing Worlds - Dr Mark Turin

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 08:51:22 -0000

Dr Mark Turin discusses his own experience of preserving and revitalising the Thangmi language in Nepal. He discusses the problems encountered, both cultural and political, but also the great benefits that await if we can preserve the many endangered languages of the world.

Uploaded 30-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/symposium-rare-and-endangered-languages

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.

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Digital Healthcare: Will the Robot See You Now?

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

It is commonplace for governments to complain that the cost of healthcare is rising. Various reasons are put forward: some claim that modern medicine is inevitably more expensive; some claim that the ageing population is the cause of the problem; others opine that the only option is rationing.

Uploaded 11-06-26

But what are the opportunities for using Information Technology to reduce the cost of healthcare? And what might our healthcare system look like in 10 years time if we make judicious investments in technology?

A lecture by Richard Harvey 4 June

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/digital-healthcare

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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The New Normal: Rebalancing Our Priorities - Professor Kenneth Costa

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

It is time for the banking and financial sectors to stop apologising and start changing. But how?
Professor Costs outlines three key themes for change needed in order to estable a "New Normal" for how we operate in the commerical and financial world: a re-ordering of our priorities, the respect the ethical, and the creation of a better spirit in which to carry out business.

Uploaded 09-05-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-new-normal-rebalancing-our-priorities

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Building Sustainable Communities: A New Era for Twinning

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

In contrast to their stark socio-economic and environmental differences, the communities of Harbury, UK and Sekenani, Kenya are building 'collaborative ecosystems' that are helping people and their environment to flourish.

Uploaded 10-06-26

With similar ideas on issues as wide-ranging as energy generation to the creation of well-being, these two communities are actively engaged in delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goal 17, 'to revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development' through a new community twinning approach.

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/globalpartnerships/

A lecture by Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment 15 October 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/building-sustainable-communities

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Twenty-first Century Threats: Tuberculosis - Professor William Ayliffe

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

A cultural and medical history of tuberculosis, and its threat to the world today.

Uploaded 16-04-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/twenty-first-century-threats-tuberculosis

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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How to Avert a Climate Catastrophe

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

After the UN Climate Action Summit in September, our Environment Professor will be talking to three experts about whether we still have a meaningful chance of averting a climate catastrophe, and how we can get there. The Extinction Rebellion protests pushed climate up the news agenda early in 2019, but what has happened since then, and what is happening globally?

Uploaded 10-06-26

Professor Vicky Pope will discuss the challenges of climate modelling and reduction of emissions; Dr Damien Short will talk about why we need to legislate against Ecocide; and Professor Geoffrey Beattie will discuss the psychology that stops us from taking action.

A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade, Dr Damien Short, Vicky Pope and Professor Geoffrey Beattie 30 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/avert-climate-catastrophe

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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The Political Lawyer

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 03:51:22 -0000

Traditionally a lawyer's own views and political affiliation are irrelevant to the pursuit of the legal process.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will examine - and celebrate - the work of lawyers who have crossed the usual lines and worked for political change. It will look at the life of South African advocate Bram Fischer, who defended Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia trial, and was himself prosecuted for sabotage and sentenced to life in prison.

It will consider modern examples of lawyers paying a heavy price for political engagement, as well as the ethical issues which are engaged - how far can a lawyer go?

A lecture by Thomas Grant QC 19 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/political-lawyer

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Desublimation Of Modern Art: A Theological Task - Professor Ben Quash

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Professor Ben Quash questions the place of 'the sublime', as defined by Immanuel Kant, in contemporary Christian art.

Uploaded 26-04-12

This talk was a part of the Gresham College conference, 'Thinking Theologically about Modern Art'. The full conference can be accessed on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/seminar-thinking-theologically-about-modern-art

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Great Mathematicians - Professor Robin Wilson and Dr Raymond Flood

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

A lecture to mark the publication of Robin Wilson and Raymond Flood's new book. Mathematics pervades our daily lives. Our credit cards and the nation's defence are kept secure largely due to the properties of prime numbers, and mathematics is intimately involved whenever we fly in an aeroplane, predict the weather or analyse data. But what mathematics is involved, and who first introduced it?

Uploaded 03-11-11

Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson describe some interesting mathematicians' contributions.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-great-mathematicians

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Freedom Song: The Fisk Jubilee Singers' Story

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

PART OF OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH SERIES

Uploaded 10-06-26

A choir of ex-slaves, raising funds to build their University, toured America from 1871, suffering discrimination and hardship. They came to England, were treated with respect and sang to Queen Victoria and Gladstone. Spiritual songs are folk music and belong to us all, but because they came out of such horrific suffering it's hard to know how to sing them.

This lecture tells the tale of the singers whose courage and enterprise brought them to the world. The songs they sang include Steal Away to Jesus, Go Down, Moses and Deep River.

A lecture by Professor Harvey Brough with Emily Dankworth, Christina Gill, Wills Morgan and Michael Henry, Vox Holloway Choir 24 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/freedom-song

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Mathematics and Sport: Final Score - Professor John D. Barrow

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Why are there so many different scoring systems in operation in sport? We look at how structuring matches into a series of sets affects the relative roles of luck and skill in determining the winner of the contest. Did table tennis make a significant change to the game when it changed its scoring system? We also look at events like the decathlon where points are awarded for performances in different disciplines to see what sort of decathlete is most likely to win given the present points system.

Uploaded 22-05-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/final-score

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Japanese Martyrs

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

In the age of exploration, Catholic missionaries fanned out across the world, meeting with extraordinary success but also extraordinary opposition: nowhere more so than in Japan, where the fast-growing Catholic community was brutally suppressed in the early seventeenth century.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will explore how this bloody crisis shaped myths of Japanese cruelty and cults of Catholic sanctity in Europe, while also precipitating the 250-year 'closing' of Japan and the intense piety of a small remnant of underground Japanese Christians.

A lecture by Alec Ryrie 11 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/japanese-martyrs

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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How tall can the European Convention on Human Rights grow? - Baroness Hale

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 22:51:22 -0000

The pervasive scope of the European Convention of Human Rights has been demonstrated by the furore over the voting rights of prisoners. Is the ECHR a vital cornerstone necessary to protect individual liberties against an encroaching state and the rule of the mob, should it be replaced with a British Bill of Rights or does all Human Rights legislation create more problems than it solves?

Uploaded 31-08-11

This lecture will look at whether the ECHR can continue in its current form and how it might be developed in response to discussion about parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/beanstalk-or-living-instrument-how-tall-can-the-european-convention-on-human

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Byron and the Age of Sensation

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Jonathan Bate will explore the life and work of the original celebrity poet - Lord Byron.

Uploaded 10-06-26

He will show how Byron was simultaneously a Romantic and an anti-Romantic, and how his influence spread to almost every corner of Europe, from the Russia of Pushkin to the Greek War of Independence.

A lecture by Sir Jonathan Bate, Gresham Professor of Rhetoric 11 June 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/byron-age-of-sensation

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Brain Reconstruction: The next biomedical breakthrough, or a biological impossibility?

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

"Brain Reconstruction: The next biomedical breakthrough, or a biological impossibility?" by Professor Jack Price, Professor of Developmental Neurobiology and Head of the Centre for the Cellular Basis of Behaviour, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.

Uploaded 09-05-12

How close are we to true brain reconstruction? Professor Jack Price details the latest advances in this field of neuroscience, as well as covering the conceptual and regulatory obstacles that researchers face.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/brain-reconstruction-the-next-biomedical-breakthrough-or-a-biological

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Growth Mindset and the Abundance Mentality

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

This talk will explore the "growth mindset", the evidence-based view that talents are developed rather than genetic. It provides practical tips on how to develop new skills with limited time, and highlights the importance of pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.

Uploaded 11-06-26

The talk will also discuss the "abundance mentality", that serving others grows the pie for all, rather than increasing others' slice at your expense. It examines how to serve effectively, in a disciplined way that does not lead to you accepting every request.

A lecture by Alex Edmans 3 June

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/growth-mindset

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Organ Transplants and Human Rights Abuses in China

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

This lecture reports on the findings of The Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China (June 2019), which examined reports of state-sponsored murder for the harvesting and sale of organs.

Uploaded 10-06-26

The very need for a People's Tribunal to deal with an issue of this gravity reflects the timidity of governments when asked to deal with the criminal behaviour of another state. The tribunal's conclusions will be set within the ethical standards expected of medical practitioners around the world.

A lecture by Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice QC and Professor Martin Elliott, Barrister and Surgeon 10 October 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/human-rights-china

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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The Economics of HIV / AIDS - Professor Markus Haacker

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Over the last decades, HIV/AIDS has emerged as a major new disease, reversing gains in life expectancy that had been won over many decades in numerous countries, and becoming a leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the disease has triggered an unparalleled international response. In this lecture Dr. Markus Haacker provides an intriguing account of the social and economic repercussions of the epidemic, as well as the direct health consequences, and discusses the contribution of the evolving global response to HIV/AIDS.

Uploaded 16-04-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/twenty-first-century-threats-hivaids

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Role of the State in Public Health, and its Limits

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 17:51:22 -0000

The relative role of the State and the individual is a recurring theme of political theory. It is also a practical question in public health - what are the respective responsibilities of government, individuals and healthcare professionals to protect health?

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will explore the areas government is widely perceived to be responsible for, ones where government should have no role, and the areas where medical professionals provide a third dimension to a triangle of responsibility.

A lecture by Chris Whitty 16 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/state-health

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Modern Art: The Art Of Modern Life? - Professor George Pattison

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Professor George Pattison examines a number of works in light of Baudelaire's definitive description of "the painter of modern life'', and considers the potential implications of such a definition on modern theological art.

Uploaded 02-05-12

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The BBC: Defending The Public Interest - Baroness Ruth Deech

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

From 2007 the Governors were replaced by Trustees; but there was still disquiet about the best method of regulating the BBC. BBC regulation is fragmented: some regulatory functions rest with OFCOM, and the National Audit Office investigates some financial matters. It is said that the Trust cannot be both a champion of the licence fee payers and of the BBC management. Should regulation of the BBC be wholly external to it? Is OFCOM any better placed to defend public service broadcasting than the Trust? The BBC World Service is a vital accurate news source for many parts of the world: is it better placed under the control of the BBC or the Foreign Office?

Uploaded 23-05-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-bbc-defending-the-public-interest

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Powell and Pressburger's Island Stories

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Stories about islands punctuate the careers of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, from Powell's breakthrough with Edge of the World (1936) to the Hebridean journey of I Know Where I'm Going! (1945), and the final act of their Tales of Hoffmann (1951).

Uploaded 10-06-26

What can we learn about the imagination of these very different figures by tracing this motif ? This lecture draws on archival sources to show that these films are as rich and complex as art in any medium.

A lecture by Ian Christie 27 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/island-stories

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Slavery, Ships and Sickness - Professor Stuart Anderson

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

The full-rigged ship was the essential technology that enabled the trans-Atlantic slave trade to flourish. Between 1698 and 1807 around 11,000 ships were fitted out in England for the slave trade, transporting around three million Africans.

Uploaded 03-11-11

But the trade also employed other vessels, from in-shore boats supplying the slavers, to the Navy vessels that protected them. Sickness and disease were constant companions to both slaves and crew. Mortality amongst both was high, from disease, mistreatment, accident and suicide.
Dr Stuart Anderson explores the relationship between ships, slavery and sickness, and considers the measures eventually taken to improve health at sea.

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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St. Paul's Cathedral at 300 - Martin Stancliffe

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

2011 is the 300th anniversary of the completion of Christopher Wren's Cathedral. This coincides with the completion of an historic £40 million programme of cleaning and repair, in which the building has been comprehensively restored inside and out.

Uploaded 15-12-11

Now that the final scaffolding has been removed, the two million visitors and worshippers who come to St Paul's each year can witness Gresham Professor Christopher Wren's original vision, see his cathedral as fresh as the day it was completed and understand something of the changes it has undergone in its first 300 years.
The lecture is delivered by Martin Stancliffe, Surveyor to the fabric of St Paul's Cathedral.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/st-pauls-at-300

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Form and Function of Medieval Hospitals - Professor Carole Rawcliffe

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:51:22 -0000

Professor Carole Rawcliffe offers an overview of the hospital as it existed in the Middle Ages, along the way outlining the place of women and religion in the medical practice of the time and dispelling the myth that the Tudors lived in complete, unhygienic squalor.

Uploaded 31-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/part-two-the-form-and-function-of-medieval-hospitals

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.

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Wellbeing at the Bar? Is a Legal Aid Lawyer's Work all Stress and Distress?

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Over the course of her Professorship, Professor Delahunty has striven to talk openly about the way in which the Family Court deals with emotive and challenging issues such as sexual abuse, child death in infancy, child neglect and child exploitation.

Uploaded 10-06-26

At what personal cost is that work undertaken? How can one delete the retinal images of abuse after the case has ended?

A lecture by Jo Delahunty QC, Gresham Professor of Law 6 June 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/family-lawyer-stress-distress

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Sir Joseph Bazalgette (1819-1891) And the Cleansing of the Victorian Metropolis

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir Joseph Bazalgette, and will see the building of the first major addition to the system he created to prevent sewage entering the Thames. The Thames Tideway Tunnel is now finally making its way 16 miles beneath the course of the river from Acton to the Thames Estuary, to intercept storm water which would otherwise enter the Thames.

Uploaded 10-06-26

The illustrated lecture will examine Bazalgette's achievement and the work involved in building this latest addition to it.

A lecture by Dr Stephen Halliday, Writer and Historian 9 October 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/bazalgette

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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A Sense Of The Sacred: Art and Architecture - Professor Frances Spalding

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

By exploring the architecture, stained glass windows and art installations of a variety of religious buildings, Frances Spalding shows the numerous ways in which ideas of 'the sacred' have been realised. Buildings covered include Lincoln Cathedral, Liverpool's Roman Catholic Cathedral and Le Corbusier's Notre Dame du Haut.

Uploaded 03-05-12

This talk was a part of the Gresham College conference, 'Thinking Theologically about Modern Art'. The full conference can be accessed on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/seminar-thinking-theologically-about-modern-art

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Making Of Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts - Dr Sally Dormer

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Illuminated manuscripts are some of the most beautiful artefacts to survive from the Middle Ages. Their production involved transforming animal skins into parchment; copying texts; painting and gilding minatures; and binding folios between boards, a process that reveals much about medieval scribal and artistic practice.

Uploaded 30-05-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-making-of-medieval-illuminated-manuscripts

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Hippocrates and Ancient Greek Medicine

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

The birth of rational medicine contributed to the scientific revolution which occurred amongst eastern Greek communities in the 7th-to-5th centuries BCE.

Uploaded 11-06-26

Medical professionals still take the oath of the ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates of Kos, preserved along with his medical treatises. They are a consummation of many decades of medical practice and empirical observation, showing methods similar to the eastern Aegean natural scientists in seeking physical causes rather than supernatural explanations for natural phenomena, whether related to geology, weather, disease or injury.

A lecture by Edith Hall 28 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/ancient-greek-medicine

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Silence, and the Dynamising of African Creative Resistance

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:51:22 -0000

In the face of enslavement, colonialism and cultural suppression, peoples of African descent have fought to maintain cherished cultural practices.

Uploaded 11-06-26

Dr Gus Casely-Hayford, the new Director of V and A East, tells the story of how that resistance came to inspire the creation of some of the most dynamic artistic practice of the modern age.

A lecture by Guy Casely-Hayford 15 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/african-resistance

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Mergers and Acquisitions: Do They Create or Destroy Value?

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Mergers and acquisitions (M and A) are perhaps the most important decisions that a company ever faces, yet very many deals destroy substantial value.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will discuss the correct and incorrect motives for M and A, using both examples and large-scale evidence. It will discuss the conflicts of interest that may lead investment banks to persuade clients to do value-destroying deals, and ways to motivate these conflicts. It will also critically analyse policy proposals to reform M and A, e.g. a national interest test.

A lecture by Alex Edmans, Gresham Professor of Business 5 June 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/mergers-acquisitions-value

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Art of Maths

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

Mathematics and art are more similar than is commonly thought. Each is concerned with the process of being highly creative with abstract objects and of producing everlasting work of great aesthetic beauty.

Uploaded 11-06-26

Early art inspired by geometry, symmetry, numbers and algebra will be considered, as will the role maths played in the art of the Renaissance. Mathematics' influence on other artistic forms will be explored, taking us up to the work of Escher and how this inspired the study of Fractals.

A lecture by Chris Budd 10 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/art-of-maths

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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1667 and The Royal Society: A Manifesto for the Future

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

When Thomas Sprat's The History of the Royal-Society of London appeared in 1667, it was less a history than a manifesto for the future, designed to convince Charles II that experimental research was a worthwhile investment.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Focusing on experiment and travel, this lecture describes the aims and activities of the early Royal Society almost two centuries before the word 'scientist' was invented. As Sprat made clear, science, imperialism and finance were inextricably linked.

A lecture by Dr Patricia Fara, Clare College Cambridge 8 October 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/1667-royal-society

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Large Telescopes And Why We Need Them - Professor Carolin Crawford

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Beyond the Solar System, all astronomers have to work with is the light that falls to the Earth from distant cosmic objects. Newer, larger telescopes are always needed to boost scientific progress, and the next generation of facilities - whether the 42m diameter optical-infrared Extremely Large Telescope, or the Square Kilometre Array of radio dishes - will represent a huge advance. We shall look at the science driving the need for such large telescopes, through history and to the present-day and beyond. Many scientific and engineering challenges are involved in the design and construction of the largest telescopes and their mirrors, and technological developments will be essential to their success.

Uploaded 06-06-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/large-telescopes-and-why-we-need-them

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Marching to an Antique Drum? - Contemporary Christian Art - Roger Wagner

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Artist Roger Wagner offers an overview of his own career and perspectives on the pressures faced by a modern Christian artist. He details the influence of artists such as Giorgio de Chirico and TS Eliot on his work, as well as his resistance to what Robert Hughes has called "institutional modernism".

Uploaded 04-05-12

This talk was a part of the Gresham College conference, 'Thinking Theologically about Modern Art'. The full conference can be accessed on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/seminar-thinking-theologically-about-modern-art

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Politics of Health Reform from a Medieval Perspective - Professor William Ayliffe

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 02:51:22 -0000

Is the NHS medieval? Is this an insulting claim to make? Insulting to modern hospitals or those of the Middle Ages?

Uploaded 31-08-11

Professor William Ayliffe considers modern health reform from the perspective of Tudor medical practice. He provides an overview of some of London's most important mediveval hospitals, including St Bartholomew's, St Thomas' and St Mary's Bethlem, and compares our own healthcare systems with those of the Tudors, in terms of cleanliness, dignity to patients and even hospital architecture.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/http%3A/%252Fwww.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/tudor-health-reform

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.

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Modern Day Slavery: Forced Labour in the UK - Nancy Kelley

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Thousands of people are estimated to be working as slaves within the UK, in highly exploitative conditions, with no rights, and under threat of violence. This lecture will discuss some of the issues.
Nancy Kelley is the Deputy Director of Policy and Research at the Rowntree Foundation.

Uploaded 03-11-11

For more information on the issues covered in this lecture, please visit this website: http://www.jrf.org.uk/work/workarea/forced-labour

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/modern-day-slavery

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Aristotle's Lyceum

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

In the 330s BCE, the great philosopher and scientist, Aristotle of Stagira in northern Greece, returned to Athens and founded his Lyceum. The first institution in world history to encompass teaching, research and the collection of a vast library, the Lyceum immediately began to revive even Plato's Academy in international reputation.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture looks at the archaeological site of the Lyceum, discovered accidentally in 1996, and asks how the remains can illuminate Aristotle's life, work, and incomparable contribution across academic disciplines, from Political Theory and Aesthetics to Zoology, Physics and Astronomy.

A lecture by Edith Hall, Visiting Professor of Classics 30 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/aristotle-lyceum

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Maths of Future Computing

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

This lecture examines the mathematics behind computing, starting with the history of the explosive growth of computer technology, from code breaking through to all aspects of modern communication and security, as well as the simulation of physical processes as varied as the evolution of the universe to predicting the weather. It looks at the types of problems computers can solve, as well as the future possibilities of quantum computing.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Chris Budd OBE, Gresham Professor of Geometry 8 October 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/maths-future-computing

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Queer Presences and Absences: Citizenship, Community, Diversity, or Death - Dr Yvette Taylor

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

This lecture considers moments of US and UK sexual citizenship situating these in terms of LGBT campaigning groups' actions, institutional reactions and broader public relations evident in the course of claiming and lamenting citizenship, community and diversity.

Uploaded 05-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/queer-presences-and-absences-citizenship-community-diversity-or-death

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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How do we deal with rewards for failure while supporting growth? - Matthew Hancock

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

As the economic crisis continues to felt across the world, how should we think of the banking sector that, even if it didn't directly cause the crisis, at least failed to put a halt to it?

Uploaded 13-01-12

Since it was the banks' inflating of the bubble that brought about the crash, we might expect some sort of penalization of those responsible. However, we see those same people are being rewarded for their failure; receiving bonuses on top of large salaries, for work which has plunged us into a global financial crisis.
The countering argument is that these rewards are essential to stimulate growth, our means of climbing out of the crisis, but should we buy this? What are the economics behind all of this and how are we to make sense of it?
Economist and politician, Matthew Hancock, addresses this question and leads us to the policy solutions that are there if we re brave enough to take them.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/how-do-we-deal-with-rewards-for-failure-while-supporting-growth

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Connected Humans

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:51:22 -0000

Was Covid-19 the ultimate wake-up call about how we live on planet earth?

Uploaded 11-06-26

Looking at the effect on the environment of a near-stoppage of the world's economies, the first lecture explores emerging perspectives and some of the guiding principles about surviving and thriving when we have a greater understanding of nature. These experiences are used to throw light on how some of the traditions of indigenous peoples mirror our scientific understanding of how the natural world functions.

A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade 13 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/connected-humans

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Inconsistent Sun - Professor Claudio Vita-Finzi

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Changes in the Sun's output can endanger health, power supplies and satellite systems. To prepare adequately for such events and to make judicious use of solar energy we need to investigate the Sun's 4.7 billion year history.

Uploaded 11-06-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-inconsistent-sun

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Joy of Six: Brahms and Strauss - Professor Christopher Hogwood

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Strauss: Sextet from Capriccio
Brahms: String Sextet Op.18
Professor Christopher Hogwood, Gresham Professor of Music, with players from the Royal Academy of Music

Uploaded 30-11-11

The choice of instrumental grouping can make or break a composition; the string sextet, a notoriously difficult combination, takes on a forward-looking guise with Strauss in probably the most exquisite of all music designed to be played off-stage, while Brahms looks back to the baroque with his solutions: sonority is the key.

Six players from the Royal Academy of Music offer the live experience: Kiann Chow and Charlotte Skinner (violins), Rhoslyn Lawton and Ana Monteverde (violas), Amy Jolly and Romain Lapeyre (cellos).

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-joy-of-six

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Thinking Theologically About Modern Art - Discussion

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

At the end of the conference, 'Thinking Theologically About Modern Art', the speakers review issues raised by the proceeding talks.
The speakers are:
* Professor the Rt Revd Lord Harries
* Professor Ben Quash
* Professor Frances Spalding
* Professor George Pattison
* Dr Jonathan Koestlé-Cate
* Roger Wagner

Uploaded 08-05-12

This discussion was a part of the Gresham College conference, 'Thinking Theologically about Modern Art'. The full conference can be accessed on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/seminar-thinking-theologically-about-modern-art

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Toothpaste, Custard and Chocolate: Mathematics Gets Messy

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

THE 2019 JOINT LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL LECTURE

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk looks at mathematical modelling of real, complex fluids in flow situations - some with serious commercial applications, and some just for fun.

Focusing on the chocolate fountain, we experience one of the key day-to-day tools of an applied mathematician, scaling analysis, to answer the question: why doesn't the chocolate fall straight down?

A lecture by Helen Wilson, Professor of Applied Mathematics University College London 29 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/mathematics-gets-messy

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Time Management in the Digital Age

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Classic time management frameworks advise us to focus on the important rather than the urgent. But these frameworks seem not to be applicable to the 21st century, where technology means that we are constantly bombarded with deadlines.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will explain how to focus on important long-term goals but at the same time meet urgent short-term deadlines; how to use email as an effective communication tool without being overwhelmed by it; and how to outsource and automate routine tasks.

A lecture by Alex Edmans, Gresham Professor of Business 2 October 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/time-management

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Culture and Resistance: Indigenous Responses to a Globalised World - Michael Walling

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:51:22 -0000

This lecture looks at the place occupied by indigenous cultures in today's globalised world.

Uploaded 31-08-11

At a time when the world is confronted with economic insecurity, ecological instability and endemic cultural dilution, Michael Walling points towards alternative approaches to living which embody the struggle for physical and cultural survival in the face of environmental insecurity, corporate aggression and the criminalization of indigenous lifestyles and social protests.

The lecture explores some of the ways in which indigenous artists are drawing off their rich cultural inheritances to confront and resist the global concerns facing us today.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/culture-and-resistance-indigenous-responses-to-a-globalised-world

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Engineering: Archimedes of Syracuse

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

In the 3rd century BCE, the Sicilian polymath Archimedes significantly advanced human understanding of mathematics, geometry and astronomy.

Uploaded 11-06-26

By applying his discoveries to practical problems and physical phenomena, he became the founder of statics and hydrostatics, demonstrating how levers work and in turn creating unprecedented war machines such as "Archimedes' claw" and "heat-ray".

A lecture by Edith Hall 5 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/archimedes

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Is There A God-Shaped Hole In Contemporary Art? - Jonathan Koestlé-Cate

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Is there, as Allan Doig suggests, "a God-shaped hole in the middle of modern art"? Should contemporary church commissions meet criteria of accessibility, aesthetic quality and clear Christian symbolism? Should non-believers be commissioned to produce Christian art? Dr Jonathan Koestlé-Cate offers some answers to these questions.

Uploaded 08-05-12

This talk was a part of the Gresham College conference, 'Thinking Theologically about Modern Art'. The full conference can be accessed on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/seminar-thinking-theologically-about-modern-art

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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A History of the Stomach

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Vertical banded gastroplasty surgery (or stomach stapling) has drawn attention in recent decades to the hidden, but unruly, stomach. This organ has been the focus of weight-control regimes for centuries, however.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture looks at nineteenth-century fads involving stomachs, including the medical prescription of tapeworms that were supposed to live in a person's stomach and "eat" food on their behalf. It also explores ideas about the relationship between a person's stomach and their personality. It traces these medical ideas through to the present.

A lecture by Joanna Bourke 19 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/history-of-the-stomach

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Drawings in Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts - Dr Sally Dormer

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Medieval drawings are frequently viewed as the poor cousins of fully-painted miniatures. But in England, an appreciation of drawing persisted throughout the Middle Ages. Based within the late 10th and early 11th centuries, this lecture proves that drawing was more than an expedient alternative to full paint.

