Contrary to much opinion, the current scene of faith-related art is very much alive. There are new commissions for churches and cathedrals, a number of artists pursue their work on the basis of a deeply convinced faith, and other artists often resonate with traditional Christian themes, albeit...

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How do the real Crackers operate and how successful are they? Intuitive approaches to criminal profiling capture the imagination but actuarial methods are often more effective. The new science of geographical profiling is described and how it has helped to "crack" certain famous cases.

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Robbert Dijkgraaf's focus is on string theory, quantum gravity, and the interface between mathematics and particle physics, bringing them together in an accessible way, looking at sciences, the arts and other matters.

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Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op. 18 No.1
With the Wilhelm Quartet
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...

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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...

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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.
The book asks the question, "What can maths tell us about sports?"...

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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?

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he 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. 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.

This is a part of the lecture series Britain in the Twentieth Century: Progress and Decline.

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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....

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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...

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