The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures have been inspiring children and adults alike since 1825.
The Christmas Lectures were initiated by Michael Faraday at a time when organised education for young people was scarce. He presented 19 series of Christmas Lectures himself, establishing an exciting new venture of teaching science to young people.
The Christmas Lectures have continued annually since the 1825 series, stopping only during World War II. Many world-famous scientists have given the lectures including Baroness Susan Greenfield, David Attenborough and George Porter. A list of all the past Christmas Lecturers since the 1825 inception of the series is available as a pdf. The RI Christmas Lectures have been aired on television since 1966.
Prof Frank James has also produced a collection of essays on the Christmas Lectures, Christmas at the Royal Institution.
Coming soon, some treats from the archive. A 'making of' video recorded during the 1996 Christmas Lectures (given by Prof Nancy Rothwell)and an image archive of the Christmas Lectures through the ages.
Video archive of the lectures
You can enjoy many of the lectures again by watching them free of charge from our webcast archive.