Uploaded 27-06-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/drawings-in-anglo-saxon-manuscripts

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Changing Impact of Infections as We Go Through Life and Age

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

The very young and very elderly are particularly susceptible to many infections and for many infections, age will predict how likely someone is to die once infected. The immediate and long-term effects of an infection changes throughout our life course. Some infections which if caught as a child are usually relatively trivial are likely to be much more severe in young adults including mumps and chickenpox.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Other infections present in very different ways depending on the age of the sufferer; for example, severe malaria in young children is a completely different disease from severe malaria in adults although the parasite is the same. Otherwise trivial infections can have major effects in pregnant women or particularly on their unborn babies; examples include rubella and Zika. Several vaccines work differently in different age groups. This changing pattern of what makes disease severe as we progress from the first trimester of pregnancy by stages through to becoming very elderly has implications for treatment and prevention of disease.

A lecture by Chris Whitty CB, Gresham Professor of Physic 22 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/infections-as-we-age

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Mathematics of Musical Composition

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:51:22 -0000

Pattern and structure are essential to music, from the permutations in a Bach fugue, to the structure of a round.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will explore the mathematics of musical symmetries, such as the "translational symmetry" of the transposition of keys, and the "rotational symmetry" of the duet "Der Spiegel", attributed to Mozart.

It will go on to explore the last century's experimentation with the use of mathematical forms to produce intriguing effects, including in the works of Arnold Schoenberg and Per Nørgård.

A lecture by Sarah Hart 13 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/maths-music

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Lyme Disease "Is it safe to walk in the park?" - Professor Patricia Nuttal

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

"...It was lovely last weekend. Warm enough to wear shorts and sandals taking the dog for a walk in the park. How can this nasty red rash on my ankle have anything to do with it? Don't remember being bitten. There was a little black thing on my ankle, but just scratched it off. Doctor says it's Lyme Disease. Never heard of it. Have to take these horrible antibiotics -- and no drinking! Last time I go for a walk in the park..."

Uploaded 27-06-12

How real is this scenario? Professor Pat Nuttall will consider the likelihood of being bitten by a tick carrying the Lyme Disease spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease derives its name from Lyme, Connecticut in North America, where it was described in the 1970s as a distinct clinical entity among children believed to have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Now it is recognised in temperate regions across much of the northern hemisphere. The reasons for the seemingly prolific spread of the disease, and the prospects of controlling it, will be discussed. Yes, it is safe to walk in the park, but there are some provisos...

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/twenty-first-century-threats-lyme-disease-is-it-safe-to-walk-in-the-park

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Christian Modern Art: Ceri Richards, Graham Sutherland, John Piper and Henry Moore

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

After World War II, without forgetting the terrible suffering earlier in the century, there was a new confidence expressed in the artistic commissions of the time. Older artists who had been active before World War I such as Epstein and Matisse received commissions as well as younger artists such as Graham Sutherland, known especially for his work in Coventry Cathedral, Ceri Richards and Henry Moore.

Uploaded 26-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/post-world-war-ii-optimism

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Scramble for Africa - Professor Richard J Evans FBA

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

In the early 1880s, informal imperial expansion gave way to formal imperial acquisitions. Between this point and the outbreak of the First World War, more colonial territory was acquired by European states than in the previous three-quarters of a century. New states entered the business of imperialism, notably Belgium, Germany and Italy. So fierce was the competition that in 1884 an international congress was held in Berlin to establish demarcation lines between the new colonial possessions.

Uploaded 14-12-11

The 'Scramble for Africa' extended in fact to other parts of the globe and brought in new possessions in Asia, North Africa and the Pacific. Many explanations have been advanced for this sudden expansion of empire, ranging from changes in the European economy to the rise of European nationalism, from the need perceived by some European statesmen to provide an outlet for popular discontent at home to the exploitation of colonial issues by Bismarck for diplomatic purposes.

This lecture analyses the process of partition and assesses the best way to explain it.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-scramble-for-africa

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Powell and Pressburger: The Matter of Britain

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

World War Two set British filmmakers a challenge: to be relevant and entertaining and to inspire without patronising. Powell and Pressburger brought wit and imagination to their task, questioning what Britain stood for, warts and all. Notoriously, Churchill hated The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. But many ordinary cinema-goers were grateful for The Archers' poetic patriotism, in this as well as in A Matter of Life and Death. Britishness redefined in the stress of war is the theme of this lecture.
A lecture by Ian Christie, Visiting Professor of Film and Media History 11 November

Uploaded 10-06-26

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/matter-of-britain

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Exploring Earth from Space

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

In recent years, multiple space missions have been launched. Many have set out across our galaxy to explore other systems and planets, capturing people's imaginations and helping us to understand more about the origins of the universe. But there are also a myriad of space missions and platform that are sending data back to earth that are telling us about how earth is changing. Today the earth is opening up its secrets as never before.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade, Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment 21 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/exploring-earth-from-space

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Birdsong and Music - David Matthews

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 06:51:22 -0000

Many composers have been influenced by birdsong. Mozart treasured the songs of his pet starling, even giving the bird a ceremonial funeral. David Matthews, one of Britain's leading composers, has always been interested in the incorporation of the natural world into his music, recently even including birdsong in some recent compositions. This lecture offers an opportunity for reflection on the relations between music and the natural world and how a composer can be brought closer to one through the other and vice versa.

Uploaded 31-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/birdsong-and-music

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Home Office Mathematics - Professor Bernard Silverman

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

The Chief Scientific Adviser is the head of Home Office Science, which provides scientific advice and support to the whole range of the Home Office's work as the lead government department for immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime, counter-terrorism and police. Many aspects of our scientific work involve mathematics, and in this talk a selection will be presented. These show not only how mathematics is used by one particular government department, but also how wide is the range of topics where mathematical thinking and methods are important.

Uploaded 27-06-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/home-office-mathematics

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Energy and Matter at the Origin of Life

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

The origin of life is one of the biggest questions in science, but until recently it was, experimentally, a question in chemistry. Now, gene sequences and a better understanding of cell growth under extreme conditions are giving insights from biology. These point to hydro-thermal vent environments as 'incubators' that could drive growth in a similar way to cells at the origin of life.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Professor Lane will discuss how these ideas are being tested in the lab.

A lecture by Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry University College London 20 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/energy-matter-origin-of-life

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Art of Rhetoric - Simon Lancaster

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Most people fear giving speeches, almost as much as the rest of us dread listening to them. The lectern has a cruel capacity to render even the mighty vulnerable. Fortunately there is a science to the art of public speaking and it dates back to Ancient Greece. Simon Lancaster will open up a veritable treasure trove of ancient rhetorical devices and help you discover how to become a master in the language of leadership.

Uploaded 28-06-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-art-of-rhetoric

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Staying in Touch with Patients

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Touch is central to the performance of medicine. Traditionally, doctors depended on touch to diagnose illness. Revolutions in imaging technology, machine learning and artificial intelligence seem to reduce the need for physical examination. Yet touch is not only about gathering information but is how we express compassion and care.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture considers how 'gnostic' touch (identifying disease) and 'pathic' touch (conveying care) are becoming separated by technological developments, and asks what we can do to ensure that touch remains central in connecting doctors and patients.

A lecture by Roger Kneebone, Visiting Professor of Medical Education 28 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/staying-in-touch-patients

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Music of Sleep and Dreams - Professor Milton Mermikides

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

00:00 // Why Are Sleep and Music So Connected?

Uploaded 21-08-26

03:18 // Ancient Myths Linking Music and Sleep
05:30 // How Composers Create Dreamlike Music
07:05 // Debussy's Secret to Dreamy Sound
10:36 // The Hidden Power of Lullabies
15:14 // What Lullabies Reveal About Culture
17:08 // Does Music Exist While We Sleep?
22:08 // Famous Songs Inspired by Dreams
28:30 // Can We Recover Music From Dreams?
29:45 // Turning Sleep Into Music with Science
35:45 // Sleep, Creativity and Mental Health
40:05 // Music as a Tool for Healing
44:00 // Why Music Gives Us Hope
48:48 // Final Thoughts

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/iccnkoAfEpQ

Sleep and music share a strange, elusive magic—both shape our lives profoundly yet slip beyond words. Lullabies soothe us into slumber, nocturnes and reveries evoke the twilight world between wakefulness and dreams. Some melodies even emerge from sleep itself—McCartney’s "Let It Be" and Tartini’s Devil’s Trill Sonata came to their composers in dreams. Yet sleep has its own music: the phasing rhythms of wake and rest, the cadences of falling asleep, the waveforms of EEG data—an unheard music to which we may awaken.

This lecture was recorded by Professor Milton Mermikides on the 19th of June 2026

Milton Mermikides is a composer, guitarist, technologist, academic and educator in a wide range of musical styles and has collaborated with artists and scientists as diverse as Evelyn Glennie, Tim Minchin, Pat Martino, Peter Zinovieff, John Williams and Brian Eno. Son of a CERN nuclear physicist, he was raised with an enthusiasm for both the arts and sciences, an eclecticism which has been maintained throughout his teaching, research and creative career.

He is a graduate of the London School of Economics (BSc), Berklee College of Music (BMus) and the University of Surrey (PhD). He has lectured, exhibited and given keynote presentations at organisations like the Royal Academy of Music, TEDx, Royal Musical Association, British Library, Smithsonian Institute and The Science Museum and his work has been featured extensively in the press. His music, research and graphic art are published and featured by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Deutsche Grammophon, Sony and more, and he has won awards, scholarships and commendations for writing, teaching, research and his charity work.

Milton is Professor of Music at the University of Surrey, Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music, Deputy Director of the International Guitar Research Centre, an Ableton Certified Trainer, and lives in London with his wife, the guitarist Bridget Mermikides and their daughter Chloe. He is also a Vice-Chair of Governors at Addison Primary School, a state school which foregrounds music education, offering free instrumental lessons for all on Pupil Premium.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/music-sleep

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
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Eve's Evil Legacies

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 01:51:22 -0000

Eve was the original Evil Woman. She was tempted by Satan, introducing sin into the world. In turn, she seduced Adam, bringing the wrath of the Creator upon humanity for all eternity.

Uploaded 11-06-26

From the 2nd century, Eve has been blamed for evil. The innocence of the Virgin Mary simply magnifies Eve's weakness and this continues to resonate in western texts. The fig-leaf covering Eve's genitals is a reminder of the carnality of evil as well as its feminine origins.

A lecture by Joanna Bourke 8 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/evil-eve

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Mental and Physical Wellness

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Exercise, diet, rest, and sleep are sometimes seen as optional extras that are desirable if you have the time. They are also topics about which many myths and half-truths abound.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This talk will provide rigorous evidence on the importance of mental and physical wellness for not only quality of life but also career success and productivity at work. It will also provide practical tips, based on behavioural economics, on how busy professionals can find time to invest in them, and turn them into effortless habits rather than chores.

A lecture by Alex Edmans 4 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/business-wellness

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Clara Schumann (1819-1896): The Unsung Heroine of Romanticism

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

This lecture-recital will explore the life of Clara Schumann (1819-1896) through her music and surroundings, her achievements and influencers.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Deservedly revered by all who knew her, she was a pioneer of female composition, who overcame societal norms to rise to fame as one of the most sought after and celebrated pianists and composers of her generation.

A lecture by Fionnuala Moynihan 23 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/clara-schumann

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Challenge of the Solo: The Baroque Violin - Christopher Hogwood and Pavlo Beznosiuk

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Pavlo Beznosiuk, one of the world's leading baroque violinists, explains and demonstrates the challenge of music for solo violin; works by Nicola Matteis and Heinrich Biber lead to a discussion and performance of the famous Chaconne from Bach's Solo Partita in D minor. Can such a work be satisfactorily analysed or does "music begin where words leave off"?

Uploaded 29-06-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-challenge-of-the-solo

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Cockney Romantics: John Keats and his Friends

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

The word Romanticism makes us think of mountain tops and stormy seas, but the younger generation of English Romantics (above all, John Keats) were Londoners through and through. They were even mocked as 'the Cockney School of Poetry'.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Jonathan Bate will track Keats to Hampstead and tell of the extraordinary circle of writers - opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, essayist Charles Lamb, master-critic William Hazlitt - who wrote for The London Magazine, until its gifted editor was killed in a duel with a rival critic.

A lecture by Sir Jonathan Bate FBA, Gresham Professor of Rhetoric 14 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/cockney-romantics-john-keats

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Innovation in the Social Sciences - Professor Sir Roderick Floud

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Innovation is seen as the key to economic growth. But is this true of innovation in services, which now employ 75% of us, as well as in manufacturing industry? This lecture explores innovation in the "knowledge industries" through the development of the subject of economic history over the past 50 years.

Uploaded 02-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/innovation-in-the-social-sciences

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Percy Grainger: Australia's greatest composer? - Professor Malcolm Gilles

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:51:22 -0000

We can think of world-leading Australians in sport (Don Bradman), media ownership (Rupert Murdoch) and film (Nicole Kidman). In music, some great performers come to mind, especially female singers (Nellie Melba, Joan Sutherland). But how many people can even name an Australian composer? In his Gresham Lecture, Malcolm Gillies probes this elusive category of greatness. Percy Grainger (1882-1961), the composer of Country Gardens, is often mentioned as a contender. But, despite his birth, was he really Australian, was he primarily a composer, and what was so great about him, anyway?

Uploaded 31-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/percy-grainger-australias-greatest-composer

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Cashless Society

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Money may well make world go round but cash is surely an encumbrance we can do without. What does a cashless society look like? What is the technology behind the digital economy and the new forms of currency and money?

Uploaded 11-06-26

Your bank doubtless provides an app for accessing your account but, in the future will it provide an API so you can write your own payment algorithms?

A lecture by Richard Harvey 26 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/cashless-society

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Is There Danger Ahead With AI: Superintelligence, Ethics, Work, Leisure and Automation

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Professor Wilks will discuss the argument that 'superintelligent' AI may turn against us, as Hawking and Bostrom have warned. It will be argued that these worries misrepresent the achievements and potential of AI, and that the ethical dilemmas of AI will be deeper and more challenging than just managing idleness due to automation, or how to blame an automated car in a crash. They will include how to treat the artificial Companions created to curate our own lifetimes of information.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Professor Yorick Wilks, Visiting Professor of AI 14 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/danger-ai-ethics-work-leisure

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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St. Paul's Cathedral at 300: The recent refurbishment project - Martin Stancliffe

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

2011 is the 300th anniversary of the completion of Christopher Wren's Cathedral. This coincides with the completion of an historic £40 million programme of cleaning and repair, in which the building has been comprehensively restored inside and out.

Uploaded 16-01-12

Now that the final scaffolding has been removed, the two million visitors and worshippers who come to St Paul's each year can witness Gresham Professor Christopher Wren's original vision, see his cathedral as fresh as the day it was completed and understand something of how such a project can take place on one of the most iconic buildings in the world.
The lecture is delivered by Martin Stancliffe, Surveyor to the fabric of St Paul's Cathedral.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/st-pauls-at-300-part-2

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Britain in the 20th Century: A new consensus? 1990-2001 - Professor Vernon Bogdanor

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

The fall of Margaret Thatcher left a legacy that was both contested and divisive. During the 1990s, the Conservative Party, under the impact of divisions on Europe and on economic policy, began to fragment. But, after four election defeats, Labour, under Tony Blair, who relabeled the party New Labour, seemed to be adopting some of the main tenets of Thatcherism. To what extent was there a new consensus in the 1990s, and were the policies of the New Labour government, elected in 1997, an extension of Thatcherism or a repudiation of it?

Uploaded 03-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britain-in-the-20th-century-a-new-consensus-1990-2001

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Is it possible? - Mozart's Oboe Quartet in F major, K.370 - Professor Christopher Hogwood

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

A lecture and performance on Mozart's Oboe Quartet in F major, k.370
by Christopher Hogwood, with Mea Wade and players from the Royal Academy of Music.

Uploaded 21-02-12

Harnessing virtuosity to good taste and fireworks to fine craftsmanship is a permanent challenge for the composer. Purely technical show will have little lasting effect, and Mozart was especially scrupulous at linking what sounded effective with what was musically needed. We examine with Mea Wade the requirements of good oboe playing and some of that instrument's special qualities, and hear a performance of the quartet with players from the Royal Academy of Music.

The quartet comprises Mea Wade (oboe), Eleanor Corr (violin), Richard Waters (viola) and Antonio Novais (cello).

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/is-it-possible

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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What Medicine Can Learn from Savile Row

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:51:22 -0000

Clinical practice is often seen as the acquisition and application of scientific knowledge to diagnose and treat diseases. Yet every patient is different.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture draws on a ten-year collaboration with a Savile Row tailor to explore 'bespoke' as a metaphor for clinical practice. Using this approach, the knowledge and skill of a practitioner must intersect with the needs of the patient to create a unique solution for each problem.

With Joshua Byrne (bespoke tailor)

A lecture by Roger Kneebone 7 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/medicine-tailor

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Jesus, Hitler and the Abolition of God

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

This series has argued that the origins of modern secularism lie in the age of the Renaissance. This last lecture will track that legacy down to the present. From Tom Paine through Bakunin to modern humanism and anti-Nazism, religion has not collapsed intellectually. Instead, religious impulses - defiance of unwelcome moral authority, the quest for ever-deeper truths, a readiness to judge churches by their own standards - have given our age a profoundly secular ethic with deeply religious roots.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Professor Alec Ryrie, Gresham Professor of Divinity 9 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/jesus-hitler-abolition-of-god

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Cold Rules for National Security: History and the Defence of the Realm - Peter Hennessy

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Notions of national security past and present. How Whitehall has dealt with it. How we might do it better in the future.

Uploaded 11-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-cold-rules-for-national-security-history-and-the-defence-of-the-realm

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Regulating the Regulators - Baroness Ruth Deech

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

One of the Coalition Government's first actions was to attempt a bonfire of the quangos. In order that the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater, one has to consider what areas of life do and do not need regulation. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is highly regarded and is a good example of inexpensive necessary regulation in the interests of patients and children. It has however been under consideration for abolition. There are good and bad quangos. What general principles should govern regulation and who should do the regulating?

Uploaded 04-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/regulating-the-regulators

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Gresham's Exchange

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

'Go to the Exchange, crave gold as you intend.'' (William Haughton, Englishmen for My Money, 1598). Sir Thomas Gresham's first great contribution to the life of London was the Royal Exchange, the purpose-built merchants' bourse which opened in 1567.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Why did Gresham finance and build it? What did Londoners (and others) do there? And what does the Exchange tell us about Gresham's ambitions both for himself and for London?

A lecture by Professor Stephen Alford, University of Leeds 8 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/greshams-exchange

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Simple Laws, Spectacular Astrophysics

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

The laws of physics may be stated in simple and elegant ways that can be made easy to demonstrate and understand on their own. What is immensely hard to predict from first principles are the consequences of the combinations of these laws acting in concert together, and the richness of the exotic phenomena that we can observe to evolve in the night sky.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This talk will examine why laws are simple and how the combination of simple laws can lead to rich complexity.

A lecture by Katherine Blundell 4 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/simple-laws

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Nga Reo o te Whenua (Voices of the Land): Traditional Maori Instruments and Music - Richard Nunns

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:51:22 -0000

In his solo presentation of traditional instruments (taonga puoro), Richard Nunns introduces his audience to the ancient sound world of the Mäori of Aotearoa New Zealand. For each presentation he chooses from among fifty different instruments - mainly percussion or flutes and trumpets. Made from materials such as wood, bone, stone and shell, many of the instruments are carved in exquisite detail.

Uploaded 31-08-11

The voices of the traditional instruments had rarely been heard since the early nineteenth century. Nunns's musicality and facility in playing the instruments are underpinned by his extensive scholarship and research. In a report of a recent workshop, Tewe Eru (Tuwharetoa) said "It's sad that so much of this traditional knowledge has been lost to us, so I'm here to learn. Richard is an encyclopaedia and I can't get enough of it!"

This presentation is interwoven with stories about the instruments and their functions within the rituals and ceremonies of a traditional community.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/voices-of-the-land-nga-reo-o-te-whenua
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Illuminated Psalter Manuscripts - Dr Sally Dormer

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Psalters containing the 150 Psalms were immensely popular medieval manuscripts, used by a wide array of patrons for liturgical, scholastic and devotional purposes. This lecture explores how the Psalms inspired a rich tradition of literal, historical and interpretative illustration, from the 9th to the 14th centuries, across Europe.

Uploaded 06-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/illuminated-psalter-manuscripts

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Natural Environment of Tudor London

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Tudor London is variously reported as a squalid seething mass of humanity choking on its own filth and fumes, and as a delightful garden where babbling brooks and sweet flowers delighted the senses of people such as Elizabeth I, Shakespeare and Erasmus.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Drawing on evidence from contemporary maps, paintings and writings, and modern environmental science, the lecture will offer a 'virtual' walk around the City with Sir Thomas Gresham, evaluating these different perspectives on the City's air, water, soil and wildlife.

A lecture by Carolyn Roberts, Emerita Professor of the Environment 10 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/natural-environment-tudor-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Unacclaimed Accompanist

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

There is far more to piano accompaniment than meets the ear or eye. Vocal celebrities are reliant on an accompanist's skills in indisputably great music composed for an equal partnership of voice and piano, and yet the hard-working pianist's public profile seldom matches that of the singer. Skills developed over many years are often accorded faint praise and small fees.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Graham Johnson examines a problematic profession that continues to attract many gifted young pianists to its ranks and asks why.

A lecture by Graham Johnson OBE, British classical pianist and Lieder accompanist 7 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/unacclaimed-accompanist

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Perceptions, Expectations, and Discoveries

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

The Greeks famously identified many patterns and rhythms in the sky, deducing detailed information about eclipses and orbits that still have relevance today. The Chinese, on the other hand, made landmark discoveries of supernovae and comets - events that were unexpected (stochastic) in nature and not forming any part of any rhythm.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This talk will consider how expectation plays a role in discovery and in scientific advance, and considers the challenges involved in assessing changes taking place on our own planet.

A lecture by Katherine Blundell 20 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/perception-expectation-discovery

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Arthur Conan Doyle and London: "A Stout Heart in the Great Cesspool" - Richard Burnip

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

From the impressions of his first youthful visit, to his mature years when all doors opened for him, London was an important backdrop to much of Conan Doyle's life and work. From the Sherlock Holmes stories to The Lost World (in this, the 100th anniversary year of Professor Challenger's first great adventure) this lecture examines some of the locations which influenced him. It will also touch on some of his lesser known works and include the place which perhaps meant more to him than any other in London, and to which he returned in his writing throughout his life.

Uploaded 30-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/a-stout-heart-in-the-great-cesspool-arthur-conan-doyle-and-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Cosmic Vision: Watching the Radio

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 05:51:22 -0000

At longer wavelengths than the normal optical wavelengths to which human eyes are normally sensitive, is the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Uploaded 11-06-26

Radio astronomy can tell us about the distribution of magnetic fields in the Universe, and reveal striking structures which have no comparable counterpart at visible wavelengths.

A lecture by Katherine Blundell OBE 7 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/watching-radio

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Rite of Spring: A Failure and A Triumph

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

The Rite of Spring was the startling result of a collaboration between Stravinsky, Nijinsky (choreography) and Roerich (sets and costumes). In the immediate aftermath, it seemed to be a fiasco because of its riotous reception, but it proved to be the successful introduction of a new modernist aesthetic that cultivated ugliness and machine-like movements.

Uploaded 10-06-26

We will trace the musical, visual and choreographical consequences of this new trend through several later Diaghilev ballets: Parade (Satie/Picasso), Chout (Prokofiev/Larionov), Le Pas d'Acier (Prokofiev/Yakulov).

A lecture by Marina Frolova-Walker 21 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/rite-of-spring

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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AI and Education: The Reality and the Potential

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

This lecture will consider the current reality of AI in education and its transformative potential.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Professor Luckin will introduce what we mean by the term AI and how the development of increasingly smart technologies in the workplace and home requires us to change how and what we teach and learn. It will be explained how AI is already supporting the teaching and learning process, with speculation about the possible futures that AI might provide in order to help us tackle our greatest educational challenges.

A lecture by Rose Luckin, University College London 9 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/ai-education-reality-potential

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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'This ain't the shop for justice': Crime in Dickens's London - Dr Tony Williams

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

From his childhood acquaintance with London, when he feared he might become 'a little robber or a little vagabond', Charles Dickens was fascinated by crime. His novels all include criminal activity of some kind as he investigates criminal psychology and the causes of crime. Dickens lived through a period of considerable development in society's treatment of criminals: the foundation of the Metropolitan Police in 1829, the Detective Force in 1842, the same year as the New Model Prison opened at Pentonville; the ending of transportation and of public executions; the word 'penology' was first used in 1838, the year he began to publish Nicholas Nickleby. Dickens engages with these issues very fully, both in his fiction and in his journalism, as this talk will explore.

Uploaded 12-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/%E2%80%98this-ain%E2%80%99t-the-shop-for-justice%E2%80%99-crime-in-dickens%E2%80%99s-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Child and Medical Treatment: The Chance to Live, or to Die with Dignity?

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

What happens when doctors and parents cannot agree on whether a child should be given experimental medical treatment? Why is there any question mark over a parent's right to decide if medical treatment for their child continues?

Uploaded 10-06-26

From the parents of Ashya King who successfully secured proton beam therapy for their son to the despair surrounding baby Charlie Gard and his life-limiting genetic disorder: how does the court make decisions that can potentially prolong life or bring about the death of a child?

In this lecture, Professor Jo Delahunty is joined by Dr Imogen Goold.

A lecture by Jo Delahunty QC and Dr Imogen Goold, Gresham Professor of Law and Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford 2 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/child-medical-treatment

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Legal Profession: Regulating for independence - Baroness Ruth Deech

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Britain's legal profession is renowned the world over for its skill and independence. The cab rank rule governs barristers, ie they are obliged to accept the next case that presents itself, thereby ensuring that even the most unpopular of defendants has a representative, and that the barrister is not identified with the client's cause. This is a vital ingredient of the Rule of Law. Should there be self regulation or should the profession be regulated by external bodies composed of lay members? Through the centuries the lawyers, although unpopular, have maintained their professional standards and their own systems of governance and education. What difference will the Legal Services Act 2007 make, and should we continue to have a divided profession, barristers and solicitors?

Uploaded 30-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-legal-profession-regulating-for-independence

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Spitalfields: Opportunity Through Regeneration - Michael Bear, The Lord Mayor of London

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:51:22 -0000

The Lord Mayor of London, Michael Bear, speaks about the regeneration and development of Spitalfields Market and Bishop's Square. This project illustrates the means of connecting communities and creating opportunities, through the development of urban space.

Uploaded 31-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/spitalfields-opportunity-through-regeneration

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.

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The City Livery Companies - Professor Tim Connell

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Trade and craft associations have flourished all over Europe for many centuries, but the City of London companies, now collectively known as the Livery, are unique in their survival, number and diversity. The social and economic conditions which gave birth to the original guilds have long since been overtaken by the development of industry and commerce, but the livery companies still flourish today as living institutions. Their survival has been achieved by doing what they have always done: fostering their trade in a wide context, serving the community, and embracing modern skills and professions.

