Public Talks

Online

Stories against the dark

19 Dec 2022

For our final event of the year, join us for a festive treat! Live in person from the Great Room, multi-award-winning author Robert Macfarlane and acclaimed theatre-maker Simon McBurney explore the power and purpose of storytelling when dark times draw near.

Online

Lockdown laws and the threats to our freedoms

01 Dec 2022

Human rights barrister Adam Wagner reflects on lockdown laws, hastily made under a state of emergency, and the recent Public Order Bill, to explore how these laws threaten our freedoms.

Online

How colour changed our way of seeing

08 Dec 2022

Internationally renowned designer Riccardo Falcinelli reveals the surprising history of how colour came to define the way we see the world around us.

Online

100 years of British broadcasting

15 Dec 2022

Broadcast historian David Hendy looks back on 100 years of the BBC and reflects on how BBC broadcasting came to be such a central part of the British Christmas experience.

Online

Viral justice – the big impact of small change

03 Nov 2022

Across structural racism, healthcare inequities and collective healing, writer and activist Ruha Benjamin shows how seemingly minor decisions and individual actions can have a big impact across our lives and society.

Online

Journeys through food, faith and culture

10 Nov 2022

Writer and restaurant critic Jimi Famurewa looks through the lens of food, faith, and culture to explore what it means to be Black, African, and British today.

Online

How we let Grenfell happen

17 Nov 2022

Journalist Peter Apps explores the devastating tragedy of Grenfell Tower five years on. What caused the disaster and what kind of housing policy reform is most needed now to ensure it never happens again?

Online

How to save democracy in a divided world

24 Nov 2022

Best-selling author and journalist Anand Giridharadas introduces the persuaders of US politics, working at the frontline of the fight to change minds, bridge divisions and save democracy.

Online

How our social connections impact our economic mobility

23 Nov 2022

Harvard economist Professor Raj Chetty and Lucy Makinson, Behavioural Insights Team discuss how connectivity, social cohesion and civic engagement can play a role in shaping income equality and economic opportunity.

Online

2022 RDI Address

17 Nov 2022

Jo da Silva DBE RDI, global director of Sustainable Development at Arup will give this year’s RDI Address on building resilience in cities and communities to reduce vulnerability and improve social wellbeing.