Uploaded 17-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-pursuit-of-happiness

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Christianity in Evolution: An Exploration - The Rev Jack Mahoney

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Evolution has provided a new understanding of reality, with revolutionary consequences for traditional Christian beliefs. What should a rational Christian think of issues such as Adam and Eve or Original Sin which appear to be at odds to modern thinking on evolution?
These issues will be explored in this lecture to mark Jack Mahoney's new book.

Uploaded 16-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/christianity-in-evolution-an-exploration

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Dying in Today's World

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

In the 50 years since the hospice movement started, lessons from research have revolutionised care of the dying in the UK and in many places around the world. Yet the cruel myth that opioids shorten the lives of those with severe pain from cancer and other diseases leaves many denied the treatment they deserve. Those watching the person they love die carry the memory for the rest of their lives.

Uploaded 10-06-26

The concept of a 'good death', and how it can be achieved will be discussed, including the importance of open conversations with children being bereaved. Discussion will also tackle some of the issues around physician- assisted suicide and euthanasia.

A lecture by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Independent Crossbench member of the House of Lords 9 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/dying-today

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Privacy and Publicity in Family Law - Their Eternal Tension - The Rt Hon Sir Nicholas Wall

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

There is general agreement among non-family lawyers that family procedures should be more transparent. But exactly what role should the media play in matters of family justice?

Uploaded 12-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/privacy-and-publicity-in-family-law-their-eternal-tension

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Perspectives on Regulation - Sarah Veale CBE

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

In the midst of the current economic depression, "regulation" has become of buzz-word. But what is regulation and what makes a good regulator?

Uploaded 11-11-11

These topics are address in this lecture by Sarah Veale, Head of the Equality and Employment Rights Department, Trades Union Congress.
Her lecture establishes the following three main points:
1) Governments over-regulate when they do not understand risk;
2) Business claims about over-regulation are largely based on a fraudulent premise;
3) Some alternatives to regulation are regulation in disguise.
Together they bring about the conclusion that a good regulator will properly understand risk, will be wary of lobbyists and will look carefully at any proposed alternatives to regulation.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/what-makes-a-good-regulator-1

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Engels and Marx: Revolutionaries in London

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:51:22 -0000

On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Friedrich Engels, his biographer Tristram Hunt looks at how both Engels and Karl Marx were deeply affected by their time in London in the second half of the 19th century.

Uploaded 11-06-26

London, then the heart of the British Empire, transformed the thinking of these two revolutionary philosophers on finance, on working people's lives, on cities, and on women voting.

Hunt will look at the remarkable personal and family lives of the 'The Old Londoners' as they became known, in their North London homes at Primrose Hill and Chalk Farm.

A lecture by Dr Tristram Hunt 6 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/engels-marx

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Leonardo's Salvator Mundi: Scholarship, Science and Skulduggery

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

The newly discovered Salvator by Leonardo, the world's most costly picture, is one of his most notable creations, in which he used his 'science of art' to transform a stock subject into a profound expression of the ineffability of the divine.

Uploaded 10-06-26

We will look at the remarkable story of its discovery, its conservation and scientific examination, the research into how it works as an image and its provenance. We will also look at the scandalous events of its ownership and how it came to be where it is now.

A lecture by Martin Kemp, University of Oxford 1 May 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/leonardo-salvator-mundi

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Mathematics and Sport: Let's Twist Again - Professor John D. Barrow

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Throwing things, and jumping up and down or along, lies at the root of many Olympic events. In the gymnasium, the velodrome, and the diving pool we also see the key role of rotation in dramatic displays of strength and speed. What light does simple maths shed on these movements and the stress they place on equipment and the human body? Why do high jumpers use the Fosbury flop and long jumpers cycle in the air? How high can rugby players jump in the line out? These are a few of the questions that maths can help us answer.

Uploaded 27-02-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/let%E2%80%99s-twist-again-throwing-jumping-and-spinning

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Lost World of 1962 - Dominic Sandbrook

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

In this lecture, Dominic Sandbrook, the acclaimed historian of Sixties Britain, marks the 50th anniversary of the City of London Festival by looking back at Britain in 1962. Fifty years on, the Britain of Harold Macmillan, Acker Bilk, Jimmy Greaves and James Hanratty feels like a vanished world. But was life back then really so different?

Uploaded 01-08-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-lost-world-of-1962

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Star Dust - Professor Carolin Crawford

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Interstellar space is not truly a vacuum devoid of matter. Mixed into vast diffuse clouds of atomic gas are minute grains of silicate and carbonate materials known as 'dust', alongside complex molecules deep in the cold hearts of nebulae. We shall look at how we can detect and observe this tenuous material, through the processes by which dust scatters and absorbs visible light, and emits its own infrared glow. This interstellar matter is of fundamental importance to us all, as it is the reservoir from which all planets form... and any lifeforms living on those planets.

Uploaded 19-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/star-dust

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Crown, Country and the Struggle for Cultural Supremacy

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

The fourth lecture in this series considers Britain's unique cultural development and how the changing balance of power and wealth between the aristocracy and the monarchy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century has fundamentally influenced today's national cultural landscape of art and architecture.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Simon Thurley, Visiting Professor of the Built Environment 3 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/crown-country-cultural-supremacy

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Empire In The Pre-Industrial World - Professor Richard J Evans

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:51:22 -0000

The first lecture in the series looks at the initial expansion of Europe, from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.

Uploaded 22-09-11

It explores the great empires established by the British, Dutch, French, Ottomans, Portuguese, Russians and Spanish, and looks at their origins, their growth, and their mutual rivalries. It examines how these empires were ruled, the role of slavery in their establishment and administration, and their impact on the peoples they colonized.
To a degree these were 'mercantilist empires', extending European patterns of control to overseas territories and confining them to a particular, limited role as recipients of European manufactures and providers of raw materials on which to base it. Trade restrictions imposed by the colonizing powers were increasingly resented by emerging colonial elites.
Most of the pre-industrial European empires collapsed with startling suddenness in the half-century from the mid-1770s to the mid-1820s, and the lecture concludes with a discussion of why this happened, and what remained afterwards.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/empire-in-the-pre-industrial-world

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Olympism: Education - Dr Jim Parry

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Education through sport is seen as the cornerstone of Olympic ideology. But should we suspicious of how this is put into practice? How, if at all, has this key aim been implemented by London 2012?

Uploaded 21-02-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/olympism-education

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Human Livelihoods Depend on Wild Flowers: Kew's Millennium Seed Bank explained - Dr Robin Probert

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

In this talk Dr Robin Probert explains why human livelihoods depend so much on wild plant diversity. He outlines the current threats to wild plants across the globe and how Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Partnership works to conserve plants and make seeds available for habitat repair, re-introduction and research. Current work in the UK that aims to restore wildflower meadows and other threatened habitats is also highlighted.

Uploaded 02-08-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/human-livelihoods-depend-on-wild-flowers-kew%E2%80%99s-millennium-seed-bank-explained

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Intertwined Impacts of Pollution and Inequality on Health

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Pollution is a much more complex problem than many realise and cannot be resolved solely through global and regional agreements. Pollution is closely connected with behavioural and technology choices, production and consumption practices, industrial processes and pricing policies, financial and business sector orientation and a culture of consumerism and irresponsibility to the environment and impacts on people's health. Only by changing behaviours can we tackle pollution.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade, Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment 30 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/pollution-inequality-health

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Thomas Becket and London

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

'St Thomas has adorned…London by his rising and Canterbury by his setting'.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will explore how the influence of Thomas Becket permeated city life in medieval London until Henry VIII ordered the destruction of his shrine and the removal of his name from all liturgical books.

It will include consideration of the first stone bridge over the Thames made possible by offerings in the chapel dedicated to him; the hospital in Southwark; and the Becket family home in Cheapside (later the hall of the Mercers' Company).

A lecture by Caroline Barron 25 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/becket-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Can Gender Equality Help Solve Climate Change?

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Is gender equality a key factor in tackling climate change? Many think so, and in this lecture Environment Professor Jacqueline McGlade will explain why in relation to UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 is to 'achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls'.

Uploaded 11-06-26

When women are empowered and educated the evidence shows that they have more control over their lives and dedicate more resources to health and education than men. But does gender also influence the way that environmental issues are solved?

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/

A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade 3 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gender-climate-change

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Darwin, Breeding and Barnacles

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:51:22 -0000

Following the Beagle voyage, Darwin settled down to a quiet married life, relying on correspondence to gather facts.

Uploaded 11-06-26

He wrote thousands of letters as he gathered facts to support his still-secret theory.

Long before anyone had heard of evolution, Darwin produced four enormous books on barnacles, which helped establish his credentials (even his most committed opponents acknowledged that he couldn't be ignored). And the books were also Darwin's attempts to answer some complex questions about sex that will recur throughout the lectures.

A lecture by Jim Endersby 5 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/darwin-barnacles

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

A lecture by Joanna Bourke 8 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/evil-eve

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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The Last Mile: Ensuring Access to Affordable Energy to Poor, Rural Communities

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

How can we deliver clean and affordable energy to even the poor, especially in rural settlements, as set out in UN Sustainable Development Goal 7?

Uploaded 11-06-26

Environment Professor Jacqueline McGlade will examine how renewable energy systems, ranging from large-scale hydroelectric dams, solar arrays and geothermal plants, to small-scale solar micro-grids can offer immense opportunities for climate mitigation and achieving a clean energy future. She will argue that without proper social safeguards these same systems disenfranchise the poorest and those living in rural areas.

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/energy/

A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade 19 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/renewable-energy

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Political Spending on the Internet

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

FULBRIGHT LECTURE

Uploaded 10-06-26

Government officials in the UK and the USA have struggled to find effective ways to regulate political spending on the internet. The question of appropriate regulation is challenging - both in practice and principle.

Professor Ringhand discusses how officials in the United Kingdom and the United States have approached the problem, and how they have faced surprisingly similar challenges despite the different underlying approaches to political campaign financing taken by each nation.

A lecture by Lori Ringhand, University of Georgia and University of Aberdeen 2 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/political-spending-internet

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Postmodern Detective: Contemporary London Crime Fiction - Dr Jenny Bavidge

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

The urban detective has traditionally been a figure supremely able to penetrate the mysteries of the city, yet set apart from the populace he protects. Have recent London crime stories abandoned their confidence in the interpretative abilities of the detective? Can we still believe in omniscient figures such as Dickens' Inspector Bucket or Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes? Is London still a place where mysteries can be satisfactorily solved? This talk will explore the changing role and persona of the London detective, and look at novels where the detecting is done by some unlikely figures, including female pharmacists (Janet Stevenson's London Bridges) or children (Siobhan Dowd's The London Eye Adventure).

Uploaded 20-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-postmodern-detective-contemporary-london-crime-fiction

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Trading Places and Travelling: Musical Legacies of the Hanseatic League - Dr Geoffrey Webber

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

The cities of Northern Europe developed their trading links with our own City of London. An important by product of their economic success was the flowering of culture in all these cities and their attraction of talent from other places.

Uploaded 03-08-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/trading-places-and-travelling-musical-legacies-of-the-hanseatic-league

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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500 Years of Mathematics: Are We Living in a New Golden Age?

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Much has happened in the 500 years since the birth of Thomas Gresham, and mathematics is no exception. Most mathematicians were then in awe of the Greeks and felt little had been done since. But the start of modern mathematics soon followed, marked by the solution of the cubic equation. Mathematics has grown explosively since then and we are now in an age of great discovery.

Uploaded 10-06-26

The last 500 years of progress in maths will be reviewed, to see where it is going next and ask whether we are truly living in a mathematical Golden Age.

A lecture by Chris Budd, Gresham Professor of Geometry 30 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/500-years-mathematics-golden-age

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The life and legacy of Dr Edward Jenner FRS, pioneer of vaccination - Dr Tim Wallington

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 04:51:22 -0000

Known to many as "the father of immunology", Edward Jenner changed the path of world history on the 14th of May 1796 when he inoculated his gardener's 8-year-old son with cow pox, subsequently demonstrating that this induced immunity to smallpox by challenging him with smallpox infected material. This was the scientific birth of vaccination. It was the product of a long gestation but that was not the end of Jenner's endeavour. He had to battle to have his ground-breaking medical discovery recognised and implemented so that lives were saved. He was so successful that vaccination was in use world-wide in his life time and although it was almost two centuries before smallpox was finally eradicated millions of lives were saved and the principles established that led to the discovery of vaccines to other infectious diseases.

Uploaded 27-09-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-life-and-legacy-of-dr-edward-jenner-frs-pioneer-of-vaccination

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Parliament and the Public: Strangers or Friends? - The Rt Hon John Bercow

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

How can the House of Commons engage more effectively with the public which it serves? Can modern technology assist this enterprise?

Uploaded 24-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/parliament-and-the-public-strangers-or-friends

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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A History of the Breast

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

There has been a great deal of research on breast cancer, surgery, and implants. This lecture looks at changing ideas about the healthy breast. It explores notions of beauty, sexual pleasure, and age. Early maturation of girls, coupled with a greater focus on the breasts of older women, have had major effects on cultural expectations and experiences.

Uploaded 10-06-26

The lecture also asks: what happens when we turn attention to the male breast?

A lecture by Joanna Bourke 16 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/history-of-the-breast

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Infections of the Abdominal Organs

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Our gut is permanently full of large numbers of bacteria and other organisms but serious infections relatively rarely occur due to its extraordinary immune system. Infections of these organs can, however, occur in specific situations. Specialised bacteria and parasites can damage the gut or its functions including direct invasion or toxins. The liver can be damaged by hepatitis viruses, parasites and other infections.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Common gut bacteria (Gram negative bacteria) which in their normal place inside the gut cause no serious problems occasionally bypass the body's defences and can set up serious infections including septicaemia. Public health including the sanitation movement reduced but has not eliminated transmission of these potentially dangerous infections. This lecture will consider infections that normally live inside our gut, how the body keeps them there and what happens when this fails.

A lecture by Chris Whitty, Gresham Professor of Physic 27 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/infections-abdominal-organs

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Meaning, Value and Sanctity of Human Life

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Recent advances in medical science have brought complex ethical dilemmas, particularly around the beginning of human lives (abortion, embryo research, IVF, gene therapy, stem cells) and its ending (switching off ventilators, persistent vegetative state (PVS) and 'dying with dignity' or assisted suicide).

Uploaded 10-06-26

Although none of these topics occurs directly in the New Testament, references to 'life' abound, and healing was the centre of Jesus' earthly ministry. Can our approach enable the Biblical material to assist contemporary medical debates?

A lecture by Richard Burridge, Visiting Professor of Ethics and Theology 25 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/meaning-value-sanctity-life

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Whatever Turns You On - Professor Glenn D. Wilson

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/citius-altius-fortius-records-medals-and-drug-taking

Uploaded 27-02-12

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Does The State Really Care When It Kills You?

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 23:51:22 -0000

This lecture will focus on human rights and the wrongs of unexpected and/or sudden deaths in which the state is implicated.

Uploaded 11-06-26

It will cover the importance of a proper death investigation, the impact on the family and state, how Magna Carta influences death investigations 800 years on, and current trends and statistics in state deaths.

How does the state show it cares when deaths occur? Does the state learn lessons? How can the bereaved move on?

A lecture by Leslie Thomas QC 1 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/state-killing

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Maeterlinck's Golaud: Between Shakespearean 'Sadism' and Emersonian Disquiet - François de Médicis

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

As title roles of both Maurice Maeterlinck's play and Claude Debussy's opera, Pelléas and Mélisande tend to monopolize the spotlight in most commentary. Nonetheless, major studies have demonstrated the centrality of Golaud and the unusual dramatic function of the violence he deploys, which Professor de Medicis explores in this lecture.

Uploaded 16-08-12

This is a part of the conference, 'Debussy: Text and Ideas', which is available in full on the Gresham College website.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/debussy-text-and-ideas-part-one

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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What Makes a Good Regulator? - Dame Suzi Leather

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

In the popular press, regulators tend to be portrayed as either hopelessly weak or as having assumed too much power. This is a natural outcome of their lying at the centre of one of the most profound political questions going: where, in a democracy, should the correct balance lie between freedom and compulsion?

Uploaded 14-11-11

We all balk at being controlled by others, at being told what we may and may not do, but this powerful instinct exists alongside the contradictory expectation that other peoples' behaviour most certainly should be subject to control.
Regulators get caught in the middle of that contradiction. So their work is bound, now and then, to be the subject of vigorous debate and political differences of opinion. So it is all the more important to make clear what regulation is, what it should aim to achieve, and, thereby, what are the characteristics of a good regulator.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/what-makes-a-good-regulator-1

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Remember Me: Pachelbel, Purcell and Fauré - Professor Christopher Hogwood

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

An analysis of what makes the following music masterpieces: Pachelbel's Canon, Purcell's Dido's Lament, and Fauré's Violin Sonata.

Uploaded 17-01-12

Memorability is sometimes achieved by the simple technique of repetition, in addition to more high-flown inspiration. Some of the simplest sustaining devices of great music are ground bass, ostinato or chaconne; this lecture shows that a canon can be more than simply "Three Blind Mice".

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/remember-me

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Psychology of Politics - Professor Glenn D Wilson

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Political affiliations reflect social class and upbringing but personality factors also contribute, including genetically determined traits like fear of uncertainty and novelty-seeking. Extreme positions may stem from dogmatism, hostility and intolerance of ambiguity.

Uploaded 17-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-psychology-of-politics

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1932) was more a personal than a political drama. All was well for the first two years after the opera's première in 1934, but shortly after Stalin went to a performance, it was vigorously condemned in the state press. The pretext was the opera's music, but it is more likely that the plot and especially the staging offended against the conservative turn in the social morality now promoted by the state. When a revival became possible, Shostakovich chose to rework the opera, renaming it Katerina Izmailova.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Marina Frolova-Walker, Visiting Professor of Russian Music 26 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/shostakovich-lady-macbeth-mtsensk

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Dumbing down or sharpening up? The Church's abandonment of the King James Version

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:51:22 -0000

Revd Colin Sedgwick urges a critical reconsideration of the place of the King James Bible within modern Christianity. Is its stylistic or literary merit upheld at the cost of accessibility or intelligibility? What are the alternatives?

Uploaded 17-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-language-of-the-king-james-bible

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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What has the City ever done for us? - The Lord Mayor of London, David Wootton

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor, Alderman David Wootton, examines the role, contribution and connections of the City and business - fundamental elements of our community.

Uploaded 25-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/what-has-the-city-ever-done-for-us-the-lord-mayors-annual-gresham-lecture

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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'Secrets and Lies' or the Truth about Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande - Katherine Bergeron

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Katherine Bergeron focuses her attention on the last act of Pelléas. The narrative incongruities that surface in the unbroken final scene become the basis for a broader exploration of the question of truth (la vérité) that the opera itself raises.

Uploaded 16-08-12

This is a part of the conference, 'Debussy: Text and Ideas', which is available in full on the Gresham College website.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/debussy-text-and-ideas-part-one

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Does Finance Benefit Society?

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Since the financial crisis, there has been a strong view that the financial sector has little benefit for society. The stock market is not a net supplier of capital - as much money is spent on share buybacks as is raised from new issuance. Moreover, most stock market trading is speculative side-bets between investors, with no new money being raised by firms.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will show that stock market trading may contribute to society even if does not lead to firms raising new capital.

A lecture by Alex Edmans, Gresham Professor of Business 24 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/does-finance-benefit-society

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
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Cruelty to Animals

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Understanding changing relationships between human and non-human animals is central to our world today.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture starts by looking at early-modern understandings of the nature of 'animal' and 'human' life, before turning to the rise of 'rights of animals'. It concludes by investigating late twentieth and early twenty-first century thought about evolution, the Great Apes, and liberationist and ecology movements.

A lecture by Joanna Bourke, Visiting Professor of History 21 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/cruelty-to-animals

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Literary London Crime: The Dark Eyes of London - Cathi Unsworth

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

London is a city of secrets, a shifting, seething mass of intrigue, venality and violence, in constant cultural flux. The perfect setting for crime fiction - but how does the modern writer decode this centuries' old conurbation?

Uploaded 26-07-12

Cathi Unsworth investigates those authors who haunt certain regions of the capital -- Ken Bruen's Dirty South; Dreda Say Mitchell's Illicit East; Derek Raymond's West End Jungle -- those, like Jake Arnott, who create epic pop histories from our forgotten past; and those, like Iain Sinclair, whose meditations on the geography of violence have inspired a different kind of crime fiction.
Along the way, she will also explore the cult writers who helped to shape these contemporary authors' visions and the clandestine vocabulary of the City of Slang.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/literary-london-crime-the-dark-eyes-of-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:51:22 -0000

We all need experts for things we can't do ourselves. And we are all on a path to becoming expert ourselves, whatever our areas of interest. But what does it mean to be expert?

Uploaded 11-06-26

In his new book Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery (Viking Penguin, 2020), Roger Kneebone explores these challenges. You can buy the book from Waterstones here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/expert/roger-kneebone/9780241392034

This lecture summarises Roger's insights from his own experience as a clinician, his decades-long collaborations with extraordinary experts, and his Gresham Lecture series Performing Medicine, Performing Surgery.

A lecture by Roger Kneebone 30 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/expert

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Mining Volcanoes: Diamonds, Copper and Hot Water

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Volcanoes provide many natural resources from which society can benefit. Diamonds and most of the world's copper are mined from eroded extinct volcanoes while many active volcanoes offer the possibility of extracting huge amounts of geothermal energy. The volcanic processes that transport diamonds to the Earth's surface and enrich copper beneath volcanoes, show how volcanoes can be a major energy and resource.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Richard Herrington, Head of Earth Sciences at the Natural History Museum 17 April 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/mining-volcanoes

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The City of London - Culture, Creativity and the Culture Mile

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

The 2020 Annual Lord Mayor's Gresham event will explore the value of culture for The City of London.

Uploaded 10-06-26

The City of London is not only a great place to do business but also has a rich and vibrant cultural offer making it a great place to live, learn, work and visit. It is home to a year round programme in the Square Mile led by the City of London Corporation's Cultural and Visitor Services. Culture Mile, which stretches from Farringdon to Moorgate, is led by the City Corporation in partnership with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and Museum of London, who together are leading the animation of the whole neighbourhood with imaginative collaborations and events.
Best wishes

This Gresham Lecture will highlight the significant social and economic impact of culture on the City, London and the UK, highlighting the connectivity between trade, innovation and culture.

This event will be introduced by a poem written and performed by Gabriel Akamo.

Speakers include William Russell, Lord Mayor of London, and the directors of some key cultural institutions: Kathryn McDowell CBE, DL, London Symphony Orchestra, Lynne Williams, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Sir Nicholas Kenyon CBE, the Barbican Centre, and Sharon Ament, Museum of London.

A lecture by The Lord Mayor of London and guests 9 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/culture-creativity

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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A History of the Foot

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

The science of feet and footprints has a long, yet often forgotten, history.

Uploaded 11-06-26

In this lecture, I look at what people from the late eighteenth century to the present thought they knew about toes, arches, heels, and ankles. What makes a beautiful foot? How have ideas of foot-beauty changed over time? Size, shape, colour, smell, and even taste have been important markers in the literature, science, and sociology of feet.

A lecture by Joanna Bourke 19 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/history-of-foot

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Claude Debussy Concert - Sophie Bevan (soprano) and Sebastian Wybrew (piano)

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

A recital of the songs of Claude Debussy, by Alumni of the Royal College of Music: Sophie Bevan (soprano) and Sebastian Wybrew (piano). Pieces performed, with the poets used for the text by Debussy, include the following:

Uploaded 17-08-12

Stéphane Mallarmé (1842--1898)
Apparition
Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé
Soupir
Placet futile
Éventail

Paul Verlaine (1844--1896)
Fêtes galantes I
En sourdine
Fantoches
Clair de lune
Mandoline

Paul Bourget (1852--1935)
Deux romances
Romance
Les Cloches

Charles Baudelaire (1821--1867) from Cinq Poèmes de Ch. Baudelaire
Le Jet d'eau
Harmonie du soir

This is a part of the conference, 'Debussy: Text and Ideas', which is available in full on the Gresham College website.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/debussy-text-and-ideas-part-two

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Berlioz's Requiem: The Grande Messe des Morts and the Absence of God - David Cairns

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

David Cairns delivers this lecture on Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts Op. 5 (Requiem), ahead of the City of London Festival performance of the piece by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Sir Colin Davis, which took place at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Uploaded 27-07-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-grande-messe-des-morts-and-the-absence-of-god

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Ongoing Translations of the Bible: Ancient and Modern - David Ford

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 08:51:22 -0000

Professor David Ford presents his research into the hermeneutics of Bible translation, as a part of the symposium marking the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible.

Uploaded 17-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-language-of-the-king-james-bible

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Cato Street Conspiracy, 1820: A Study in Terrorism

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

Two hundred years ago a group of conspirators assembled in a Cato Street stable in order to plan the massacre of the whole British cabinet at dinner and bring about revolution. Had they succeeded they would have achieved modern Britain's first terrorist atrocity. They were, however, moved by hunger and by democratic and secular principles, so are comparisons with today's terrorists appropriate?

Uploaded 11-06-26

The lecture discusses their identities, motives and impact, and the forgotten fact that their failure ended British revolutionary fantasies for a century.

A lecture by Vic Gatrell 20 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/cato-street-conspiracy

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Arise, Sir Isaac! Newton's London career

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

During the last thirty years of his life, Isaac Newton lived in London, where as head of the Royal Mint he moved in wealthy aristocratic circles, exerted substantial political influence, and profited financially from imperial trade and exploitation. To illustrate these themes, this lecture examines an oil painting by William Hogarth illustrating a children's performance of John Dryden's play The Indian Emperour, a dramatized version of the tussle for power between Hernando Cortez and Montezuma.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture is held in conjunction with the Science Museum's Science City 1550-1800: The Linbury Gallery as part of its Science Museum Lates. N.B. 7pm start

https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/lates

A lecture by Patricia Fara 26 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/newtons-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Art and Power in the English Aristocratic House

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

The English Aristocracy is often seen as a rural elite concentrating its patronage of art and architecture in the countryside.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture questions this view and shows how, from the sixteenth century, aristocratic families deployed their collections and commissioned their buildings in both town and country in order to further their political and dynastic ambitions.

A lecture by Simon Thurley, Visiting Professor of the Built Environment 20 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/art-power-english-aristocratic-house

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Can Machines Be Conscious, and Would It Matter If They Were?

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

The question "Will AI artefacts ever be conscious?" was raised by Turing seventy years ago, and will not go away even though no one quite knows what it means, nor how we would know they were conscious if they were.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture explores what its role might be, and the ways in which AI scientists have explored and tried to simulate the possibility of consciousness in machines, while asking whether it would add anything useful if they had it.

A lecture by Yorick Wilks 21 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/will-ai-be-conscious

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Resonances of Baudelaire in Debussy's Piano Music - Roy Howat

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Roy Howat considers two Debussy piano pieces, "Les sons et les parfums" of 1910 and "Les soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon" of 1917, whose titles come from within Baudelaire poems Debussy set in 1889 ('Le balcon' and 'Harmonie du soir'). Like 'Clair de lune' and 'La fille aux cheveux de lin' (two piano pieces that directly share their title with one of his earlier songs), they are musically quite independent of the associated songs, yet invite exploration of whatever subtler relationships they may bear to these particularly structured poems of Baudelaire's, sometimes via other Debussy works.

Uploaded 17-08-12

This is a part of the conference, 'Debussy: Text and Ideas', which is available in full on the Gresham College website.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/debussy-text-and-ideas-part-one

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Srebrenica: the New Evidence

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 03:51:22 -0000

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre and the Dayton Accords resolution of the first two (Croatia and Bosnia) of the three Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Uploaded 11-06-26

In examining the legacy of this conflict, Professor Nice will consider documents newly-released by the UK and US governments.

Did the UK and US know what was coming and fail to act? Was the massacre the result of cold blooded politics that was never acknowledged?

A lecture by Geoffrey Nice QC 29 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/srebrenica

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Brexit and the Future of Britain

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

At the time of writing, it appears that Britain will leave the European Union on 29th March at 11 pm British time, 12 midnight Continental time. How will Britain fare outside the European Union? And how will Brexit affect British politics? Will the Britain of 2020 become like the Britain of 1972, the year before we joined the European Community, precursor of the European Union - or has our 46 year membership of European institutions led to irreversible changes in our constitution and system of government?

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Vernon Bogdanor, Emeritus Professor of Law 13 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/brexit-future-of-britain

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Pursuit of Happiness - Professor Glenn D Wilson

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

What makes us happy? Is it a genetic trait that we are stuck with, or a product of events unfolding in our living? Does it help to be rich? What can be done to overcome set-backs and and improve our sense of well being?

Uploaded 14-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-pursuit-of-happiness

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Reflections on the New Edition of Debussy's 'Pelléas et Mélisande' - Professor David Grayson

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Critical editing must of necessity concern itself with facts, many thousands of them, but the edition that is its object must be based on an understanding of the work itself, an understanding that may evolve during the editorial process. In this lecture, Professor David Grayson discusses some of the insights gained from preparing a critical edition of Pelléas.

Uploaded 17-08-12

This is a part of the conference, 'Debussy: Text and Ideas', which is available in full on the Gresham College website.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/debussy-text-and-ideas-part-one

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Improvising Medicine

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Few patients like to think of their physicians or surgeons as improvisers. Yet clinical care is a human art where there will always be uncertainty. Though doctors spend years learning facts and gaining skills, each patient is unique and every situation holds surprises. Musicians also spend years in training - practising scales, learning harmony, mastering technique. Such musicians celebrate their ability to improvise, to respond to one another in the moment in front of an audience.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture asks what clinicians can learn from the world of music - and vice versa.

A lecture by Roger Kneebone 8 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/improvising-medicine

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Maths and Sport: Strength and Power - Professor John D. Barrow

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Top athletes seem to get bigger and bigger. How does size affect performance? Why do some sports have weight categories while others don't? What types of lever are employed in sports events like gymnastics and wrestling and how much force does a karate blow need to exert to break a brick? These are some of the questions that we will answer by using simple maths.

Uploaded 19-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/david-and-goliath-strength-and-power-in-sport

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Vision and Values in a Volatile World - Professors Michael Mainelli and Ken Costa

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 22:51:22 -0000

We live in volatile times, as the Arab Spring and August riots in London have demonstrated. Professor Costa's lecture outlines an ethics of business best suited to dealing with this situation, an approach based on a morality of visions and values.
The lecture was delivered by Professor Michael Mainelli, Emeritus Gresham Professor of Commerce.

Uploaded 17-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/vision-and-values-in-a-volatile-world-lecture-one

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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How Will We Learn Maths in the Future?

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Mathematics education is changing rapidly and a big driver for this is the use of new technology. In particular the widespread use of computers has transformed the way that we do mathematics, with computers not only able to mark exam papers, but also to do the algebra required to answer the questions.

Uploaded 10-06-26

In this talk, we will look at the modern developments of computer based teaching and learning. At the same time we examine those parts of teaching maths which require the human touch and look forward to a future of maths education where computers and human teachers work well together.

A lecture by Chris Budd OBE, Gresham Professor of Geometry 12 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/learn-maths-future

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Debussy and the Independent Art Bookshop - Denis Herlin

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

In July 1893, a score for voice and piano of Debussy's La Damoiselle élue was published, with a decorative cover illustrated by Maurice Denis. The publisher of this editorial masterpiece was not, however, part of the music publishing world. It was published, in fact, by the composer and occultist Edmond Bailly, who owned a small bookshop at 11 rue de la Chaussée d'Antin in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Between 1890 and 1895, Bailly published all the authors of the Symbolist generation, including Henry de Régnier, André Gide, Pierre Louÿs, Paul Claudel, and even Oscar Wilde in the form of the French version of Salomé. The bookshop was also a place of exchange and Debussy frequented the place regularly. Poets, illustrators and musicians met there towards the end of each afternoon to discuss art. Such a convergence the arts in the unique environment that was the Librairie de l'Art indépendant could not help but permeate and deeply enrich Debussy's work. In August 1893, the composer began to write Pelléas et Mélisande. It seems, therefore, that the atmosphere of the Librairie de l'Art indépendant had a significant impact on the birth of Debussy's major masterpiece.

Uploaded 17-08-12

This is a part of the conference, 'Debussy: Text and Ideas', which is available in full on the Gresham College website.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/debussy-text-and-ideas-part-one

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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What Medicine Can Learn from Restaurants about Care

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Medical care often frames patients as the passive 'recipients' of expert professional knowledge and skill.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture explores what comes into view if we reframe clinical treatment as hospitality, and patients as guests. Drawing on collaborations with leading restaurants and their chefs, this lecture explores parallels between the worlds of fine dining and medical care. In a hospital, as in a restaurant, what happens out of sight (in the operating theatre or the kitchen) must be matched by sensitive care at the bedside, in the clinic or at the table.

A lecture by Roger Kneebone 13 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/hospitals-hospitality

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Politics and the Legal Profession

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Cuts to legal aid, the concept of online justice, diversity within the legal profession and the judiciary, the independence of the Judiciary from the State, the impact the press can have on perceptions of fairness of justice: this lecture explores the controversial issue of how the politics of the day or decade can affect the way in which the Justice system functions in private and is perceived by the public.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Jo Delahunty QC, Gresham Professor of Law 7 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/politics-and-legal-profession

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Debussy, Banville and the Problem with Fixed-Form Poems - Dr David Evans

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

The influence of French poet Théodore de Banville (1823-1891) on Debussy is generally thought to have been limited to the early years of the composer's development. Yet by composing his Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orléans (1908) and Trois Ballades de François Villon (1910), after setting a further two of Charles d'Orléans' Rondels in the Trois Chansons de France (1904), Debussy was quite clearly following in the footsteps of his early poetic hero. Dr David Evans offers an analysis of Debussy's Villon and Orléans settings read in relation to Banville's Trente-six Ballades à la manière de François Villon (1873) and Rondels à la manière de Charles d'Orléans (1875). For Debussy, Dr Evans suggests, these songs' inventive use of fixed form poems allowed him to explore the aesthetic tension between past and future, tradition and innovation, novelty and cliché, inviting us to reflect on where, precisely, 'genuine' music is to be heard in the early years of the twentieth century.

Uploaded 17-08-12

This is a part of the conference, 'Debussy: Text and Ideas', which is available in full on the Gresham College website.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/debussy-text-and-ideas-part-two

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The World of Isaac Newton

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 17:51:22 -0000

This illustrated lecture will cover Newton's life and his mathematical and scientific labours in the context of 17th-century England, and feature his childhood in Lincolnshire, his university career in Cambridge and his later life in London as Master of the Royal Mint and President of the Royal Society.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture marks the launch of a Pitkin Guide on Isaac Newton.

A lecture by Robin Wilson and Raymond Flood 28 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/isaac-newtons-world

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Greatest Speech of all Time: Pericles' Funeral Oration

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

In 431 BCE the Athenian statesman Pericles delivered one of the most influential speeches of all time, his Epitaphios or Funeral Oration. The occasion was at the funeral of the first Athenian soldiers to lose their lives in the Peloponnesian War. This lecture examines the history of this beautiful site, the momentous occasion on which Pericles spoke, and the ways in which his speech, recorded by the historian Thucydides who was present at its delivery, has informed subsequent epoch-making orations from Lincoln at Gettysburg to Kennedy and Obama.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Edith Hall, Gresham Professor of Business 6 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/pericles-funeral-oration-cemetery

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Ethics of Surgical Innovation

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Scientific knowledge is advancing at dizzying speed and each day brings new breakthroughs in medical understanding. Unprecedented advances are opening possibilities that only a decade ago would have seemed like science fiction. Yet a deep anxiety pervades our society, raising questions about the wisdom and motives of experts and the implications of new technology.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture uses examples from cutting-edge science and medicine to explore the ethical questions which advances in robotics, personalised medicine, transplantation and artificial intelligence pose for doctors, patients and society.

A lecture by Roger Kneebone 19 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/trust-surgical-innovation

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Modern Christian Art: Craigie Aitchison, Albert Herbert, Norman Adams and John Reilly

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

From the 1960s to our own time artists who have wished to express Christian themes have explored a number of very different artistic ways of doing so. Amongst the artists considered in this lecture are :

Uploaded 01-03-12

Barnett Newman,
Craigie Aitchison,
Elizabeth Frink,
F.N.Souza,
John Reilly,
Enzo Plazzotta,
John Hayward,
Hans Feibusch,
Kyffin Williams,
Hildegart Nicholas,
Albert Herbert,
Norman Adams

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/searching-for-new-ways

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Saturn, its Rings and Moons - Professor Carolin Crawford

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Saturn is the most beautiful planet in our Solar System. Famous for its bright yet ethereal rings, the gas giant has over sixty natural satellites in orbit around it -- and one artificial satellite: NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which provides many of the results and images that will be showcased in this talk. We shall explore the weather observed in the atmosphere of Saturn, the curious structures that develop within the rings, and its wide variety of moons -- from smog-shrouded Titan, two-sided Iapetus, to busy Prometheus, and the icy plumes erupting from frozen Enceladus.

Uploaded 14-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/a-voyage-round-saturn-its-rings-and-moons

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Verlaine's poetry performed through Debussy's musical sounds: 'Spleen' in Text and Song

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Dr Mylène Dubiau-Feuillerac argues that Debussy was attracted to Paul Verlaine's poems because of their innovative character and the writer's attempt at "dislocating the poetry" in a more sonorous way than the text might represent. The last melody of the Ariettes oubliées (1903), 'Spleen', is an example of this essential intertwining of idea and structure of text with musical composition.

Uploaded 17-08-12

This is a part of the conference, 'Debussy: Text and Ideas', which is available in full on the Gresham College website.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/debussy-text-and-ideas-part-two

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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From Jenner to Wakefield: The long shadow of the anti-vaccination movement

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 12:51:22 -0000

In 1998 a medical furore broke out when The Lancet published an article by Andrew Wakefield questioning the benefits of the MMR vaccination which was being given unquestioningly to children throughout the UK.

Uploaded 17-10-11

Coming 202 years after the first vaccination by Edward Jenner, which led to the eradication of smallpox throughout the world, this recent incident is only the latest in a long history of questioning the benefits of vaccination.

From early irrational fears born of outdated medical understanding through to the latest medical research and findings, Professor Gareth Williams traces the history of the anti-vaccination movement and its long tail, reviewing the social settings in which the fears were found and offering a balanced assessment of vaccination as we find it today.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/from-jenner-to-wakefield-the-long-shadow-of-the-anti-vaccination-movement

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The Stewardship Role of Investors

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Poor stewardship by investors has been argued to be a cause of poor corporate governance. Moreover, when investors do engage with companies, they do so to increase short-term profit at the expense of long-run value.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will critically analyse the evidence on whether shareholder activism is beneficial for long-term value and suggest policies to promote the 'good' type of shareholder engagement. It will stress that reform must extend far beyond asset managers to the entire investment industry.

A lecture by Alex Edmans, Gresham Professor of Business 6 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/stewardship-role-investors

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Victorians: Time and Space - Professor Richard J. Evans, Gresham College

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, communication was slow, even relatively short journeys were uncertain and time-consuming, and people were dependant on the forces of nature for energy; this lecture charts the development of new modes of communication, from the railway to the radio, the telegraph to the telephone, the steamship to the motor-car and examines their efforts on perceptions of time and space.

Uploaded 09-08-11

The lecture transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-victorians-time-and-space

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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How Astronomy Changed our View of the Cosmos: from Gresham to the 21st Century

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Thomas Gresham lived from 1519 to 1579. The first telescope was designed in 1608 in the Netherlands, and first pointed at the heavens by Galileo a year later. The greatest discoveries since the pre-telescope era have been that of the existence of many other planets around distant stars, and the vastness of the universe.

Uploaded 10-06-26

So much has happened since Gresham's era, yet many of the questions about our cosmic origins still remain.

A lecture by Joseph Silk, Gresham Professor of Astronomy 6 March 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/astronomy-gresham-21st-century

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Britain in the 20th Century: The Conservative Reaction, 1951-1965

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

The Conservatives recovered remarkably rapidly from the debacle of 1945. Their narrow election victory in 1951 led to 13 years of Conservative rule. How was the party able to reassert itself so quickly and what did it do with its period in power? Winston Churchill hoped to roll back the tide of socialism. Did he succeed, or did the Conservatives, by contrast, help to confirm a new consensus which, while not socialist, could also not be described as capitalist in the classical sense of the term?

Uploaded 19-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britain-in-the-20th-century-the-conservative-reaction-1951-1965

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Diaghilev and Prokofiev: Return to Emotion

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

Diaghilev would often look at past art and then do the opposite. He playfully abandoned plot, elaborate costumes, emotional expression, and even meaning, but reinstating them whenever he felt like it - this was his undogmatic approach to modernism.

Uploaded 11-06-26

In this final lecture, we will focus on one of the best-preserved Diaghilev productions, The Prodigal Son, a strikingly beautiful ballet by Prokofiev/Balanchine/Rouault. It could have been a new beginning, but it became Diaghilev's final word when he died in the summer of 1929.

A lecture by Marina Frolova-Walker 12 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/diaghilev-prokofiev

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Number Theory: Queen of Mathematics

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 07:51:22 -0000

In which years does February have five Sundays? How many right-angled triangles with whole-number sides have a side of length 29? How many shuffles are needed to restore the order of the cards in a pack with two Jokers? Are any of the numbers 11, 111, 1111, 11111, . . . perfect squares? Can one construct a regular polygon with 100 sides if measuring is forbidden? How do prime numbers help to keep our credit cards secure?

Uploaded 11-06-26

These are all questions in number theory, the branch of mathematics that's primarily concerned with our counting numbers, 1, 2, 3, etc. Of particular importance are the prime numbers, the 'building blocks' of our number system.

The subject is an old one, dating back to the ancient Greeks, and for many years has been studied for its intrinsic beauty and elegance, not least because several of its challenges are so easy to state that everyone can understand them, and yet no-one has ever been able to resolve them.

This lecture situates the above problems and puzzles in their historical context, drawing on the work of many of the greatest mathematicians of the past, such as Euclid, Fermat, Euler and Gauss. Indeed, as Gauss, sometimes described as the 'Prince of Mathematics', has claimed: Mathematics is the Queen of the Sciences, and Number Theory is the Queen of Mathematics.

A lecture by Robin Wilson 28 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/number-theory

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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How liturgy affected the development of the organ - Richard Townend

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

When Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt the church of St Margaret in Lothbury after the Great Fire, it had no organ. The George Pike organ was completed in 1801 and its pipe work, standing in its original case, forms the basis of the 1984 restoration by John Budgen. The rich sound that comes from its pipes have a clarity that has led many renowned experts to call it one of the finest classical organs in Great Britain. It was played by Mendelssohn.

Uploaded 09-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/catholics-versus-protestants-how-liturgy-affected-the-development-of-the-organ

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Can Maths Save The Whales and Cure Cancer?

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

Saving the whales and curing cancer are two of the great challenges of the present day, and mathematics has a part to play in addressing them.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will use these two examples to illustrate the process of mathematical modelling to gain insights into how the world works and how we can change it.

A lecture by Chris Budd 7 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/can-maths-save-whales

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Myth of the Lone Heroic Surgeon

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

People often think that surgery is about the skill of a single surgeon. In fact operations depend on teamwork, with nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists and technicians all playing vital roles as they work together. Experts outside medicine need similar skills and have much to teach clinicians.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture introduces Rachel Warr, a leading puppeteer and dramaturg. After Rachel demonstrates how she and her colleagues bring puppets to life, we will discuss how her expertise in dexterity, team-working and preparation for performance can shed light on the world of surgery.

A lecture by Roger Kneebone, Visiting Professor of Medical Education 27 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/lone-heroic-surgeon

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Sustainability: The Problem of Time - Professor Avinash Persaud - Gresham College

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Professor Avinash Persaud, Chairman, Warwich Commission on International Financial Reform, Executive Chairman, Intelligence Capital Limited and Emeritus Gresham Professor of Commerce.
Introduced by Alderman Alison Gowman and Professor Michael Mainelli.

Uploaded 10-08-11

This was the keynote address from the September 2010 Long Finance event at the Guidhall in the City of London.
The Long Finance initiative to establish a World Centre of Thinking on Long-Term Finance began in 2007 with a question, "When would we know our financial system is working?" which challenges a system that can't provide today's 20 year olds with a reliable financial retirement structure. The aim of the Long Finance Institute is "to improve society's understanding and use of finance over the long-term." The research project proposals range from theory versus practice or fiscal versus monetary to sustainability versus robustness. The iconic project for Long Finance is the Eternal Coin, with the objective of starting a global debate about society's values over the long-term.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/sustainability-root-problems-in-finance

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Zombie Ants and Fearless Mice: Parasites and the Brain

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Parasites can dramatically change the behaviour of their hosts. A parasitic worm turns a tropical ant berry-red and causes it to climb high, attractive prey for birds, the worm's next host. A mouse infected by toxoplasma gondii no longer fears cats - making it easier for the parasite to be eaten by its next host, a cat. A jewel wasp precisely injects neurotoxins into its cockroach prey's brain. These parasite manipulations can tell us how brains, including our own, work normally.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Dr Tristram Wyatt, Research Fellow at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford 26 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/parasites-controlling-behaviour-brain

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Greenlanders: Arctic whaleships and whalers - Dr Bernard Stonehouse

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 02:51:22 -0000

From 1750 to the early 20th century, fleets of 'Greenlanders' -- specially strengthened sailing ships -- headed north each spring from Britain to the ice-filled Arctic seas between Canada, Greenland and Spitsbergen. Their business was whaling, their purpose to bring home oil and whalebone -- raw materials for Britain's growing industries. Arctic whaling involved more than 9000 voyages from 35 British ports: Rotherhith's 'Greenland Dock' is a reminder that London was a prominent whaling port. Each voyage involved dangers unique to the trade, demanding extraordinary measures of skills and seamanship. Dr Stonehouse tells of the ships, the men, and the profits and losses of a long-forgotten industry.

Uploaded 17-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-greenlanders-arctic-whaleships-and-whalers

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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English Architecture, 1650 to 1760: The Rise of Consensus - Simon Thurley

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Opened up to the world once more England drank in influences and ideas from abroad which were to infuse English building with widely held ideas and values.
Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, delivers this lecture on English building between 1650 to 1760 in his capacity as Visiting Professor of the Built Environment at Gresham College.

Uploaded 15-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-rise-of-consensus-1650-to-1760

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The Ballets Russes: Playing with the Past

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Diaghilev seemed to be the nemesis of traditional ballet, but he was ready to draw on the rigorous classical schooling of his dancers whenever it suited him. Once ugliness had been established as a legitimate option, he was happy to bring back beauty on many occasions alongside the new neoclassical music that he had begun to promote. Stravinsky and Balanchine's Apollo was one such ballet, which also managed to give Greek antiquity the new solemnity, stripped of the exoticism of earlier "Greek" ballets.

Uploaded 11-06-26

A lecture by Marina Frolova-Walker 18 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/ballets-russes

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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British Prime Ministers from Attlee to Blair - Professor Vernon Bogdanor

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

A lecture to mark the publication of Vernon Bogdanor's book based on the series of lectures delivered at Gresham College during 2006 and 2007, 'Leadership and Change: Prime Ministers in the Post-War World'.

Uploaded 10-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/british-prime-ministers-from-attlee-to-blair

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The Character of Twentieth Century Britain - Professor Vernon Bogdanor

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

During the 20th century, Britain underwent a major transformation. A country in which a law-abiding individual would hardly notice the existence of the state had become one in which, from the cradle to the grave, no one could avoid it. An empire controlling the destiny of one-quarter of the human race, having no allies because she needed none, had become an offshore island with an ambiguous relationship towards the Continent. How did this come about and what were its consequences?

Uploaded 11-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britain-in-the-20th-century-progress-and-decline-the-character-of-twentieth

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The Varieties of Forgiveness

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Forgiveness is often discussed as if it were a single, straightforward, phenomenon. The reality, however, is not so simple. For instance, we can identify three different types of forgiveness: inter-personal forgiveness, God's forgiveness, and self- forgiveness. Moreover there is variety within each of these main types, and connections between them.

Uploaded 10-06-26

In this lecture the varieties of forgiveness will be presented and the integrity, value and limits of each type explored.

A lecture by The Revd Dr Stephen Cherry, Dean at King's College Cambridge 7 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/forgiveness

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Taking London to the World: Robert Paul Shows his Native City in Motion

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Britain's pioneer filmmaker, born 150 years ago in North London, vividly portrayed the variety of life in 'the imperial metropolis' at the end of the 19th century, conscious of its historic appeal but also emphasising the modernity of which he was a part.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Ian Christie, Visiting Professor in the History of Film and Media 25 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/robert-paul-native-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Satire, Print Shops and Comic Illustration in 18th and 19th Century London - Mark Bills

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

This lecture tells the story of visual satire in London, a city in which caricature flourished like no other. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the people of London have been both amused and outraged by the thousands of social and political satires in paint, paint and engravings which have variously and humorously described London and its people. The enormous body of cartoon images range from the specific to the general: from caricature portraits of leading figures to the London 'types' recognized by all Londoners; from specific events and political debacles to the state of a typical London street. The array of approaches of artists, both 'high' and 'low', amateur and professional, is equally wide and extends from light-hearted mocking to vitriolic and libellous attacks. This lecture leads us through the various ages of the production of cartoons in London, from the independent print publisher to the editor of a comic journal, providing us with a rare perspective on the life of the city through its contemporary satirical images.

Uploaded 11-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/satire-print-shops-and-comic-illustration-in-late-eighteenth-and-nineteenth

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Olympism: Fair Play - Dr Jim Parry

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Fair Play is at the heart of sports ethics, and of Olympic ethics. But what does it mean, and how does it work?

Uploaded 14-03-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/olympism-fair-play

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Russian Piano Masterpieces: Musorgsky

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 21:51:22 -0000

Musorgsky was a proficient, but not virtuosic pianist: in his youth, he entertained society ladies with popular marches and quadrilles, and in his last years, he toured as an accompanist in song recitals. On the basis of these modest exploits, no one could have predicted his Pictures at an Exhibition. This cycle of piano pieces is a kind of travelogue, following a Russian at home and abroad. We tour around the Russian Empire and beyond, and we are also invited to contemplate the drawings of Musorgsky's friend Victor Hartmann (the work stands as a touching memorial to his art).

Uploaded 11-06-26

Drawing inspiration from the Romanticism of Schumann and Liszt, Musorgsky filtered their ideas through his own Russian Realist aesthetic, and attempted to create accurate and convincing depictions of his subjects, with their distinctive voices, behaviour and locations. His piano writing is idiosyncratic, and sometimes even awkward, but it conveys his thoughts effectively in a riot of colour and contrasts. His instinctive, empirical approach to harmony was a formative influence for Debussy, the first of the great post-Romantic piano composers.

A lecture by Marina Frolova-Walker 22 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/musorgsky-piano

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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A "Sing In" with Gilbert and Sullivan - Robin Wilson and Others

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

What is it about Gilbert and Sullivan that has made their works so enormously popular for so many generations? It is, among other things, their perfect marriage between words and music that gives endless pleasure to singers and audiences alike. Gilbert's wonderful wit and Sullivan's irresistible tunefulness magically combine to provide entertainment on the highest level, of the sort which has so magnificently stood the test of time and will surely continue to do so. Professor Wilson's lecture could well provide an opportunity for audience participation!

Uploaded 10-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/a-%E2%80%9Csing-in%E2%80%9D-with-gilbert-and-sullivan

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, but kills the most people through a combination of being common and currently having much less effective treatment. Both treatment and prevention are currently improving, slowly.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Mesothelioma, a lung-associated cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, is now the commonest occupational cancer. While treatment for these cancers is still at an early stage, they are largely preventable through public health measures.

A lecture by Chris Whitty 12 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/lung-cancer

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Artificial Intelligence and Religion

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

This lecture addresses the potential links between AI and religious belief, which include the question of whether an artificial "superintelligence", were one to arise, would be well-disposed towards us. Religious traditions historically assume that creations are well disposed to those who made them.

Uploaded 11-06-26

The lecture also looks at the recent US cults claiming to be ready to worship such a "super-intelligence", if and when it emerges, as well as other futurist discourse on "Transhumanism" and its roots in 18th-century rationalism.

A lecture by Yorick Wilks 12 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/ai-religion

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Is Robocop Now A Reality?

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Robocop (1987) embodied a particular vision of an electronic crime fighter but what is the reality of electronic crime fighting? How are the police and security services using technology to trap villains?

Uploaded 11-06-26

In this lecture we will examine not only the murky world of electronic crime but also how information technology can be used to solve physical crimes.

A lecture by Richard Harvey 05 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/is-robocop-reality

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Volcanoes and Society

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

There are an estimated 800 million people living close enough to active volcanoes to be affected when they erupt. As well as casualties from volcanic eruptions there can be major economic losses and societal disruption, especially when communities have to be evacuated. The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland in April-May 2010 did not kill anyone but disrupted the travel of millions of people and cost the airline industry billions of dollars. This highlighted the increasing vulnerability of modern globalised societies.

Uploaded 10-06-26

New approaches to volcanic hazard assessment and risk management are emerging as more information is required to respond to volcanic emergencies - illustrated by approaches to some recent eruptions, such as the Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat.

A lecture by Sir Stephen Sparks, Visiting Professor of Geology 20 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/volcanoes-society

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Business of Santa Claus in Lapland

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

The myth of Santa Claus has been translated into an extraordinary market on a global scale. We see Santa everywhere in adverts and products, and people also travel quite long distances to meet the 'real Santa' in his faraway home.

Uploaded 10-06-26

The first Concorde flight from Britain to Northern Finland was organised in 1984 with around 100 passengers wanting to experience the magic of Christmas in this authentic setting. But how did this marketing success materialise? How did Finland become the home of Christmas?

A lecture by Teea Palo 11 December

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/santa-claus

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Christian Modern Art: Catholic Elegance and Joy

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

In the period under consideration a fair number of the artists considered have been Roman Catholics, but at one time there was a particular symbiosis between two of them, Eric Gill and David Jones, who will be discussed along with others who shared their faith.

Uploaded 23-01-12

This lecture is part of Lord Harries' series on 'Christian Faith and Modern Art'. The last century has seen changes in artistic style that have been both rapid and radical. This has presented a particular problem to artists who have wished to express Christian themes.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/catholic-elegance-and-joy

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Gresham's World: Global Traffic, Trade, and the Metamorphosis of England

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Global trade and traffic, many of Gresham's contemporaries would say, had altered sixteenth-century England beyond recognition, from its food, fashion, and language, to the look and feel of its cities and neighbourhoods. How did its subjects respond to this transformation?

Uploaded 10-06-26

Using contemporary print and theatre, this lecture will discuss how England and Englishness was defined, even as the boundaries between the home and the world became increasingly diffuse.

A lecture by Nandini Das, Professor of English Literature, University of Liverpool 6 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gresham-global-traffic-trade-england

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Cello - In Search of a Voice - Kate Kennedy

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

0:00 // Introduction — a cellist, her shadow and what an instrument really means

Uploaded 15-09-26

3:26 // The journey — following six cellos and their players across Europe
7:24 // The Cristiani Stradivarius — the first female cello soloist and her forgotten Siberian odyssey
11:05 // Cremona — the treasure trove and playing a cello that bears the scars of its adventures
14:55 // The Mendelssohn — how a composer wrote a cellist's voice into his music
17:18 // The Mara Stradivarius — surviving the Nazi occupation of Trieste
18:45 // The shipwreck — jumping from a burning ship in the River Plate with a Stradivarius
22:54 // The resurrection — W.E. Hill and Sons rebuild a cello from sudden black fragments
24:07 // Anita Lasker-Wallfisch — how a cello saved her life at Auschwitz
26:22 // The Auschwitz orchestra — Alma Rosé, a motley assortment of girls and survival through music
38:00 // The bee cello — a Stradivarius given over to a colony of bees in an orchard
44:29 // The Open String Cello — building an instrument from the inside out for children who need it
48:07 // Conclusion — a cello cannot preserve a person intact, but it can carry something of them onwards

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/u1wQAZTHzzM

How do we tell stories of past voices through a cello, the voice of its player? This lecture explores what it means to be separated from your voice, and to find it again.

Dr Kate Kennedy traces a journey she took across Europe with her cello, to uncover the stories of instruments and their players. The result was a host of eccentric, sometimes tragic, always extraordinary accounts of silencing and survival, from the Auschwitz orchestra to a shipwreck, and even a cello full of bees.

This lecture was recorded by Kate Kennedy on the 9th of September 2026

Dr Kate Kennedy is a biographer, cellist, and broadcaster. She is one of the foremost critics of twentieth-century music, and lectures in Music and English at Oxford University, and is a regular presence on BBC Radio 3.
Kate is the Director of the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing and a Supernumerary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford, having previously held Research Fellowships in English and Music at the University of Cambridge. She is also Director of the Centre for the Study of Women Composers, Director of the Museum of Music History, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Her most recent book Cello: A Journey Through Silence to Sound was published in August 2024 with Head of Zeus / Bloomsbury. It is a group biography that weaves together four narratives of cellists who suffered various forms of persecution, injury, and misfortune. She is also the author of the Dweller in Shadows – A Life of Ivor Gurney (Princeton University Press), and editor of Literary Britten, Lives of Houses (co-edited with Dame Hermione Lee), and The Silent Morning – Culture and the Armistice 1918. Both Cello and Dweller in Shadows were shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society prize.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/cello-voice

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
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The Role of the Media in Post-Conflict Societies: Northern Ireland - Carrie Porter

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Since Northern Ireland's sectarian politics turned to power-sharing in 1998, the country has struggled to define itself within its "peace process". The media serves as a barometer of this progress as it re-defines its own purpose within the newly formed society. Caroline Porter will look specifically at the role of different media outlets, with particular emphasis on the most popular radio shows, to see how the media becomes a player in the contemporary peace process of Northern Ireland.

Uploaded 10-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-role-of-the-media-in-post-conflict-societies-a-contemporary-look-at-northern

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Soothing The Savage Breast - Professor Glenn D Wilson

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 16:51:22 -0000

Can music heal? For centuries its therapeutic virtues have been extolled. The various uses to which it is put are described and the scientific studies that evaluate its benefits. The possibility of music having socially damaging effects is also considered.

Uploaded 18-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/soothing-the-savage-breast

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Psychosis: Making and Inhabiting a Different Reality

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

One of the most mysterious experiences that we come across in psychiatry is 'Psychosis', which refers to a loss of contact with reality. It has many causes and manifestations and it poses major challenges to our understanding.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Professor Fletcher proposes that it can be understood in terms of the normal functioning of the mind, which seeks to construct a working model of reality even though it has very little direct contact with that reality.

A lecture by Paul Fletcher, Bernard Wolfe Professor of Health Neuroscience at University of Cambridge 19 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/inhabiting-different-reality

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
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The 30th Anniversary of The Children Act 1989: Is It Still Fit For Purpose?

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

The Children Act 1989 embodied a change in philosophy by making the child's welfare the courts 'paramount' concern, moving away from the concept of parental rights towards the right of the child. It embraced the idea of shared parental rights and responsibilities and that children are best cared for within their families but not at the expense of suffering avoidable significant harm.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Has the Act done right by children since 1989? Has it adapted to the challenges of childhood and society?

A lecture by Jo Delahunty QC, Gresham Professor of Law 31 January 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/30-anniversary-children-act-1989

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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The History of British Cartoons and Caricature - The Rt Hon Lord Baker

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Political, satirical, comic and incendiary: from Hogarth's images of London life, through the Golden Age of Punch Magazine, to the present day; the eclectic and vibrant tradition of representing ones life and times in cartoons continues to hold its place in modern Britain in print, in film and now through the internet.

Uploaded 10-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-history-of-british-cartoons-and-caricature

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Fun with Visual Illusions - Professor William Ayliffe

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Visual illusions entertain and astonish us. How and why they occur is due to the way our visual system processes information. The study of visual illusions leads to many surprising and counterintuitive conclusions about vision. How illusions occur will be illustrated with many beautiful, well-known examples from art history as well as novel images. Following this talk the world out there will seem to be a very different place.

Uploaded 11-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/fun-with-visual-illusions

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Memoirs and Legacy of Évariste Galois - Dr Peter Neumann

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Évariste Galois was born 200 years ago and died aged 20, shot in a mysterious early-morning duel in 1832. He left contributions to the theory of equations that changed the direction of mathematics and led directly to what is now broadly described as 'modern' or 'abstract' algebra. In this lecture, designed for a general audience, Dr Peter Neumann will explain Galois' discoveries and place them in their historical context. Little knowledge of mathematics is assumed - the only prerequisite is sympathy for mathematics and its history.

Uploaded 16-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-memoirs-and-legacy-of-evariste-galois
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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COVID-19

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

At the time of writing, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has killed many thousands worldwide, infected many more - and changed lives around the world in ways that were unimaginable just weeks ago. What is COVID-19, how has it been managed and what role will science play in combating it? Gresham Professor of Physic (and Chief Medical Officer for England) Chris Whitty, one of the key figures in the UK's fight against the disease, will explain what we know - and what we don't.

Uploaded 11-06-26

A lecture by Chris Whitty 30 April

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/covid-19

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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1928 - Annus Mirabilis of the Christmas Carol

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

1928 witnessed the BBC's first broadcast of the Christmas Eve carol service from King's College, Cambridge. 1928 also saw the publication of The Oxford Book of Carols.

Uploaded 10-06-26

By paying tribute to conductors Arthur Mann and Boris Ord, and composers and arrangers Ralph Vaughan Williams and Martin Shaw, Jeremy Summerly and the St Luke's Carollers make a case for 1928 as the year in which the Christmas carol went viral.

A lecture by Jeremy Summerly 12 December

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/1928-christmas-carol

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Mad, bad or sad? The Psychology of Personality Disorders - Professor Glenn D Wilson

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Personality disorders are a contentious issue in psychiatry. How many are there and how reliable is their diagnosis? Are we just medicalising bad behaviour and social inadequacy. How should medical and criminal justice sectors divide responsibility?

Uploaded 26-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/mad-bad-or-sad

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Evolution since Sir Thomas Gresham: How Changes Over The Past Five Centuries Have Moulded Evolution

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

In celebrating 500 years since the birth of Sir Thomas Gresham, Professor Jones will examine how changes since the sixteenth century have affected the evolution of human beings and that of the animals and plants around us.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Professor Jones will deal with the accelerating shifts in plants, animals and humans as they cope with human activities, from gold-mining to global warming, and will speculate about where life might be on Gresham's six- hundredth anniversary.

A lecture by Steve Jones, Visiting Professor of Genetics 29 January 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/evolution-gresham-five-centuries

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Infections of the Lung and Heart

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

The lung has a large surface area, is open to the outside world and is the site for some of the most common serious infections, in particular pneumonia. Several bacteria, viruses and some less common lung infections including tuberculosis and fungal disease can damage the lung, and some occupations and pastimes increase this risk.

Uploaded 10-06-26

The heart is less susceptible to infection but infections of the heart valves or structures around the heart, and heart muscle inflammation can be severe. Some lung infections are becoming less common due to vaccination, whilst others are likely to increase globally. Infections via the respiratory route are often the most difficult to combat via public health measures.

A lecture by Chris Whitty, Gresham Professor of Physic 13 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/infections-lung-heart

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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England's Catholic Reformation

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 11:51:22 -0000

England's Catholic Reformation is the reformation that sixteenth-century England nearly had: a reformed and renewed English Catholic Church, its new schools and revived parishes matched with a firm smack of discipline.

Uploaded 11-06-26

It almost happened; its leading prophets - Cardinals Thomas Wolsey and Reginald Pole - both came close to being elected pope.

Instead, as these possibilities evaporated, they left behind them a toxic residue which has poisoned England's relations with its neighbours down to the present.

A lecture by Alec Ryrie 23 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/catholic-reformation

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Investing as if the Future Mattered - Dr Matthew Kiernan

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

Dr Matthew Kiernan delivers one of the keynote speeches at the 2012 Long Finance event.

Uploaded 15-03-12

Many critics claim that the problem with economics is that it has no theory of value. From early economists, such as Smith, Ricardo and Marx, to later economists, pinning value to economics has proved disputatious. In turn, problems with understanding value reverberate to problems with money, problems with the long term and problems with sustainability.

The full downloadable versions of this and the other parts of the Long Finance Conference are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/into-the-folly-of-value-reforming-sustainable-finance

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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A History of the Penis and the Clitoris

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

Is the clitoris simply a female version of the male penis? Many scientists and biologists in the past thought so. It is only in recent decades that the physiology of the clitoris has become understood.

Uploaded 11-06-26

What can debates about these two organs tell us about scientific knowledge and gender identities? How have ideas about the "ideal penis" changed since the eighteenth century? What effect have these shifts had on the way men and women know their bodies?

A lecture by Joanna Bourke 13 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/history-penis-clitoris

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Victorians: Art and Culture - Professor Richard J. Evans

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

The Victorian age began as an age of realism, in literature and art, and of nationalism and romanticism in music and culture. By the end of the century, however, the high noon of Victorian culture was starting to give way to more disturbing developments - the disintegration of musical tonality, the emergence of abstract art, the eruption of the 'primitive' into cultural styles and the arrival of modernism onto the artistic scene. This lecture examines the characteristics of Victorian culture and the reasons for its decline.

Uploaded 10-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-victorians-art-and-culture

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The Sky at Night, Tonight: A New View of the Changing Sky - Chris Lintott

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

00:00 // Welcome and Meet the Vera Rubin Observatory

Uploaded 18-09-26

01:10 // First Look: Sloan vs Rubin's Stunning Images
03:57 // Just How Big Is Rubin's View of the Sky?
07:08 // The Old Way: Begging Telescopes for Time
14:17 // The Sky Surveys That Paved the Way
17:44 // Building a Billion-Dollar Telescope
19:27 // Mirrors, Cameras and Engineering Marvels
24:41 // Disaster Strikes: Storms in the Chilean Desert
26:30 // First Discoveries: Asteroids, Comets and an Interstellar Visitor
35:40 // Supernovae, Dark Matter and What's Next

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/ehP4fkdVEFM

On a remote mountain top in Chile, scanning the sky with the largest astronomical camera ever built, the Vera Rubin Observatory is conducting the deepest and most sensitive survey of the sky yet. This lecture covers whatever it’s found in the previous week, from supernovae to asteroids, giving us a glimpse of science in action.

This lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on the 14th of September 2026

Professor Chris Lintott is a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, and a Research Fellow at New College.

Having been educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge and University College London, his research now ranges from understanding how galaxies form and evolve, to using machine learning to find the most unusual things in the Universe, to predicting the properties of visiting interstellar asteroids. He was the founder of the Zooniverse citizen science platform, which provides opportunities for more than two million online volunteers to contribute to scientific research, and which was the topic of his first book, 'The Crowd and the Cosmos’. His latest book is ‘Our Accidental Universe’.

Professor Lintott is best known for presenting the BBC's long-running Sky at Night program, and as an accomplished lecturer. Away from work, he cooks, suffers through being a fan of Torquay United and Somerset cricket, and spends time with a rescued lurcher, Mr Max. He can often be found at the helm of Oxford’s science comedy night, ‘Huh, That’s Funny’.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/sky-night

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
X: https://x.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/greshamcollege.bsky.social
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greshamcollege
Support Us: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

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Maths in the City: Future Cities

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

The world's population is rapidly expanding and the majority of this population will live in large city conurbations. What will out future cities look like? How will transport system work, how will people move around, and how will we supply them with energy and remove their waste? What sort of houses will people live in in the future and what will our communities look like? The lecture will show how mathematical models can help us understand how cities work and how they might evolve in the future.

Uploaded 10-06-26

A lecture by Chris Budd, Gresham Professor of Geometry 12 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/maths-future-cities

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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How to be a Shakespearean Atheist

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Villainous atheists were, like witches, stock figures of the European imagination in the Renaissance. But when Shakespeare and his contemporaries put them on the stage, 'atheists' could be uncomfortably compelling.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture will explore how the sixteenth century found ways of distancing itself from religion - like Christopher Marlowe, who raged against its moral constraints, or Michel de Montaigne, a devout Catholic who cloistered his faith in one honoured corner of his life where it would not be disturbed.

A lecture by Alec Ryrie, Gresham Professor of Divinity 24 January 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/shakespearean-atheist

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Sheep Across London Bridge: The Freedom of the City of London - Murray Craig

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

One of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies still in existence today is the granting of the Freedom of the City of London. It is believed that the first Freedom was presented in 1237. The medieval term 'freeman' meant someone who was not the property of a feudal lord, but enjoyed privileges such as the right to earn money and own land. Town dwellers who were protected by the charter of their town or city were often free - hence the term 'freedom of the City'.

Uploaded 30-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/sheep-across-london-bridge-the-freedom-of-the-city-of-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Forgotten Victims from the Age of Atrocity

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

Some of the atrocities of the age of Europe's religious wars immediately became notorious. The execution of tens of thousands of women and men for witchcraft, by contrast, passed largely unremarked - until modern times, when this history was revived, rewritten and wildly exaggerated.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This final lecture will ask why it suits each age to select, reinvent and suppress different parts of the history of religious atrocity, and why some victims, such as Anabaptist radicals, remain neglected down to the present.

A lecture by Alec Ryrie 06 May

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/age-of-atrocity

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
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Asylum seekers and ambivalence in contemporary Britain - Andrew Keefe

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Psychoanalytic theory illuminates the polarised nature of the asylum debate and the powerful feelings for and against refugees. Historic, literary and clinical examples reveal migration as part of human nature and the unconscious forces revolving around the concept of exile.

Uploaded 11-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/why-do-we-hate-why-do-we-help-asylum-seekers-and-ambivalence-in-contemporary

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Maths with Pictures - Professor John D. Barrow

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

How pictures have been used in mathematics. The use of illustrations in ancient mathematics books, the invention of the first graphs and the representation of probabilities, sets and formulae by pictures. We look at the role played by computers in exploring and displaying the behaviour of extremely large and complicated problems. This has changed the culture of applied mathematics and science and influences the way research is done and the forms in which it is presented.

Uploaded 10-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/maths-with-pictures

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Life and Work of Mervyn Peake - Sebastian Peake

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:51:22 -0000

A public lecture on the life and work of Mervyn Peake, by his son.

Uploaded 18-10-11

Often described as the ultimate Renaissance Man, Mervyn Peake was just eight when his father, a medical doctor, arranged for a Mandarin expert in calligraphy, to teach him the art. Soon he was able to form many of the six hundred plus characters that make up the language.
At the age of twelve, Mervyn left the Orient for his boarding school in England, where his talent at drawing was noticed by his art master, and frequently in demand from fellow pupils. The Royal Academy followed a short period at Croydon School of Art, and from his early twenties onwards was producing illustrations for magazines and other publications.
The decade that followed the end of the war, was perhaps the greatest period of artistic power, and while living on Sark in the Channel Islands from 1946 until 1949 produced a non-ending stream of illustrations to many of the classics. These included: Treasure Island, The Hunting of the Snark, The Ancient Mariner, Grimm's Household Tales, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. As well as these commissions he was also writing and illustrating his own books at the same time.
From 1950, an interest in the theatre developed with several plays being written some of which were staged, but mostly not. It is only now that this less well-known area of his eclecticism is gaining audiences, in staged productions.
His painting and drawings can be seen at many institutions across Britain, including the National Portrait Gallery, the British Library, Imperial War Museum, Manchester City Art Gallery, the Wordsworth Trust (Dove Cottage) Cumbria, the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery, and several others.
Mervyn Peake died near Oxford after a long illness in November 1968 and is buried in the graveyard of the 11th century St Mary the Virgin church at Burpham, near Arundel in Sussex.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-life-and-work-of-mervyn-peake

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Music Made of Listening: John Cage and 4'33"

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

Musicians make sounds - that much, you'd have thought, is obvious! Yet more than the sounds they make, it's the choices that musicians are making about how and when to play that really matter - choices that are made through listening.

Uploaded 10-06-26

John Cage is a composer who revolutionised 20th century music through the choices he has made. This lecture will explore Cage's music, focusing on his most famous piece 4'33". This will be then followed by an interview with pianist and composer Rolf Hind.

A lecture by Professor Tom Service, Gresham Professor of Music 11 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/communities-listeners-string-quartet-jazz-band-orchestra

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
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Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Making New Plants: A History

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

This lecture examines the work of Hugo de Vries, a Dutch botanist who was one of the first to claim that science would allow plants and animals to be designed to order.

Uploaded 11-06-26

It also looks at the early twentieth-century 'Station for Experimental Evolution' in New York, and at the utopian vision of Charlotte Gilman Perkins' Herland (1915), a novel describing a lost world populated by women that took the form of a perfect garden, whose wonderful plants and lack of men were both explained by de Vries' theory of mutation.

A lecture by Jim Endersby 10 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/making-new-plants

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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How to Incentivise Sustainable Finance - Long Finance Panel Discussion

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Many critics claim that the problem with economics is that it has no theory of value. From early economists, such as Smith, Ricardo and Marx, to later economists, pinning value to economics has proved disputatious. In turn, problems with understanding value reverberate to problems with money, problems with the long term and problems with sustainability.

Uploaded 15-03-12

This panel discussion at this Long Finance conference will examine the question of "How to Incentivise Sustainable Finance"?
The panellists are (from left to right):
- Professor Michael Mainelli
- Dr Matthew Kiernan
- Valéry Lucas-Leclin
- Joss Tantram

The full downloadable versions of this and the other parts of the Long Finance Conference are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/into-the-folly-of-value-reforming-sustainable-finance

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Reforming Corporate Governance

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

The UK is considered a world leader in corporate governance, but governance failures are blamed for the loss of trust in business.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will discuss rigorous evidence on what optimal governance should look like - including issues such as boardroom diversity, independence of directors, employee representation, and whether directors' fiduciary duty should be to shareholders or all of society. It will conclude that reform is indeed necessary, but on different issues to what is typically argued.

A lecture by Alex Edmans, Gresham Professor of Business 23 January 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/reforming-corporate-governance

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Cracking the Whip: Strings, Chains and Dinosaurs - Alain Goriely

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

00:00 // Welcome: What Is the Real Scientific Method?

Uploaded 22-09-26

03:44 // A Bizarre Discovery: The Sound of a Cracking Whip
06:48 // The Secret to Actually Cracking a Whip
09:26 // The Mysterious Chain Fountain
11:35 // Ancient Whips and Supersonic Dinosaurs
14:32 // 1927: Proving Whips Break the Sound Barrier
20:36 // Naive Physics: Energy, Momentum, and Where They Fail
29:43 // Building the Real Mathematical Model
37:40 // Simulations That Nail the Data Perfectly
41:04 // Solving the Twice-the-Speed-of-Sound Puzzle
47:12 // From Sperm to Octopuses: Why This Math Matters

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/LxlmVEKXa8w

A cracking whip is invariably surprising. What generates such a stunning sound? In this lecture, through simple demonstrations of whips and chains on a pulley, Professor Goriely builds simple models to explain the extreme acceleration that takes place in the motion of ropes.

In particular, he shows how these models have solutions that blow up to infinity and learns, like the dinosaurs did, how to tame these infinities to produce a stunning crack.

This lecture was recorded by Alain Goriely on the 15th of September 2026

Alain Goriely is a mathematician with broad interests in mathematical methods, mechanics, sciences, and engineering. He is well known for his contributions to dynamical systems, mathematical biology, as well as fundamental and applied mechanics. He is particularly well known for the development of a mathematical theory of biological growth, culminating with his seminal monograph The Mathematics on Mechanics of Biological Growth (2017).

He received his PhD from the University of Brussels in 1994 where he became a lecturer. In 1996, he joined the University of Arizona where he established a research group within the renowned Program of Applied Mathematics. In 2010, he joined the University of Oxford as the inaugural Statutory Professor of Mathematical Modelling and fellow of St. Catherine’s College. He is currently the Director of the Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

In addition, Alain has enjoyed scientific outreach based on problems connected to his research, including tendril perversion in plants, twining plants, umbilical cord knotting, whip cracking, the shape of seashells, brain modelling, and he is the author of a Very Short Introduction to Applied Mathematics (2017). His work has been recognized by a Sloan Fellowship, a Royal Society Wolfson Research Award, the Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Sciences and the Engineering Medal from the Society of Engineering Sciences. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2022.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/cracking-whip

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
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Maths and Sport: Records, Medals and Drug Taking - Professor John D. Barrow

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

We examine the striking patterns between world record performances in different sports and ask what events an ambitious nation should target as the 'easiest' in which to win Olympic medals. How does Olympic success correlate with a nation's GNP? How does the location of the Olympics affect the chance of record breaking? And how can simple statistics help us understand the likelihood of winning streaks and the chance that an innocent athlete will fail a drugs test?

Uploaded 23-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/citius-altius-fortius-records-medals-and-drug-taking

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The German Revolution in English Organ Technology - Robert Quinney

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

'Pedalling ahead with Mendelssohn: The German revolution in English organ technology'
by Robert Quinney, Sub-Organist, Westminster Abbey with Robert Smith, Organist, St Mary-at-Hill

Uploaded 10-08-11

Gresham Professors Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke supervised the rebuilding of St Mary's which still reflects their gracious and spacious vision for their first post-Great Fire church. In the early 16th century the choir, which included Thomas Tallis and William Munday, sang elaborate daily services. St Mary-at-Hill boasts what has been described as one of the ten most important organs in the history of British organ building, built by William Hill in 1848 and restored by Mander Organs.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-german-revolution-in-english-organ-technology

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Finding Purpose in Your Career

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

Many influential leaders stress the importance of pursuing a purpose rather than choosing a career based on salary. While inspiring, such talks can sometimes seem impractical because many people find it difficult to know what their purpose is, and unrealistic given rapidly rising living costs and the view that lucrative careers are not purposeful.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will introduce a practical framework to help you find what your purpose is, as well as explain how to pursue a career which is rewarding both intrinsically and financially.

A lecture by Alex Edmans, Mercers' School Memorial Professor of Business 4 December

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/finding-purpose

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Does Bursting One Bubble Lead to Another? - John Redwood MP

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

John Redwood delivers the keynote speech of the 2011 Long Finance Autumn Conference, introduced by Professor Michael Mainelli.
This Long Finance conference focused on the subject of market bubbles and their effects on efforts to ensure sustainability.

Uploaded 30-11-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/bubble-trouble-pop-goes-sustainability

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Future of Our Oceans

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Recent evidence about the extent of plastics and litter in our oceans has led to grassroots rejection of single-use plastics.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will draw on McGlade's own research (published in 2020) on plastics in our seas. She will show that banning single-use plastics is not enough to safeguard the health of our oceans, and that what is needed is a complete redesign of global production systems. She will outline ways that we can work to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development" in the face of unsustainable consumption and production and rapidly changing climate.

A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade 28 April

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/future-of-oceans

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Looking for Life On Mars

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 01:51:22 -0000

Mars has changed since it formed 4.6 billion years ago. When life started on Earth ~4 billion years ago, Mars was habitable too, with volcanism, a magnetic field, surface water and a thick atmosphere. Today, Mars is cold and dry, with a thin atmosphere and harsh surface.

Uploaded 11-06-26

In this lecture Professor Andrew Coates will discuss the search for life beyond Earth on our closest target, using the Rosalind Franklin rover.

A lecture by Andrew Coates 23 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/mars

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
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Bubbles, Manias and Market Failures: The Unintended Consequences of Regulatory Responses

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Although financial bubbles are in some sense banal and a feature of financial capitalism, the seeds of the next bubble are often sown by regulatory responses to previous ones. This has been the case since the South Sea Bubble and Mississippi Scheme, and has recurred at regular intervals in the intervening 300 years.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture explores how regulators try to prevent what will hopefully be the 'last' bubble and suggests that the most effective regulatory frameworks were developed during the normal operation of markets, not in response to crises.

A lecture by Professor D'Maris Coffman, Professor of Economics and Finance of the Built Environment, UCL 7 February 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/bubbles-market-failures-regulatory-responses

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Infections and the Nerves

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Certain infections have a particular impact on the peripheral nerves as part of their normal disease process. Some infectious effects are predominately on the motor nerves such as polio (currently heading for eradication); these can cause weakness or paralysis. Other infections affect or invade the sensory nerves including leprosy and the common viral infection herpes zoster which initially presents as chickenpox. Some bacteria produce toxins which have powerful effects on the nerves including tetanus, diphtheria and botulinum.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture will cover how infections can interfere with peripheral nerves and recent progress made against these debilitating diseases.

A lecture by Chris Whitty, Gresham Professor of Physic 16 January 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/infections-nerves

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Words and Pictures: Mixed Encounters - Dr Jenny Uglow

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

This beautifully illustrated lecture explores the connections and interactions between British writers and artists.

Uploaded 11-08-11

As children, learning to read, we look first at the pictures in books - they tell the tale in their own way. With great writers, this power endures: artists connect with words in different ways. This lecture will explore fascinating examples of the relationships between artists and writers, from those that work independently from one another, such as Wordsworth and Thomas Bewick, to those that work very closely throughout the creative process, such as Dickens and Phiz.
This lecture touches on a peculiarly British tradition of community and defiance of authority, unmasking pretension and celebrating energy and warmth, linking daily life to the universal and the sublime.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/words-and-pictures-mixed-encounters

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Sounds of the Universe - Professor Carolin Crawford

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

In space no-one can hear you scream... but it is still a noisy Universe. We are familiar with the many stunning images of space, but these are only part of the whole human experience. This lecture takes a new approach to appreciating the Universe, through the vehicle of sound. Once we understand how sound is propagated, we can look at the how and where it can exist in space. We examine how sound can be a diagnostic of cosmic phenomena (such as the song of the Sun and distant stars), the way it can carry energy across vast volumes of space (away from a black hole humming in B♭), how it can be a useful way to illustrate processes in astronomy (such as the rapid spin of pulsars, and other more local radio emissions) and how it is ultimately responsible for the growth of all structure we see today in the cosmos.

Uploaded 15-12-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-sounds-of-the-universe

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Current Challenges to the US Constitution - Clive Stafford Smith

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

0:00 // Introduction — Trump versus the Constitution after 16 months

Uploaded 17-07-26

1:27 // The five worst Supreme Court decisions of all time
3:13 // Dred Scott 1857 — the case that helped start a civil war
5:33 // Plessy v Ferguson 1896 — separate but equal and Angola prison
8:38 // Buck v Bell 1927 — eugenics, sterilisation and echoes in the present
10:43 // Korematsu 1944 — Japanese internment and the road to Guantanamo
13:39 // Bowers v Hardwick — criminalising sodomy and how Stafford Smith fought it
18:00 // Lawrence v Texas — how the Supreme Court finally overruled Bowers
19:18 // The current court — immunity for presidents and the 22 unanimous decisions
21:38 // Roberts versus Clarence Thomas — two very different conservatives
23:44 // The biggest decision of this term — Trump's tariffs struck down 6 to 3
26:19 // Why Britain needs a constitution — prisoners' votes and Cameron's contempt
27:43 // Criminal cases — death row, mental disability and the court doing its job
31:20 // First Amendment cases — conversion therapy, gender and street preaching
35:38 // Louisiana v Calais — gerrymandering, affirmative action and why it will backfire
42:13 // Conclusion — the Constitution is surviving, but Britain has no such protection

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/EYtlT4N0z28

The Americans are very proud of their written constitution. During the first 3/8 of President Trump’s second term of office, the constitution has been severely tested. Where has the Constitution succeeded in providing legal safeguards, clarity and stability, and where has it failed? How will the remainder of this presidency look? And what is coming after Trump?

This lecture was recorded by Clive Stafford Smith on the 4th of June 2026

Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE is a dual UK-US national, the founder and director of the Justice League a non-profit human rights training centre focused on fostering the next generation of advocates.
He was the Senior Prefect at Radley College, where he studied maths and science; then a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), where he took a degree in Politics; and a Stone Merit Scholar each of his three years at Columbia Law School, graduating in 1984.
He previously founded and directed the legal action charities Louisiana Capital Assistance Center (1993 in New Orleans) and Reprieve (1999 in London). Since 1984 he has tried many capital cases, and helped to represent over 400 people facing execution in the US and elsewhere. He also brought the first challenge to Guantánamo Bay, where he has secured the release of 87 detainees, and continues to assist the remaining 15. In all five of the cases he has helped bring to the U.S. Supreme Court the petitioner has prevailed.
He has recently taken on the case of Aafia Siddiqui, the woman who has most suffered from the US rendition-to-torture program – abducted with her three children. He continues to work on capital cases in the US, including a Post-Mortem Project where he is investigating the claims of innocence of 184 people executed since 1977.
Clive has published a number of books including Bad Men (2008, describing work in Guantánamo) and Injustice (2012, on the capital case of Kris Maharaj), both of which were short-listed for the Orwell Prize; and most recently The Far Side of the Moon (2023), deconstructing the parallel lives of his father and a client Larry Lonchar, both of whom were labelled Bipolar. He has many other publications, including manuals for the defence of capital cases, and law review articles about aspects of capital defence. He has worked on many films and documentaries, starting with Fourteen Days In May (1987), recently ranked as one of the top BBC documentaries of all time.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/current-chal

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Black Holes: No need to be afraid! - Professor Ian Morison

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Black Holes seem to have a bad press that is largely undeserved. The lecture will explain what Black Holes are, how we can discover them even through they cannot be seen and how Stephen Hawking has shown that they are not totally black!

Uploaded 11-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/black-holes-no-need-to-be-afraid

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Britain's global trade in the Great Days of Sail - John McAleer

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 20:51:22 -0000

Britain's history has been shaped by its relationship with the sea. The possibilities and profits offered by maritime trade were particularly important in defining the country's development as a global power in the Age of Sail. Richly illustrated with images and objects from the collection of the National Maritime Museum and beyond, this lecture explores how British overseas trade went hand in hand with Britain's global empire in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Uploaded 18-10-11

[All images featured in this lecture are courtesy of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.]

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the full conference's page on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/soothing-the-savage-breast

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The History and Music of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Congregation in the City of London

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Bevis Marks Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in the UK (consecrated 1701), and is the 'cathedral synagogue' of a community which arrived in England in 1656 with the blessing of Oliver Cromwell, thus ending over three-and-a-half centuries of Jewish exile from this country. For the last 350 years this community has existed as an integral part of religious and cultural life in the City of London.

Uploaded 30-11-11

This lecture explores the history of this interaction, with a particular focus on how it has affected the community's musical-liturgical heritage, from its origins in the Portuguese Jewish community of Amsterdam and the conversos fleeing the Spanish Inquisition, through the time of Handel and Hadyn, the Romanticism of the 19th century, right through to the present day.
The lecture is illustrated by live performances of selections from the congregation's liturgical music by the choir of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation, as well as archive recordings of times gone by.
The lecture is jointly delivered by Maurice Bitton, Beadle and Curator at Bevis Marks Synagogue, and Chazan Eliot Alderman, Director of Music of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' congregation.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-history-and-music-of-the-spanish-and-portuguese-jewish-congregation

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Shock of the Nude: Pioneering Women Artists and the Cultural Politics of Modern China - Di Wang

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

00:00 | Introducing Dr. Wang: Art, Science and the Body

Uploaded 14-07-26

01:22 | Setting the Scene: Modernity Fought Through the Body
02:35 | 1919: Nude Models Arrive at Shanghai Art Academy
05:11 | The New Cultural Movement and Coeducation
06:32 | 1925: The Warlord Government Bans Nude Models
08:03 | "The Nude Doesn't Belong in China": One Critic's Case
09:09 | Brushwork as the True Essence of Modern Art
11:14 | The Counter-Case: The Nude as Scientific Truth
11:44 | 1851: A Pioneering Anatomical Treatise in Chinese
13:29 | Anatomy, Evangelization and Scientific Racism
14:31 | The Body as a Site of Empire: "Sick Men of Asia"
15:08 | 1892: Medicine First Undresses the Female Body
16:56 | Eugenics and the Politics of Women's Health
18:24 | The Nude Goes Global: Transnational Print Networks
19:20 | The Young Companion: Venus Meets Chinese Beauty
20:47 | 1927: Breast Binding Bans and the Cult of Curves
23:48 | March 1927: The Wuhan Women's Emancipation Parade
27:32 | Pan Yuliang: From Brothel to First Female Professor
30:20 | War, Exile and the 1941 Paris Salon Attack
33:45 | Legacy: The Nude Debate Resurfaces in 1979 Beijing

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/gmlQqetDMlk

The bare, naked, nude, and tradition-defying body constituted one of the most radical sites of cultural transformations in China’s pivotal historical transition from the last imperial dynasty to a new Republic. This lecture reveals how the female nude – at the intersection of art, medicine, and science – became deeply entwined with the cultural politics of nationalism and modernisation, structured new racial, gender, and class relations, and simultaneously, shaped the genesis of modern art and visual culture in China.

This lecture was recorded by Dr Di Wang on the 8th of June 2026 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

Dr Di Wang is an art historian and curator. Her work focuses on art and culture of East Asia from the late-nineteenth century to the present.

Following her doctorate at the University of Oxford, she has taught as a departmental lecturer and research associate at the Department of History of Art at Oxford. Her first book project reveals the surprising entanglement of medicine, science, and revolutionary politics in the genesis of a socially engaged modern art and visual culture in China, offering the first inter-disciplinary history on how science and medicine shaped the contours of avant-garde thinking in China during the modern period.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/nude-china

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Progress on the Road to Curing Motor Neuron Disease - Professor Chris Shaw

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

The lecture will cover a description of how we diagnose and treat Motor Neuron Disease, why motor neurons degenrate and the genetic basis of disease. It will also cover new cellular and animal models of disease that are informing us about disease mechanisms and will advance drug discovery.

Uploaded 02-03-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/whither-to-the-creeping-paralysis-progress-on-the-road-to-curing-motor-neuron

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Extinction or Evolution: The Future for Offshore Centres - The Hon Anne Craine

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

From the unique position as Europe's oldest continuous democracy, Anne Craine, Treasury Minister of the Isle of Man, will explore what the future holds for offshore centres; how they can survive, even prosper; how they need to adapt and why they serve a valid, even useful role in international finance.

Uploaded 11-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/extinction-or-evolution-the-future-for-offshore-centres

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Unfinished Music

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Bach's Art of Fugue, Mozart's Requiem, Schubert's Symphony No. 8, Alban Berg's opera Lulu, and Elgar's 3rd Symphony are all pieces that are famously incomplete.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture examines the fascination surrounding works that are left unfinished at their composers' deaths. It also looks at the urge that certain of us have to complete these uncompleted works, however unwisely and however unbidden. 'Don't let anyone tinker with it', said Elgar; but several have anyway, and with thought-provoking results.

A lecture by Jeremy Summerly 6 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/unfinished-music

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Psychology of the Stock Market

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 15:51:22 -0000

The Efficient Market Hypothesis argues that stock markets are rational - they take into account all relevant information, and incorporate it in an unbiased way.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This talk will present evidence that stock prices are instead driven by human psychology. The market overreacts to some types of information yet underreacts to others; it is driven by emotions rather than purely economic fundamentals.

The lecture gives profitable trading strategies that investors can use to exploit these biases.

A lecture by Alex Edmans 22 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/market-psychology

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Pluto Isn’t a Planet - Chris Lintott

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

00:00 // Introduction: Why Pluto Isn't a Planet

Uploaded 10-07-26

03:28 // Discovery of Uranus and a Mysterious Orbit
05:49 // How Neptune Was Found Through Math
08:16 // Percival Lowell's Hunt for "Planet X"
09:49 // Clyde Tombaugh Discovers Pluto (1930)
14:09 // A Brief History of Counting the Planets
18:02 // Pluto's Odd Orbit Raises Early Doubts
22:21 // The Kuiper Belt Theory Takes Shape
26:09 // Discovering Pluto's Moon, Charon
30:12 // Eris and the Rise of the Trans-Neptunian Objects
34:27 // The IAU's Chaotic 2006 Vote
42:43 // New Horizons: Pluto Up Close at Last
47:38 // The Verdict — Why Pluto Isn't a Planet

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/k73e3lnz3pg

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union adopted a definition of a planet that demoted Pluto to just one of what is likely hundreds of dwarf planets in our Solar System. Exploring the remote Kuiper Belt, this lecture challenges us to think about what kinds of scientific questions are worth our attention, what it means to name something – and why Pluto is worth caring about anyway.

This lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on the 3rd of June 2026

Professor Chris Lintott is a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, and a Research Fellow at New College.

Having been educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge and University College London, his research now ranges from understanding how galaxies form and evolve, to using machine learning to find the most unusual things in the Universe, to predicting the properties of visiting interstellar asteroids. He was the founder of the Zooniverse citizen science platform, which provides opportunities for more than two million online volunteers to contribute to scientific research, and which was the topic of his first book, 'The Crowd and the Cosmos’. His latest book is ‘Our Accidental Universe’.

Professor Lintott is best known for presenting the BBC's long-running Sky at Night program, and as an accomplished lecturer. Away from work, he cooks, suffers through being a fan of Torquay United and Somerset cricket, and spends time with a rescued lurcher, Mr Max. He can often be found at the helm of Oxford’s science comedy night, ‘Huh, That’s Funny’.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/pluto-planet

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
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Equations That Have Changed The World

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

This final lecture will celebrate some of the great mathematical equations, and related algorithms, which have both changed the world as we know it and which are likely to change it in the future.

Uploaded 11-06-26

The lecture will focus on a number of equations and algorithms including Laplace's Equation, the Navier-Stokes Equations, Schrödinger's equation, the Kalman Filter, the FFT, the Page Rank Algorithm, the Simplex method and the Conjugate Gradient Method, all of which are making a profound difference to the way that we live. Truly, mathematical equations can change the world!

A lecture by Chris Budd 28 April

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/world-changing-equations

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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English Architecture: Making England in the Shadow of Rome, 410-1130 - Simon Thurley

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

When the English nation rose out of the ruins of the Roman Province of Britannia, people remained obsessed with their Roman past. Seismic social and political change in 1066 barely upset the vision of patrons and architects and Rome remained England's cultural capital driving the imagination of its architects.

Uploaded 12-08-11

This is a part if the series of lectures, 'God, Caesar and Robin Hood: How the Middle Ages were Built':
The English Middle Ages saw the construction of some of the world's greatest buildings, structures that still shape our towns, cities and countryside and mould our national identity. These four lectures give a controversial new view of how medieval England was built starting with the departure of the Romans and ending with the Reformation.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/making-england-the-shadow-of-rome-410-1130

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Plato to Polybius on Constitutional Change - Melissa Lane

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

00:00 | Polybius's Question: How Did Rome Conquer the World?

Uploaded 03-07-26

00:39 | Polybius: Hostage, Historian and Tutor to Scipio
02:05 | The Fall of Corinth and the Greek Cause
02:52 | Why Constitutional Stability Matters: Avoiding Stasis
03:31 | Plato's Circle: The Image of Stability
04:48 | Adding Growth: Rome's Second Question
06:23 | Stability vs Growth: Sparta and Rome Compared
09:30 | Lecture Roadmap: From Greece to Rome
10:01 | Polybius on Why Constitutions Matter
11:31 | Herodotus's Three Simple Constitutions
12:56 | Aristotle's Six-Fold Scheme: Good and Bad Rule
14:11 | Mixing Constitutions to Avoid Decline
15:10 | Three Modes of Mixing: Blending, Co-Presence, Counterbalancing
19:39 | Sparta's Mixed Constitution: Kings, Elders and Assembly
21:17 | Plato and Aristotle on Sparta's Flaws
27:42 | Polybius's Active Counterbalancing and the Rust Metaphor
32:11 | Polybius on Rome's Mixed Constitution
35:30 | Rome's Elements: Consuls, Senate and Assembly
40:02 | Polybius's Cycle of Constitutions
44:45 | Legacy: Adams, Hobbes and the Case for Mixed Government

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/-18jnBqpQxQ

Plato in the fourth century BCE penned an indelible sequence of constitutional decline ending in tyranny, as well as a more complex set of possibilities for mixing different constitutional kinds. Two centuries later, Polybius portrayed constitutional change as cyclical, with an eventual collapse of democracy into ‘ochlocracy’ (mob rule) and then reversion to monarchy. These and other ancient authors proposed that a mixed constitution might prevent unwanted political change – an idea that would influence many later generations of political thinkers.

This lecture was recorded by Melissa Lane on the 28th of May 2026 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

Melissa Lane is the Class of 1943 Professor of Politics, Princeton University and is also Associated Faculty in the Department of Classics and Department of Philosophy. Previously she was Senior University Lecturer at Cambridge University in the Faculty of History and Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge.

She studied for her first degree in Social Studies (awarded summa cum laude) at Harvard University, and then took an MPhil and PhD in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, where she was a student at King’s College, supported by appointments as a Marshall Scholar, Truman Scholar, and Mary Isabel Sibley Fellow of Phi Beta Kappa.

Professor Lane is an author, lecturer and broadcaster who has received major awards including being named a Guggenheim Fellow, and the Lucy Shoe Meritt Resident in Classical Studies at the American Academy in Rome. She has published widely in journals and authored or introduced nine major books including Greek and Roman Political Ideas; Eco-Republic; and most recently, Of Rule and Office: Plato’s Ideas of the Political, which was awarded the 2024 Book Prize of the Journal of the History of Philosophy.

Professor Lane is the only person ever to have delivered both the Carlyle Lectures and the Isaiah Berlin Lectures at the University of Oxford.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/plato-polybius

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Mathematical History: Triangular Relationships - Professor Patricia Fara

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

"And first, the fair PARABOLA behold,
Her timid arms with virgin blush unfold!..."

Uploaded 12-08-11

Mathematical poetry may seem an unlikely form of satire, but 'The Loves of the Triangles' (1798) was not only a clever parody of Erasmus Darwin (Charles' grandfather) but also a powerful political commentary expressing contemporary fears of revolution and evolution.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/triangular-relationships

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Character Of The Postwar Period - Professor Vernon Bogdanor

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 10:51:22 -0000

The post war years, by contrast with the first 45 years of the 20th century, were marked by peace and stability. For much of the period, ideological conflict gave way to consensus and the convergence of political creeds. Yet, by the end of the century, Britain seemed a markedly less optimistic society than it had been in 1945. Indeed, perhaps a central theme of the post war period is the decline in national self-confidence and confidence in British institutions. How is this to be explained?

Uploaded 19-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britain-in-the-20th-century-the-character-of-the-post-war-period

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Gardens of Empire: The Role of Kew and Colonial Botanic Gardens

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Sydney's botanic garden, founded in the early nineteenth century, was expected to ship new plants 'home' to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, from where they could be transplanted to other colonial gardens, to see if they could become valuable new crops to enrich the British Empire. Such plans had varying degrees of success, leaving botanists to question why specific plants would only grow in particular places.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture looks at how Kew addressed such questions, and the tensions between its role in the advancement of science, and as a public park.

A lecture by Jim Endersby, Visiting Professor of the History of Science 2 December

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gardens-of-empire

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Unweaving the Anti Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing System - Dr Dionysios S Demetis

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Despite the onslaught of legislative initiatives surrounding AML/CTF, it is difficult to make any conclusive remarks on the effectiveness of the broader system that attempts to control money laundering and terrorist financing. Based on his new book on 'Technology and Anti-Money Laundering', the speaker will unravel much of the complexity surrounding AML and offer practical advice for financial institutions.

Uploaded 30-01-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/unweaving-the-anti-money-laundering-and-counter-terrorist-financing-system

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Get Shorty: The Sir Thomas Gresham Docklands Lecture - Andy Haldane

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

Patience is a virtue. But does it have value? Andrew Haldane will discuss the importance of patience to growth and stability, its recent evolution and its implications for financial markets and systems. There is evidence that capital market myopia -- short-termism -- may be mounting. If so, what if anything should be done about it?

Uploaded 05-12-11

Andy Haldane delivers this year's Sir Thomas Gresham Docklands lecture. The event is chaired by Professor Michael Mainelli.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-sir-thomas-gresham-docklands-lecture-get-shorty

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Going Global: Chinese Independent Documentary - Luke Robinson

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

0:00 // Introduction — Chinese independent documentary and the question of going global

Uploaded 30-06-26

3:28 // The Sundance-K'Nex workshops — training Chinese filmmakers for overseas markets
7:40 // Story as commodity — character-driven narrative and the three-act structure
10:07 // The humanitarian industrial logic — NGOs, storytelling and the Open Society Foundation
14:12 // Plastic China — the film, its subjects and its international success
16:01 // How the film works — two families, a child's right to education and formal choices
23:03 // The narrowing of focus — from structural critique to personal story
28:12 // What the format does — harmonising contradiction rather than confronting it
31:02 // Screening Plastic China in the UK — what audiences actually felt
33:21 // Audience responses — moving, shocking, overwhelming
36:10 // What viewers said they would do next — individual action over structural change
38:02 // Political mimesis and its limits — affect that short-circuits critique
40:16 // Worrying about China — liberal frameworks and the problem of difference
43:14 // Conclusion — the compromises Chinese independent documentary makes to go global

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/QJMOYmf0CmQ

This lecture will focus on independently produced Chinese documentary cinema as it has entered the Anglophone industry market. Using “Plastic China” by the award-winning director Wang Jiuliang as a case study, I will explore what the implications of cross-border collaborations are for documentary form and content, and how this may encourage a particular set of viewer responses. This will allow me to locate the documentary form in relation to broader liberal arguments over China’s place in the world system and assess the limitations of this approach to “going global” for independent Chinese documentary.

This lecture was recorded by Luke Robinson on the 27th of May 2026

Luke Robinson is a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Film Studies in the Faculty of Media, Arts, and Humanitiies, University of Sussex.
He is the author of Independent Chinese Documentary: From the Studio to the Street, and the co-editor of two further collections on Chinese film culture: (with Chris Berry) Chinese Film Festivals: Sites of Translation and (with Chris Berry, Lydia Wu and Sabrina Yu) Chinese Independent Cinema: Past, Present, and a Questionable Future.
His writing has appeared in books and journals including DV-made China, The New Chinese Documentary Movement, Vocal Projections, Screening China’s Soft Power, positions: Asia cultures critique, Film Studies, Screen, and Journal of Chinese Cinemas.
Between 2019 and 2025 he was co-investigator on the AHRC-funded project, “Independent Cinema in China: State, Market, and Film Culture”. One of the outcomes of this grant was the establishment of the Chinese Independent Film Archive, located at Newcastle University.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/chinese-documentary

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
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The Past is a Foreign Country - Christopher Hogwood

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

In its passage from manuscript composition to audible performance, a musical work passes through the hands of editors, teachers, interpreters, recording engineers and many others, all of whom make decisions, often based on personal choices, and have to satisfy the tastes and needs of a changing public. With over a century of recorded sound as evidence, we can now assess the options and expectations of the modern performer, and measure these against the evidence available to the interpreter today, and the range of choices to be made.

Uploaded 12-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-past-is-a-foreign-country

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Offensive Shakespeare

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 05:51:22 -0000

From The Merchant of Venice to The Taming of the Shrew, it's easy to see how Shakespeare's plays can cause offence to contemporary audiences. Is it harder to teach Shakespeare today than in the past? Have ideas about what is offensive in Shakespeare changed over time?

Uploaded 11-06-26

In this lecture, a team of Shakespeare scholars will look at the challenges and opportunities of teaching, editing and staging Shakespeare in our current 'age of offence'.

A lecture by Adam Hansen and Monika Smialkowska 21 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/offensive-shakespeare

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Should We Manipulate People’s Emotions? - Robin May

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

00:07 | Introduction: Can We Manipulate Human Emotions?

Uploaded 23-06-26

00:52 | You've Already Done It — Since Birth
01:57 | Personal Space as Emotional Manipulation
03:04 | Lyndon Johnson and the Proximity Effect
04:28 | Stress on the Tube: New York Subway Study
06:45 | Smells and Mood: The Bakery Experiment
08:46 | The Case For Emotional Manipulation: Hate Crime and Mental Health
10:25 | The Case Against: Dictators, Abuse and Macbeth
11:50 | Mood Stabilizers: Lithium and Lamotrigine
13:47 | Antidepressants: How SSRIs Work
18:22 | Psychoactive Drugs: MDMA, Ecstasy and Risk
20:24 | Psilocybin and PTSD: Promising Clinical Trials
21:56 | Military Use and Ethical Minefields
23:32 | Cordyceps: The Fungus That Controls Ants
25:58 | Rabies: A Virus That Lowers Serotonin
27:47 | Toxoplasma Gondii: The Parasite in 1 in 3 of Us
31:09 | Brain-Computer Interfaces and Neuralink
34:52 | The Easiest Mood Hack: Your Diet
36:01 | The Gut-Brain Axis and the Human Microbiome
42:48 | Is Your Personality Really Yours — Or Your Bacteria's?

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/PWoDmVOSTTA

We think of emotions as being central to our characters and our sense of self. But emotions are the product of brain chemistry and, like most biological processes, are malleable. Thus far, our ability to artificially manipulate emotions has been extremely rudimentary, but we are on the cusp of a revolution in neuroscience that will open the door to powerful emotional manipulation. How can we navigate the ethical minefield that this will uncover, and what will it mean for our understanding of who we really are?

This lecture was recorded by Robin May on the 20th of May 2026 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham, and (interim) Chief Scientist at the UK Health Security Agency, Robin May was appointed Gresham Professor of Physic in May 2022. Between July 2020 and September 2025 he served as Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Professor May’s early training was in Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford, followed by a PhD on mammalian cell biology at University College London and the University of Birmingham. After postdoctoral research on gene silencing at the Hubrecht Laboratory, The Netherlands, he returned to the UK in 2005 to establish a research program on human infectious diseases. He was Director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham from 2017-2020.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/peoples-emotions

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
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Britain in the 20th Century: Responses to Decline, 1895-1914 - Professor Vernon Bogdanor

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

It was during these years that British statesmen first came to appreciate that her international and economic position was under threat. The growth of German and American economic power exposed the fragility of Britain's hitherto unquestioned pre-eminence. Imperialism was the first response to decline, social reform the second. It was these years that saw the first stirrings of a new collectivism in the 'New Liberalism'.

Uploaded 12-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britain-in-the-20th-century-responses-to-decline-1895-1914

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Forging Better Futures for You and AI - Matt Jones

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

00:00 // AI as an Environment

Uploaded 21-07-26

00:34 // Coronation Choir Experiment: How Music Shapes Attention
02:27 // Reframing Artificial Intelligence: From Tool to Living Environment
03:41 // Old AI Fears: Faster, Smarter and Assimilating Us
04:17 // Humanoid Robots, AI Coworkers and AI Companion Pets
05:28 // Why AI Isn't Human: Mumbai, the Pope and a New Yorker Poem
09:16 // Three Kinds of Power: Generative, Instrumental and Environmental
10:38 // Michelangelo and the Power of Material Tools
11:25 // How Cities, Buffets and Digital Design Shape Behaviour
12:52 // AI as Agent vs AI as Instrument
13:26 // Learning AI Like a Violin: How to Avoid "AI Slop"
14:45 // Extended Cognition: Skateboards, Scalpels and the Crutch Story
17:38 // Memory, the Google Effect and Prompting Claude AI Properly
22:59 // Co-Creating with AI: Sketch-to-Image Research
26:26 // Negroponte vs Weiser: The 1992 AI Debate That Predicted Today
30:49 // Two AI Futures: Personal Butler vs Calm Technology
33:19 // Cities, Music and the Neuroscience of Anticipation
39:52 // Desirable Difficulty and the Risk of AI Knowledge Collapse
44:24 // Critical Thinking, Attention and Tristan Harris on Big Tech
48:14 // Designing Better AI: Alignment, Nudges and Key Takeaways

Watch the Q and A here: https://youtu.be/FX7ZwIzgz-I

In this last lecture, I will work to wake us from the AI as Overlord spell. We will explore other possible futures, looking first look at the potential of AI fitting in with us: things we can chat to; humanoid robots; or even devices that draw on understandings of pets to make them more palatable and pleasing. Secondly, I’ll suggest a way to weave AI into everyday life: as a “simple” instrument to enable our souls to sing.

This lecture was recorded by Professor Matt Jones on the 2nd of June 2026 at Barnard’s Inna Hall, London

Matt Jones is a computer scientist at Swansea University - and a Fellow of the British Computer Society - who works alongside colleagues from many other disciplines and directly with everyday folk across the world to explore the future of digital technologies. Over the last 30-plus years, this human-centred approach has led to novel approaches for, amongst other things, mobile phone-based information searching and browsing, pedestrian navigation, voice assistants and deformable displays.

Much of his work has been driven by intense and sustained engagements with “low resource” communities from informal settlements in India, South Africa, and Kenya. Through their generous and gracious participation, these extra-ordinary users with the fresh and diverse perspectives have stimulated insights into the future of digital technologies for everyone, globally. In all this work, Matt works as part of a long-standing collaborative team with Jen Pearson, Simon Robinson and Thomas Reitmaier (from Swansea) and colleagues in India (including Dani Raju) and South Africa (including Minah Radebe).

His work has been supported by the UK’s science funders (EPSRC and UKRI). Currently, this funding includes a Fellowship to explore the future of interactive AI and leadership roles in responsible AI and inclusive digital technologies. This funding has led to a series of impactful publications, talks and influences on people, policies, and practices.

Matt has collaborated with private, public and third sector organisations, including Microsoft, the NHS, Google, IIT-B, the BBC and IBM. He is a member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office’s Research Advisory Group and Welsh Government’s AI reviews.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/ai-futures

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believ

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The Ballets Russes: Turning French

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Modernity kept seeping into ballet, a genre that had traditionally looked to a distant, mythical or magical past. First, the tutu gave way to an everyday tennis costume in Jeux by Debussy/Nijinsky, then ragtime rang out in Parade by Satie/Picasso, and in the 1920s Diaghilev decided staged a series of ballets drawn from contemporary life, and in particular, the French high society in which Diaghilev moved.

Uploaded 11-06-26

Milhaud and Poulenc provided the sparkling scores, while Coco Chanel added her sparkling costumes.

A lecture by Marina Frolova-Walker 7 April

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/ballets-russes-turning-french

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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How to Survive a Massacre in Europe's Wars of Religion

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Europe's Wars of Religion were fought against entire populations, and were punctuated by events remembered as atrocities: such as the siege of Leiden in 1573-4 or, most notoriously, the St Bartholomew's Day Massacres in France in 1572.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will ask how these events came to be so notorious, how and why they were remembered on each side, and how they shaped the history of civil conflict and ideas of coexistence and nationhood in the societies that endured them.

A lecture by Alec Ryrie 5 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/europes-wars-religion

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Arthur Sullivan's Songwriting Technique - David Owen Norris

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:51:22 -0000

As the musical half of the great Gilbert and Sullivan operetta-writing partnership, Sir Arthur Sullivan was behind some of the most memorable songs in English, but what were his secrets?
Professor David Owen Norris outlines Sullivan's approach to writing his songs.

Uploaded 20-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of this part of the 'Sullivan Song Day' conference are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/sullivan-song-day-1

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The History of Empire: Exploitation And Resistance - Professor Richard J. Evans

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

This lecture looks at the impact of empire on the colonizers and the colonized.

Uploaded 06-03-12

In Europe, ideologies of imperialism emerged, increasingly mingled with racism. These had a material effect on the attitudes of political elites that helped push Europe towards war in 1914.
Critics of imperialism argued that colonies were crucial mainly to ensure the continued existence of capitalist economies. Economic exploitation was indeed a key part of imperial rule, as settlers grabbed land to farm, merchants, traders and planters sought profits in commodities such as rubber and coffee, and state administrators tried to minimize the costs of running the colonies by turning them into profitable enterprises. In many cases, notoriously the Belgian Congo, this led to horrific acts of cruelty against indigenous people conscripted as labourers.
At the same time, economic imperatives led to attempts to develop the colonies, to provide a transport infrastructure, and to train and educate indigenous elites to meet modern economic needs. This sowed the seeds of later movements of national resistance and liberation.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/from-conquest-to-control

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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"Made in America": Christian Fundamentalism - Dr John A Dick

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

We are increasingly aware that fundamentalism is not a monolith. It has political, cultural, social and religious implications which at times are extremely grave. Its characteristics and impact are often defined by the culture of the place in which it develops.

Uploaded 12-08-11

This is an attempt to define and clarify the 21st century form of Christian fundamentalism in both academic and practical terms as found in North America.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the full conference are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/a-swift-survey-of-fundamentalism

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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What did eighteenth-century men want? - Professor Amanda Vickery

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Such is the gloom that surrounds settling down today and the glamour that attaches to mature bachelor freedom, it is hard to imagine that there was a time when marriage represented the summit of a young man's hopes.

Uploaded 12-08-11

Forty years after the sexual liberalization of the 1970s, it is easy to forget that only marriage promised true sexual fulfillment for Christians, turning furtive or frustrated boys into fully-realized men. Marriage was the only acceptable framework for children, through whom men made a claim on the future, but also confirmed their potency. Virility was one of the most celebrated masculine qualities. The father who led a handsome family into church radiated both an air of commanding respectability and a glow of unmistakable sexual success.

Marriage promised physical excitement. Two days before his marriage in January 1754, 33 year old Josiah Wedgwood positively frothed with anticipation of 'the blissful day! When she will reward all my faithful services and take me to her arms! To her Nuptial bed! To - Pleasures which I am yet ignorant of'. He took the precaution of working over-time the week before his wedding to clear time to enjoy his bride uninterrupted. Marriage was a sexy prospect.

In the 17th and 18th century, bachelorhood was a temporary and unprestigious state best solved by marriage. The Batchelor's Directory of 1694 was unequivocal - 'Matrimony - what can better agree with man and more exactly relate to his necessities?' Even men who felt no attraction to the opposite sex had to marry to gain the full benefits of adulthood.

There were even proposals to levy a tax on mature bachelors as a deterrent and a punishment for their evasion of the burden of domestic government and social provision. Perpetual bachelors were the 'vermin of the State' pronounced the Women's Advocate stonily. 'They enjoy the benefit of society, but Contribute not to its Charge and Spunge upon the publick, without making the least return'.

We associate the history of home and private life with women, but what did house and domesticity mean to men? More than you might think argues Professor Amanda Vickery.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/what-did-eighteenth-century-men-want

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Cicero In and On Political Crises - Melissa Lane

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

00:00 // Introduction: Meet Professor Melissa Lane

Uploaded 24-07-26

00:15 // Cicero's Dilemma: A Letter on Tyranny
03:07 // Who Was Cicero? Rise of a "New Man"
05:36 // Philosopher and Statesman of Rome
09:44 // Five Crises That Defined Cicero's Life
12:27 // Crisis One: The Gracchi and Land Reform
18:39 // Crisis Two: Sulla's Dictatorship and Civil War
23:16 // Crisis Three: The Catiline Conspiracy
27:13 // Crisis Four: Caesar's Tyranny and Assassination
31:45 // Crisis Five: Cicero's War Against Mark Antony
38:09 // Conclusion: Hero of the Republic, or Its Undoing?

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/QLC154lRXZ0

An enthusiast of the Roman mixed constitution, Cicero was elected consul and in that role dramatically curbed the tyrannical ambitions of Catiline. He would later become fatally embroiled in the shifting politics of later generations of ambitious strongmen, while also writing his own theories of constitutional change. This lecture explores Cicero’s life and death as a way to articulate the crises of the late republic.

This lecture was recorded by Melissa Lane on the 11th of June 2026

Melissa Lane is the Class of 1943 Professor of Politics, Princeton University and is also Associated Faculty in the Department of Classics and Department of Philosophy. Previously she was Senior University Lecturer at Cambridge University in the Faculty of History and Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge.

She studied for her first degree in Social Studies (awarded summa cum laude) at Harvard University, and then took an MPhil and PhD in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, where she was a student at King’s College, supported by appointments as a Marshall Scholar, Truman Scholar, and Mary Isabel Sibley Fellow of Phi Beta Kappa.

Professor Lane is an author, lecturer and broadcaster who has received major awards including being named a Guggenheim Fellow, and the Lucy Shoe Meritt Resident in Classical Studies at the American Academy in Rome. She has published widely in journals and authored or introduced nine major books including Greek and Roman Political Ideas; Eco-Republic; and most recently, Of Rule and Office: Plato’s Ideas of the Political, which was awarded the 2024 Book Prize of the Journal of the History of Philosophy, and was published in a paperback edition with modifications in 2025.

Professor Lane is the only person ever to have delivered both the Carlyle Lectures and the Isaiah Berlin Lectures at the University of Oxford.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/cicero

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
X: https://x.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
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Mysteries of the Dark Cosmos

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Dark matter and dark energy together make up 95% of our Universe. Yet, very little is known about them.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will present the endeavours of cosmologists and particle physicists, as they attempt to explain the fundamental nature of these mysterious dark components. The existence of dark matter might open new vistas in particle physics, while dark energy might even hold the key to the multiverse.

A lecture by Roberto Trotta 27 April

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/dark-cosmos

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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BBC Radio in the 78 Era (1920-1948)

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 19:51:22 -0000

In 1920, Nellie Melba's singing was transmitted to Europe and Newfoundland via the wireless. In 1922 the BBC began broadcasting, and from the outset sponsored new music and relayed outside broadcasts to the nation (and from 1932, to the world).

Uploaded 11-06-26

In 1927 the BBC took over The Proms, and in 1946 the Third (alongside the Home and the Light) Programme was instituted.

The BBC's mission: 'to be ahead of its public, but not so much as to lose their confidence'.

A lecture by Jeremy Summerly 17 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/radio-78

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Changing Money: Communities, Longer Term Finance and You - Ian Harris

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

In a world where technologies enable our communities to be at once local and global, the very essence of money is changing. We are living longer, yet our financial infrastructures are inherently short term. Young people seeking responsibly to plan their futures and their retirements find the conventional world of finance baffling and mostly inappropriate. This lecture explores these trends and looks to the future of money as a unit of account, a medium of exchange and as a store of longer-term value.

Uploaded 12-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/changing-money-communities-longer-term-finance-and-you

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Empire: From Conquest to Control - Professor Richard J Evans FBA

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

From the 1880s through to the First World War, European empires slowly imposed their control on the territories that in many cases existed merely on paper. This lecture asks how and why European powers embarked on this trajectory.

Uploaded 30-01-12

Often, occupation became effective through a long series of colonial wars and conflicts. Sometimes, as in the case of the German war against the Herero in South-west Africa in 1905-06, imperial violence reached genocidal proportions. In others, as in the British wars with the Maori in New Zealand, or the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1896, the colonizing power was unable to impose full control or was even repulsed by military defeat.

Different varieties of colony emerged, ranging from those where European settlement overwhelmed indigenous societies, as in Australia, to those where a small number of European traders, missionaries and administrators attempted to rule a vastly greater number of indigenous inhabitants, as in India or the colonies of West Africa.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/from-conquest-to-control

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Continued Fractions - Professor John Barrow

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

What are continued fractions? How can they tell us what is the most irrational number? What are they good for and what unexpected properties do they possess? How did Ramanujan make good use of their odd features to make striking discoveries? We will look at how they have played a role in the study of numbers, chaos, gears and astronomical motions.

Uploaded 12-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/continued-fractions

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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100 Years of Women in Law

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

A Gresham lecture that Delahunty gave in November 2017 was one of the first public identifications of the exodus of experienced women from the self-employed Bar - and gave a call for action. That loss affects the number of women who take Silk and that, in turn, drains the pool from which judges are largely drawn.

Uploaded 10-06-26

In 2018 the Bar Council and Specialist Bar Associations acknowledged the issue and a "Retention of Women at the Bar' survey was launched. It's time to look at the results and test how the legal profession has responded to the challenge.

A lecture by Jo Delahunty QC, Gresham Professor of Law 28 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/100-years-women-in-law

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
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Philanthropy Then, Philanthropy Now - Julia Unwin (Chief Executive, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation)

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

This lecture outlines the challenges of modern-day society and how they affect a charity's ability to deliver its purpose, and discusses how a 'Good Society' could be built through the individual, community, market and state.

Uploaded 25-04-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/philanthropy-then-philanthropy-now

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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English Architecture: The End of the Old World Order, 1530 to 1650 - Simon Thurley

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:51:22 -0000

The Reformation and the Civil War, two events a century apart, created an astonishing originality and independence in English Building.

Uploaded 24-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-end-of-the-old-world-order-1530-to-1650

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Maths and Sport: How Fast Can Usain Bolt Run? - Professor John D. Barrow

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

How can Usain Bolt improve his world 100 metres sprint record significantly without improving his speed? How fast should he be able to run? We will also examine the mechanics of sprinting and the effects of wind assistance, timing accuracy, and altitude on sprint times and look at the status of the long-standing women's sprint world records set by the late Florence Griffiths Joyner ('Flo-Jo') in 1988.

Uploaded 06-12-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/how-fast-can-usain-bolt-run

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Jesus in Art - The Rt Hon Lord Richard Harries

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Early Christian carvings depict Jesus as a beardless Roman youth. Yet the image with which we are familiar is very different. This lecture will explore the dominant imagery associated with Jesus in different ages and cultures.

Uploaded 12-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/christian-themes-in-art-jesus-in-art

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Correction of Optical Defects: From Spectacles to Lasers - Professor William Ayliffe

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Despite sophisticated techniques; Laser, intraocular surgery and contact lenses; spectacles remain the most popular method for correcting optical defects of the eye. Roger Bacon (1266) proposed that convex lenses could be used for elderly people with failing sight, replacing crystals used for magnification. Printing exploded the need for spectacles and by the close of the 20th century amazing advances in surgery corrected vision defects.

Uploaded 12-08-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/correction-of-optical-defects-from-spectacles-to-lasers

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Homes Fit for Heroes: 100 Years of Council Housing

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

More council houses were built in Britain than any other country in the 20th century. By the 1970s, one in three households were council tenants. Yet after 1980 £100bn worth of council housing was sold off. How did this expansion come about, what changed - and what lasting effects did the rise and fall of council housing have on our politics, society and economy?

Uploaded 10-06-26

Is it now time to reconsider our attitude to public housing?

A lecture by Steve Schifferes 3 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/council-housing

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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There Must be a Better Way: Thoughts on the Future of Family Law - Sir Andrew McFarlane

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

0:00 // Introduction — there must be a better way, and why Parliament has finally moved

Uploaded 04-08-26

6:38 // Four decades of change — Children Act, Domestic Abuse Act and transparency
9:57 // The June 2025 consultation — reforming financial remedies on divorce
13:33 // Codification plus — capturing judge-led change in statute
14:42 // Prenuptial agreements — making qualifying agreements legally binding
16:22 // Cohabitation — 3.5 million couples and the common law marriage myth
20:27 // Why should a child's financial support depend on whether parents were married?
24:10 // Private law and separating parents — keeping families out of court
29:47 // Child focused courts — social work reports before any hearing, £82 million rollout
32:28 // Adoption at 100 — a model built for babies that now serves three-year-olds
35:05 // Lifelong links — maintaining relationships for children in care and care leavers
36:03 // Enduring relationships policy — the government's new ambition for children in care
39:17 // Surrogacy — a law unchanged for 30 years and a growing commercial problem
43:13 // Foreign surrogacy — two women in their 60s, Northern Cyprus and four years in limbo
49:26 // The commercial elephant in the room — and what Parliament must address
51:30 // Conclusion — family law has never stood still, and the future will be digital

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/XjH-XlyLcMI

This is the Annual Gray's Inn Reading 2026.
The lecture was delivered within three months of Sir Andrew McFarlane’s retirement after 21 years on the Family Bench. Whilst the phrase ‘un-plugged’ may not be appropriate, it is anticipated that the lecturer will no longer feel restrained by judicial caution when commenting upon the future development of Family Justice. In addition to a focus on the future of adoption law and the need for significant reform in relation to the financial rights of cohabitants, the lecturer will use a perspective gained from 8 years as the judicial Head of Family Justice to offer suggestions for reform of the system itself.

This lecture was recorded by The Rt Hon Sir Andrew McFarlane on the 15th of June 2026

Andrew McFarlane was called to the Bar in 1977 and practiced in chambers in Birmingham until 1993 when he moved to specialist family law chambers in London. He appeared at all levels of court including the House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights. He was appointed as a QC in 1998. In April 2005 he was appointed to the High Court, Family Division and was for 5 years the Family Division Liaison Judge for the Midland Circuit. He was the legal member of the Government ‘Family Justice Review’ Panel. In July 2011 he was appointed to be a Lord Justice of Appeal sitting full time in the Court of Appeal. On the 28th July 2018 Sir Andrew succeeded Sir James Munby as President of the Family Division and Head of Family Justice; he is due to retire as President at Easter 2026.
Together with the late David Hershman he is the co-author of a loose-leaf legal text book entitled “Children: Law and Practice”. In addition, he has contributed to other publications and lectured throughout the UK and abroad.
Sir Andrew has been a trustee of YoungMinds (the national young person’s mental health charity) and is Patron of HOPE Family Centre (Bromyard) and of a prisoner support charity ‘Not Beyond Redemption’. In addition to being Chancellor of the Diocese of Exeter, Sir Andrew was Chairman of the Church of England Clergy Discipline Commission and President of Clergy Discipline Tribunals for 5 years until 2019. He has been a native of Herefordshire and Worcestershire for over 35 years and is a lay canon of Hereford Cathedral.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/grays-inn-26

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years,

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Tudor Ambition: Houses of the Boleyn Family

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:51:22 -0000

A family best known for producing one of England's most famous queen consorts started out owning substantial estates in Norfolk before buying, and inheriting, a series of major houses close to London. These mansions became the stage for the tragedy of Ann's life and death.

Uploaded 11-06-26

New research allows us to understand the role of property owning at the heart of the story of the Boleyn family.

A lecture by Simon Thurley CBE 16 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/boleyn-houses

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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The Morrigan: The Nightmare Queen - Ronald Hutton

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

00:00 | Introduction: Hutton's Final Lecture as Gresham Professor

Uploaded 07-08-26

00:42 | The Morrigan: Bridget's Dark Alter Ego
01:26 | A Modern Icon: Global Fame and Worship
02:34 | Pop Culture: Madonna, Villains and Modern Devotees
03:53 | What Does "The Morrigan" Mean? A Name in Dispute
05:35 | Nightmare Queen: Tracing Her Terrifying Etymology
06:13 | Decades of Scholarly Disagreement Over Her Identity
07:58 | Building Blocks, Never a Structure: The Lecture's Thesis
14:15 | Battle Spirits: Generic Terrors and Named Goddesses
18:02 | Meet the Big Five War Goddesses
21:44 | Magic as a Neutral Cosmic Power
27:09 | Macha's Three Contradictory Origin Stories
31:17 | The Badb: Crow Spirit and Doom-Prophet
36:45 | At Last, The Morrigan: What Makes Her Distinct
37:59 | Three Distinguishing Features and Cosmic Prophecy
40:18 | Propositioning Cú Chulainn: Rejection and Revenge
41:20 | Global Parallels: Athena, Ishtar and Gilgamesh
43:18 | The Death of Cú Chulainn and the Raven on the Shoulder
48:00 | What She Is: A War Goddess of Love and Combat
51:32 | Reclaiming The Morrigan: Freedom in Reinterpretation

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/Yb15EWQL59M

The Morrigan functions today largely as the supreme dark Celtic goddess, associated with violence, sex, shape-shifting and sorcery: the scary side of female power. This talk is designed to search for her in her medieval Irish roots, in order to explain her modern reputation and also to see if she was once a rather different and more complex figure. It locates her as originally one of five different Irish war goddesses, each with their own distinctive characteristics, of whom she was the most unusual. By doing so it also shows why she has survived as a modern celebrity while the others have been forgotten, but also how those others have contributed to her modern image.

This lecture was recorded by Ronald Hutton on the 17th of June 2026 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

Professor Hutton is Professor of History at the University of Bristol. He took degrees at Cambridge and then Oxford Universities, and was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. He is now a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries and the Learned Society of Wales, and has won awards for teaching and research.

He has lectured all over the world, authored twenty books and ninety-six essays, appeared in or presented scores of television and radio programmes, and sits on the editorial boards of six journals concerned with the history of religion and magic.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/goddess-morrigan

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege

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The British Attempt to Construct a Socialist Commonwealth, 1945-1951

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

To the surprise of many, the 1945 general election led to the return of Britain's first Labour majority government. Labour's 1945 election manifesto declared that it was a socialist party and proud of it. The Attlee government created the modern welfare state and the National Health Service, and nationalized the public utilities. It sought to construct a New Jerusalem, a socialist commonwealth. Why did it not succeed in doing so?

Uploaded 06-12-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britain-in-the-20th-century-the-attempt-to-construct-a-socialist-commonwealth

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Procyclicality Of Financial Regulation And How To Deal With It - Charles Goodhart

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Professor Charles Goodhart delivers the keynote speeche at the 2012 Long Finance event.

Uploaded 20-03-12

Many critics claim that the problem with economics is that it has no theory of value. From early economists, such as Smith, Ricardo and Marx, to later economists, pinning value to economics has proved disputatious. In turn, problems with understanding value reverberate to problems with money, problems with the long term and problems with sustainability.

The full downloadable versions of this and the other parts of the Long Finance Conference are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/into-the-folly-of-value-reforming-sustainable-finance

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The White Knight: Ice - Helen Czerski

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

00:00 // Welcome to the Lecture

Uploaded 28-07-26

00:41 // Fridtjof Nansen and the Mystery of the Arctic
01:14 // Crossing Greenland: Nansen's First Expedition
01:40 // The USS Jeannette and the Trans-Arctic Current Theory
04:19 // Designing the Fram: A Ship Built Never to Be Crushed
08:57 // Why the Arctic Is a Human Place, Not Just Wilderness
09:58 // What's Coming: Physics, MOSAiC, and the Future of Ice
10:19 // The Physics of Ice: Why Isn't It White?
13:16 // Albedo: How Ice Reflects the Sun's Energy
18:08 // Why Ice Floats (and Why That's Bizarre)
19:15 // The Pink Hedgehog: How Sea Ice Makes Freshwater
25:56 // Latent Heat: Ice as Earth's Thermal Buffer
27:29 // Sea Ice vs. Glaciers vs. Icebergs: Know the Difference
30:01 // Arctic vs. Antarctic: Which Holds More Ice?
32:21 // Captain Scott and Antarctica's Moving Ice
39:30 // Modern Exploration: The MOSAiC Expedition
42:10 // What Scientists Discovered Drifting With the Ice
47:30 // How Climate Change Is Transforming the Ice
51:34 // Arctic Amplification and the New Geopolitical Frontier
55:27 // Closing Thoughts: Ice, Choice, and the Future

Watch the Q and A here: https://youtu.be/AZAi7mIdXFw

The polar regions are still some of the most inaccessible and least touched by humans, but they are deeply linked to the rest of Earth. We will cover the history of exploring them, the challenges of measuring this environment, and the current state of knowledge about the ice at both poles. We will also cover the likely future for the polar regions – the incentives driving different actions, what science suggests about the consequences, and coming events to look out for.

This lecture was recorded by Helen Czerski on the 21st of May 2026 at Barnard’s Inn Hall, London

Helen Czerski is a physicist and oceanographer with a passion for science, sport, books, creativity, hot chocolate and investigating the interesting things in life.
She is a Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London and her research focus is the physics of breaking waves and bubbles at the ocean surface. These bubbles change underwater sound and light, help transfer gases from ocean to atmosphere (helping the ocean breathe) and also eject ocean material into the air. She has spent months working on research ships in the Antarctic, the Pacific, the North Atlantic and the Arctic, and is an experienced field scientist.
Helen has been a regular science presenter on the BBC for 15 years, covering the physics of the natural world in BBC2 landmark documentaries (including ‘Orbit’, ‘Operation iceberg’ and ‘Supersenses’), and the physics of everyday life in a range of BBC4 documentaries (including ‘From ice to fire: The incredible science of temperature’, ‘Sound waves: The symphony of physics’, and ‘Colour: The spectrum of science’, along with many others). She currently co-hosts BBC Radio 4’s flagship climate and environment programme Rare Earth.
Helen's first book Storm in a Teacup won the Italian Asimov Prize and the Louis J. Battan Author prize from the American Meteorological Society. Blue Machine won the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing. She was awarded the Institute of Physics Gold Medal in 2018 for her work on physics communication, and an Honorary Fellowship of the British Science Association in 2020. She has been a Trustee of Royal Museums Greenwich since 2018, and was one of the 2020 Royal Institution Christmas Lecturers, giving her Lecture on the topic of the ocean.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/white-knight

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To sup

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The Death of the Roman Republic? - Melissa Lane

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

00:00 // Welcome and Introduction

Uploaded 14-08-26

00:16 // Ovid's Claim: "Caesar Is the Republic"
03:52 // Exile: The Danger of Writing Under Augustus
04:17 // Tonight's Question: Charting Roman Autocracy
05:30 // Tacitus and the Timeline of Roman History
07:34 // Tacitism: Tacitus's Legacy in Early Modern Europe
08:14 // Republic vs Empire: A Terminological Clarification
09:01 // When Did the Roman Republic Really End?
10:04 // Rethinking the Republic's "Fall"
11:43 // Lecture Roadmap: Three Parts
12:56 // Princeps: Augustus's Ambiguous Title
15:09 // "Making the Emergency Permanent"
20:39 // Did Augustus Really Limit His Own Power?
22:21 // The 23 BCE Conspiracy and Constitutional Change
25:33 // Autocratic Legalism: Law as a Tool of Power
26:33 // From Tiberius to Nero: Eroding the Republic
28:46 // Tacitus's Verdict on Tiberius and Nero
32:36 // Seneca, Nero, and the Choice of Exit, Voice, or Loyalty
36:29 // Tacitus as Author: Writing Truth Under Tyranny
42:25 // Agricola: Survival and Courage Under Domitian

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/BwuejjL2Lvw

Did the Roman republic die with Julius Caesar? With Cicero? With the gradual consolidation of power in the hands of Caesar’s adoptive son, who would in 27 BCE receive from the Senate the additional honorific appellation ‘Augustus’? By looking at how imperial rule preserved remnants and facades of republican language and institutions, this lecture will interrogate the ways in which a popular constitution can be undermined and gradually transmuted into a dictatorial one.

This lecture was recorded by Melissa Lane on the 18th of June 2026

Melissa Lane is the Class of 1943 Professor of Politics, Princeton University and is also Associated Faculty in the Department of Classics and Department of Philosophy. Previously she was Senior University Lecturer at Cambridge University in the Faculty of History and Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge.

She studied for her first degree in Social Studies (awarded summa cum laude) at Harvard University, and then took an MPhil and PhD in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, where she was a student at King’s College, supported by appointments as a Marshall Scholar, Truman Scholar, and Mary Isabel Sibley Fellow of Phi Beta Kappa.

Professor Lane is an author, lecturer and broadcaster who has received major awards including being named a Guggenheim Fellow, and the Lucy Shoe Meritt Resident in Classical Studies at the American Academy in Rome. She has published widely in journals and authored or introduced nine major books including Greek and Roman Political Ideas; Eco-Republic; and most recently, Of Rule and Office: Plato’s Ideas of the Political, which was awarded the 2024 Book Prize of the Journal of the History of Philosophy, and was published in a paperback edition with modifications in 2025.

Professor Lane is the only person ever to have delivered both the Carlyle Lectures and the Isaiah Berlin Lectures at the University of Oxford.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/death-rome

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

Website: https://gresham.ac.uk
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The History of the Lord Mayor's Show - Dominic Reid

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 04:51:22 -0000

The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in the City of London, dating back to 1215. This lecture will reveal the fascinating history of the show.

Uploaded 24-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-history-of-the-lord-mayor%E2%80%99s-show

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Apprenticeship in Early Modern London: City apprentices in the 16th and 17th centuries

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

The prospect of an apprenticeship attracted thousands of youths to the guild masters of early modern London. Where did apprentices come from, what became of them in the city, and how did this system impact shape the development of Europe's largest city? The presenters will draw on their recent research to illustrate the economics of craft apprenticeship, and the interaction of this training institution with economic change prior to industrialisation.

Uploaded 01-02-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/apprenticeship-in-early-modern-london-the-economic-origins-and-destinations

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Education – And Its Limits - Daniel Susskind

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

00:00 // Introduction: What This Talk Covers

Uploaded 31-07-26

01:44 // The Remarkable Rise of Generative AI
03:18 // Why "More Education" Has Always Been the Answer
05:57 // Structural vs Frictional Technological Unemployment
07:18 // The Illusion of "Future-Proofing"
08:19 // Case Study: The UK's Mandatory Coding Curriculum
14:07 // Why Future Skills Are Impossible to Predict
16:59 // Preparing for Uncertainty, Not Resolving It
22:22 // Back to Basics and Critical Use of AI
32:49 // Rethinking How and When We Educate
43:19 // The Real Limits of Education

Watch the Q and A session here: https://youtu.be/aJHAgt1iqVk

The most popular response to the challenge of automation is ‘more education’. This lecture argues that, for now, that is our best response. But ‘more education’ must go beyond simply rethinking what skills will be valuable in the future. We must also rethink how we educate – the way we teach has not really changed for centuries. And we must also rethink when we educate – providing people with a fixed set of skills at the start of their lives is no longer enough. However, there are serious limits to education – it is not the panacea that many imagine.

This lecture was recorded by Professor Daniel Susskind on the 26th of May 2026

Dr Daniel Susskind is a writer and economist. He explores the impact of technology, and particularly AI, on work and society. He is the Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College. He is also a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, an Associate Member of the Economics Department at Oxford University, and a Research Professor at King’s College London. He is a member of the UK Government’s Expert Panel on AI and the Future of Work.

His new book, Growth: A Reckoning (2024), was chosen by President Obama as one of his ‘Favourite Books of 2024’ and was a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2024. He is also the author of A World Without Work (2020), described by The New York Times as "required reading for any potential presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future” and a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2020, and co-author of the best-selling book, The Future of the Professions (2015). His TED Talk, on the future of work, has been viewed more than 1.7 million times.

His next book, What Should My Children Do? How to Flourish in the Age of AI, will be published in 2026. And his first novel, The Basilisk Stare, will be published in 2027.

Previously he worked in various roles in the British Government – in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, in the Policy Unit in 10 Downing Street, and in the Cabinet Office. He was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/education-limits

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today

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Musical Endings

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Should a composer leave the listener wanting more, or must a musical ending be definitive? Is a 'fade out' actually a cop-out, and is a decisive ending preferable to an abrupt one? In short, is the object of a musical ending to bring an audience to its feet? And what about false endings? Do they excite or belittle the audience?

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will certainly not be the last word on the subject of musical endings, but it might, ironically, be a start.

A lecture by Jeremy Summerly 2 April

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/musical-endings

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Taming the Trolls of Social Media

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Barely a day goes by without some lunatic assertion on social media. Thinking-people shake their heads, but what can be done about this?

Uploaded 10-06-26

It turns out that there are a variety of scientific and engineering approaches which might be adapted to tame the trolls of social media. In this lecture we will review the tricky alliance between social media, email and the government, and we will present options for the future in which, possibly, the benefits of social media might been to outweigh the negatives.

A lecture by Richard Harvey, IT Livery Company Professor of IT 26 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/taming-the-trolls

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
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"The Pros and Cons of Stable Monetary Value" - Long Finance Panel Discussion

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Many critics claim that the problem with economics is that it has no theory of value. From early economists, such as Smith, Ricardo and Marx, to later economists, pinning value to economics has proved disputatious. In turn, problems with understanding value reverberate to problems with money, problems with the long term and problems with sustainability.

Uploaded 20-03-12

This panel discussion at this Long Finance conference will examine the question of "The Pros and Cons or Stable Monetary Value"?
The panellists are (from left to right):
- Professor Michael Mainelli
- Ben Dyson
- Professor Charles Goodhart
- Marusa Freire

The full downloadable versions of this and the other parts of the Long Finance Conference are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/into-the-folly-of-value-reforming-sustainable-finance

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Mayflower: A London - Leiden Adventure

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:51:22 -0000

The story of the Mayflower is usually presented as a tale of persecuted Pilgrims crossing the Atlantic in circumstances of grave adversity to inhabit a desolate wilderness.

Uploaded 11-06-26

There is another perspective.

This lecture asks not where did they go to, but where did they come from? Who paid the piper? Who called the tune? Who hosted and protected them for years before the voyage, and who taught them the tolerant values that 17th century Puritans usually lacked?

A lecture by Graham Taylor 18 September

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-mayflower

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
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Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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George Eliot and Relationships

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Mary Ann Evans experienced difficult relationships with her family while growing up in Warwickshire, and with nineteenth-century London society more generally after she moved to the city and lived with a married man, George Henry Lewes.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Her seeking of independence in London as a writer (with her later emergence as 'George Eliot'), her experience of rejection, and the widening of her intellectual and cultural life, will be discussed, interwoven with analysis of the deep understanding of relationships in her novels characterised by authorial sympathy and humour.

A lecture by Rosemary Ashton, University College London 25 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/eliot-relationships

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
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Clusters Of Galaxies - Professor Carolin Crawford

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Clusters of galaxies are the largest organised structures in the Universe that appear gravitationally bound, containing thousands of galaxies all confined to a volume of space only tens of millions of light years across. They are laboratories for extreme galaxy evolution, as many of the processes that can change the structure of galaxies are accelerated in such a crowded environment. Clusters of galaxies also provide important constraints for cosmology: from both the way they are grouped into superclusters that trace the 'large scale structure' of Universe; and the fact that their internal properties lead to powerful confirmation for the need for dark energy.

Uploaded 21-03-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/clusters-of-galaxies

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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What Has Einstein Ever Done For You?

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Albert Einstein's mind-boggling ideas revolutionized our view of the universe. From relativity to curved spacetime, from the Big Bang to black holes and gravitational waves, nothing could be further from our everyday experience than such esoteric concepts, right? Wrong!

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture will offer a surprising exploration of the wide-ranging consequences of Einstein's ideas, and how they shape our everyday lives.

A lecture by Roberto Trotta 3 February

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/einstein

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Modern Christian Art: Distinctive Individual Visions - The Rt Revd Lord Harries

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 20:00:00 -0000

As at the end of the 18th century William Blake developed a highly individual style that did not fit easily into the categories of the age, so in our time artists like Marc Chagall, Stanley Spencer and Cecil Collins, in their very different ways, have sought to express an intense, highly personal religious vision of the world.

Uploaded 06-12-11

This lecture is part of Lord Harries' series on Christian Faith and Modern Art. The last century has seen changes in artistic style that have been both rapid and radical. This has presented a particular problem to artists who have wished to express Christian themes.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/distinctive-individual-visions

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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How the English Learned to Hate Catholics

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:00:00 -0000

Medieval England was proudly Catholic and ostentatiously loyal to Rome. But from the late sixteenth century until recent times - and even now - anti-Catholic prejudice has been a cornerstone of English and British identity.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture will look at how this prejudice grew out of the persecution of Protestants in the 1550s, at the idealistic historian who crystallised it, and at the political crises, real and invented, which turned his text into a paranoiacs' charter.

A lecture by Alec Ryrie, Gresham Professor of Divinity 20 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/how-the-english-learned-to-hate-catholics

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Literature and Politics in 17th Century London: Milton and Ralegh - Dr Anna Beer

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 18:51:22 -0000

The contrasting, but interconnected, experiences of two writers: Sir Walter Ralegh and John Milton.

Uploaded 27-10-11

Ralegh was a prisoner in the Tower of London between 1603 and 1616, where he wrote a number of works including the monumental (and unfinished) The History of the World.

Milton spent most of his working life in the City of London, whether as a prolific writer of political pamphlets or hiding in fear of his life at the Restoration of Charles II.

The lecture will illuminate the London communities that radicalised each man and reveal the networks that enabled their political thinking to reach its audience, set against the backdrop of a wider transformation in political culture; the move from manuscript to print and the explosion of publications when censorship was relaxed in 1640.

What can we learn from this interplay between politics and print as we experience our own internet revolution?

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/literature-and-politics-in-seventeenth-century-london

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Leprosia: The Lost Leprosy Hospitals Of London - Professor Carole Rawcliffe

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Today, any mention of the medieval leper conjures up alarming images of exclusion, ostracism and fear, but such ideas are largely the product of the Victorian age, and have only limited basis in reality. By focusing upon the institutional provision made available for victims of leprosy in London between 1100 and 1500, we can explore the complexity of reactions to a disease that might be regarded as either a punishment for sin or a mark of divine favour. We will also trace the gradual impact of medical concepts of contagion and segregation, which developed alongside long-established religious teaching about the vital importance of providing proper care for men and women whose sufferings were widely identified with those of Christ.

Uploaded 19-03-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-lost-hospitals-of-london-leprosaria

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Values And Value In The Marketplace - Lord Green

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Lord Green, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, will speak about issues related to his recent book 'Good Value: Reflections on Money, Morality and an Uncertain World'. The description for which is as follows:

Uploaded 20-03-12

How should we create wealth in societies, and why is it necessary to do so? What improves the lives of the largest number of people? And how do we, living in a globalised world caught in an age of financial and ecological turbulence, respond to the differing needs of individuals and institutions?
Lord Green reflects on how the human desires for exploration and exchange have led us into a globalised, urban world, and considers why it is that capitalism is the best system by which to improve material human wealth. As the world's financial order is in a state of flux, how do we align these drives, and capitalism, with our spiritual and psychological needs? And how should the financial sector respond not only to the current crisis but to the wider needs of the people it serves. Do businesses - and banks in particular - have a duty to society that goes beyond the creation of profit? Does open market capitalism remain our best hope for creating wealth that benefits all of society? Encompassing history, politics, religion and economics, Good Value offers new perspectives on how we can live in a richer, more dynamic world.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/values-and-value-in-the-marketplace

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The End of Matter?

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Black holes give rise to some of the most spectacular phenomena we see in the cosmos. They significantly distort space-time and they grow by stealing material from other stars.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This talk will separate science fiction from science fact and elucidate what we know about these mysterious objects, and how they have shaped, and continue to shape, our Universe.

A lecture by Katherine Blundell, Gresham Professor of Astronomy 20 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/end-of-matter

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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English Architecture, 1830 to 1914: On Top Of The World - Professor Simon Thurley

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Economic dominance brings cultural dominance and the architecture of Empire was, in part, a template for the world. But as the century turned there were already signs of big changes which were to go on to shape the England we now live in.

Uploaded 22-03-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/on-top-of-the-world-1830-to-1914

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Choosing Religious Atrocities in Ireland

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Nowhere in Europe have the wars of religion lasted longer than in Ireland. At the heart of this are two rival sets of memories of atrocities: above all, Protestants recall the massacres of the 1641 rebellion, and Catholics recall the massacres perpetrated by Oliver Cromwell in 1649.

Uploaded 11-06-26

A lecture by Alec Ryrie 1 April

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/choosing-religious-atrocities

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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The Family Court in Lockdown

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:51:22 -0000

How has lockdown affected the Family Court? Gresham Law Professor Jo Delahunty QC chairs a panel of senior lawyers and journalists discussing the issues faced by family courts and by families during lockdown.

Uploaded 11-06-26

How has COVID-19 affected child protection? How have lawyers maintained professional and family links under lockdown? Have vulnerable clients been locked out from Court and their lawyers? Have families lost face to face contact with babies and children in foster care under social isolation policies and the closure of contact centres? What of the pain of permanent loss: is it humane to have " farewell contact ' under COVID-19? Is that happening?

The discussion will explore how the family court is adapting and functioning and how legal professionals are working and coping inside and outside the court.

This will be a frank look at how lawyers are trying to deliver justice to the most vulnerable members of society, especially the child, whether they are succeeding, at what cost, and who cares.

A lecture by Jo Delahunty QC, Lucy Reed, Louise Tickle and Cyrus Larizadeh QC 25 June

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/leadership-lessons-from-lockdown

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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Christ and Evolution: A Drama of Wisdom - Professor Celia Deane-Drummond

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Perhaps the distinguishing characteristic of Christianity compared with other religious traditions is belief in God incarnate in Christ, the Word made flesh. But what might this mean in the context of modern evolutionary understanding of the human as ultimately emergent from simplest life forms?

Uploaded 08-02-12

One way to solve this problem might be to suggest that Christ expressed the divine through his perfect actions in history. This avoids, however, the deeper challenge and meaning of the incarnation as traditionally expressed. Another way to solve the problem is to ignore the challenge of science altogether, and posit that the way we think about Christ is merely connected with different cultural forms. However, this ignores the central place of science in Western culture, keenly felt by the founder of this lecture series, Robert Boyle.
I recognise elements of truth in the importance of how Christ acts in history as expressive of his divinity, and the close connection of Christology with culture. But I also suggest that it is possible to retain a more traditional, deeper understanding of Christ incarnate in a way that is compatible with evolutionary understanding by using the category of drama. Drama is, in effect, a different gloss on how to understand historical theology, the action of God in history. It is similar to narrative, except that drama puts more emphasis on contingency. This is crucial, in my view, as it allows evolutionary accounts that put most emphasis on contingent events to be woven into the theological account, but without loss of autonomy within the biological sphere.
I will also suggest that the drama we see in Christ is a drama of Wisdom, where Wisdom is understood as a theological category expressing God's being and action. Wisdom also expresses the profound nature of the world as created in and through Wisdom. Christ as human and divine expresses, therefore, a drama of Wisdom incarnate.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/christ-and-evolution-a-drama-of-wisdom

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Sir Thomas Gresham and the Tudor Court

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0000

This lecture will explore Gresham's service to the crown during the turbulent politics of mid-Tudor England.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Gresham served three Tudor monarchs, and his career exemplifies the reliance of the Tudors on the intellectual gifts and financial capital of 'new men' in an age of religious transformations and expanding government and warfare. But his public career was dependent on the court itself, and the personal relationships he forged both with the preeminent statesmen of the age and with Queen Elizabeth herself

A lecture by Alexandra Gajda 14 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gresham-tudor-court

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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London's Forgotten Children: Thomas Coram and the Foundling Hospital - Dame Gillian Pugh

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0000

In 1739, Captain Thomas Coram was dismayed at the sight of children dying on the dung heaps of London. These children, mostly foundlings and orphans, were products of a poverty-stricken society where the attitude towards babies born outside of wedlock meant a life of rejection and inferiority. After 17 years of campaigning, Coram managed to persuade sufficient 'persons of quality and distinction' to support his petition to the King to grant a Royal Charter for the building of the Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury.
Over the next two hundred years, thousands of children were brought to the Foundling Hospital by mothers who were unable to look after their illegitimate children. There they were provided with excellent health care and education fit for their station in life before apprenticing the boys to learn a trade and the girls to domestic service.
In this lecture Dame Gillian Pugh, former chief executive of Coram, offers a fascinating history of the first children's charity and charts the rise of this incredible institution. It examines the attitude towards foundlings as illegitimate children over the years and brings us up to date on the innovative work of the charity today, now known simply as Coram.

Uploaded 26-03-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/london%E2%80%99s-forgotten-children-thomas-coram-and-the-foundling-hospital

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Unlocking the Health Benefits of Nature

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Nature's benefits to human health are so well-attested, that the medical profession is now actively engaged in fighting for a clean, healthy environment as a human right and prescribing it as treatment across the world from Shetland to Japan.

Uploaded 10-06-26

So how does being close to nature improve your health and well-being and how can this help us achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 to 'ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages'?

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/

A lecture by Jacqueline McGlade, Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment 12 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/reconnecting-with-nature

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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The Universities: Over Regulation - Baroness Ruth Deech

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0000

A century ago, British universities started to receive government funds. Since then, the universities have increasingly been called on to assist in meeting national objectives, as defined by successive governments, in return for decreasing amounts of financial support. Their independence is threatened and their status is arguably on the decline. How and why has this come about? Have universities failed to attract students from all backgrounds and, if so, what is the cause? How can their vitality and autonomy be restored?

Uploaded 26-03-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-universities-over-regulation

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Why conserve the Cutty Sark? - Richard Doughty

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:51:22 -0000

One of the main advantages of talking about Cutty Sark is being able to say this is a ship which needs no introduction. Richard Doughty, Chief Executive of Cutty Sark Trust, considers why this merchant sailing ship is so highly regarded around the world and why, despite the damage done by the fire in 2007, so much time and effort has been invested in conserving her original structure.

Uploaded 27-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/why-conserve-the-cutty-sark

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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The Rural Past and Urban Histories, 1881-2011 - Professor Alun Howkins

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0000

The Census of April 1881 revealed an England which was a firmly urban and industrial nation. Although the number of 'urban' dwellers had exceeded the rural for the first time thirty years earlier it was not until the 1870s and 1880s that the population was firmly urban and living in large and mostly 'modern' towns. We do not know in any detail what the Census of April 2011 will reveal but what is certain is the England remains an urban, although no longer an industrial nation. However the proportion of the population living in rural areas is now greater than at any time since 1911. These simple facts chart the great demographic changes in England in the last 150 years. However, as many observers have noted, the English imagination has never lost its enthusiasm for the rural.
This lecture will look at that enthusiasm not as one simple unchanging set of ideas but as a complex web of the popular and the elite; the political right and left and the culturally the progressive and the reactionary. By bringing some of these aspects into relationship with one another the lecture will explore the continuing fascination with the rural as a central part of the popular ideas of the past.

Uploaded 06-12-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/a-lark-arising-the-rural-past-and-urban-histories-1881-2011

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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Maths and Voting

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000

We live in a democracy in which we all have a chance to vote. But does voting mean that the views of the majority are truly represented when it can be shown (mathematically) that all voting systems have flaws?

Uploaded 10-06-26

In this talk we use mathematics to look at these flaws and answer associated questions (eg. voting trends and gerrymandering). For a bit of light relief we will see how the same principles work in the Eurovision Song Contest.

A lecture by Chris Budd OBE, Gresham Professor of Geometry 12 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/maths-and-voting

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Can the Law Keep Up With Changes In Society?

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0000

Advances in medicine allow us to sustain life for longer, but at what cost and at whose choice? Why might the court intervene when a devout Jehovah Witness parent refuses a life-saving blood transfer to their child?

Uploaded 10-06-26

Where does religious devotion end and unsafe thought begin? What about cultural and spiritual beliefs that clash with UK 'norms'? Has the law has kept up with the changing society it regulates?

A lecture by Jo Delahunty 30 January

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/law-changes-in-society

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Britain in the 20th Century: The Collapse of the Postwar Settlement, 1964-1979

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0000

The 1960s saw a new course in British politics -- the commitment of both major parties to entry into the European Community, as the European Union was then known, and a conversion to the doctrine of planning. This involved a greater degree of state intervention in the economy, together with the control of incomes and a recasting of the system of industrial relations.

Uploaded 27-03-12

This caused problems which put the authority of government in question. In the February 1974 general election, voters were asked to resolve the issue of 'Who Governs?' Both Labour and Conservative administrations sought to assert themselves against the trade unions. When, in the 'winter of discontent' of 1979, it seemed that government had become too weak to do so, the postwar settlement collapsed.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britain-in-the-20th-century-the-collapse-of-the-postwar-settlement-1964-1979

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

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Everyone Expects the Spanish Inquisition: The Making of Spain's 'Black Legend'

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Spain became a byword for cruelty in much of Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, whether it was the brutality of American colonisation, the tyranny of the Spanish Inquisition or the horrors of the Eighty Years' War in the Netherlands.

Uploaded 10-06-26

This lecture will survey this 'black legend' and ask what made it so enduring - and why some parts of the story, such as the Inquisition's genocidal campaign against Spanish Jews, received so much less attention than others.

A lecture by Alec Ryrie, Gresham Professor of Divinity 25 September 2019

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/spains-black-legend

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Leadership Lessons From Lockdown

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 03:51:22 -0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating. But one silver lining has been the tremendous responses from businesses and individual citizens, as we've realised how even small actions can have a substantial effect on society.

Uploaded 11-06-26

A second is that the crisis has caused us to step back, focus on what is truly important rather than merely urgent, and appreciate gifts we normally take for granted.

This lecture will draw leadership lessons from the crisis that we can apply to life post-pandemic.

A lecture by Alex Edmans 24 June

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/leadership-lessons-from-lockdown

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Sport

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0000

A lecture to mark the publication of Professor Barrow's latest book, 100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Sport.

Uploaded 29-03-12

The book asks the question, "What can maths tell us about sports?"
It sheds light on the mysteries of running, jumping, swimming and points scoring across the whole sporting spectrum. Whether you are a competitor striving to go faster or higher, or an armchair enthusiast wanting to understand more, this is a fascinating read with one hundred short pieces that range across a wide number of sports.
Find out: Why high-jumpers use the Fosbury Flop? How fast Usain Bolt can ultimately run and how he could break his records without running any faster? Whether there is a limit to human performance? Who the strongest man or woman is, pound for pound? Why there are so many different scoring systems in sport? If a 100-kilogram mass weighs more in London than it does in Singapore; what the best strategy for taking football penalties is? What the effect of those banned skin-tight swimsuits are? Why golf balls are dimpled? And, last, but not least, why does the bounce of a Superball seem to defy Newton's laws of motion.
Written for anyone interested in sport or simple maths, the book will enrich your understanding of sport and enliven your appreciation of maths.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/100-essential-things-you-didnt-know-you-didnt-know-about-sport

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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A Global History of the Eclipse of 29 May 1919

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 02:00:00 -0000

THE 2019 BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS / GRESHAM COLLEGE ANNUAL LECTURE

Uploaded 10-06-26

The event will focus upon mathematical expeditions, outlining how the use of mathematics has been instrumental to the success of historical voyages of exploration.

The main speaker, Professor Ana Simões, will discuss A Global History of the Eclipse of 29 May 1919 (6pm). This will be preceded by shorter presentations by Dr Stephen Johnson on Privateer and Mathematician: the Voyages of Edward Wright (4pm) and by Dr Rebekah Higgitt on Mathematical Practice and 18th-Century British Voyages of Scientific Exploration (4:45pm).

A lecture by Professor Ana Simões, University of Lisbon 23 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/eclipse-29-may-1919

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Charles I: The Court at War

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:00:00 -0000

During the Civil War Charles I's court, denied access to its usual country residences, was forced to set itself up in a series of makeshift locations. The most important of these was Oxford which Charles converted into a large and well-organised courtly campus.

Uploaded 10-06-26

Oxford, and a series of other temporary 'palaces', had to be both elegant court centres and efficient military headquarters; these very unusual royal houses cast new light on the key protagonists in England's Civil War.

A lecture by Simon Thurley, Visiting Professor of the Built Environment 6 November

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-court-at-war

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Good Gardeners of Planet Earth? The Vision of Silent Running (1972)

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Are humans fit to be gardeners of this planet? Today's biotechnology companies promote themselves in distinctly utopian ways, but increasing numbers of people find their claims difficult to reconcile with the daily evidence of the damage that technologies like intensive agriculture have done to this planet.

Uploaded 11-06-26

This lecture explores these notions through an examination of the film Silent Running (1972), which imagined gardens in space, in which the last remnants of Earth's vegetation are preserved aboard gigantic spaceships.

A lecture by Jim Endersby 23 March

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gardeners-planet-earth

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show (https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/one-donation)

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Gresham's Law in Economics: Background to the Crisis - Professor Victoria Chick

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Sir Thomas Gresham said that "bad money drives out good". In Economics, bad theory has driven out good. This fact shaped the decisions of bankers and regulators and thus serves partly to explain the crisis that broke in 2007 and whose shadow extends to this day. This lecture will explore key areas in which Economics has chosen to take what Victoria Chick regards as the wrong path and how these developments led to changes in the institutional structure of the economy and the behaviour of its participants that made it less stable and less able to contribute to general economic well-being.

Uploaded 10-05-12

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/greshams-law-in-economics-background-to-the-crisis

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Historical Function of Town Halls - Dr Tristram Hunt

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 22:51:22 -0000

The history of the great Victorian Town Halls of Northern England.
From industrial squalor to civic pride, the story behind some of the most impressive buildings of the North involve a unique mix of economics, grand designs and noble sentiments within communities.
Towns covered include: Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Halifax and more.

Uploaded 27-10-11

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the on the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-historical-function-of-town-halls

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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The Opening Salvo: Beethoven's String Quartet in F major - Christopher Hogwood and the Wilhelm Quartet

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 22:00:00 -0000

A talk and performance of Beethoven's String Quartet in F major, Op. 18 No.1
By Professor Christopher Hogwood and the Wilhelm Quartet

Uploaded 02-04-12

How to be revolutionary without scaring away your public? How to announce yourself as a new broom without alienating the more stalwart connoisseurs?
Beethoven faced these problems when presenting his first six string quartets for publication as opus 18; did he win his public and allay their fears with his choice of opening?
The Wilhelm Quartet presents the evidence.

The Wilhelm Quartet comprises:
- Marciana Buta (violin)
- Charlotte Skinner (violin)
- Daisy Spiers (viola)
- Hetty Snell (cello)

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-opening-salvo

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk

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