The future of AI, the ethics of satire, and why planets are spherical... just three topics at Gresham College over the coming months.
Gresham College is one of London's oldest institutions. It's put on public lectures since 1597, and is still going strong four-and-a-quarter centuries later.
Lectures here are free and for everyone — you don't even need to book. Just turn up to hear about every topic under the sun... and beyond.
They've got around 30 events lined up for the first quarter of 2026, all of which feature eminent experts explaining complicated topics for the general public. The season kicks off with Prof Daniel Susskind exploring the economics of AI (13 Jan), followed by Prof Milton Mermikides on the parallels between the colour spectrum and music (14 Jan), and Prof Clive Stafford Smith on the legal lessons learned from the 21st century turmoil in Afghanistan (15 Jan).
Most events run at Barnard's Inn Hall, right next to Chancery Lane station. The hall dates from the Tudor period, including 16th century panelling, so you'll also get a dose of history with each lecture.
Eclectic topics coming up over the next quarter include (and this is just a selection):
- The 200th anniversary of Constable's 'The Cornfield' (20 Jan)
- Why do we grieve? (21 Jan)
- Ocean of Air - what is the atmosphere? (22 Jan)
- Mithras (28 Jan)
- Alien Earths (4 Feb)
- The photography of Lee Miller (10 Feb)
- Climate risk and insurance (18 Feb)
- The ethics of satire (26 Feb)
- The shape of gravity (3 Mar)
- The death of Athenian democracy (12 Mar)
- The universe's 100th birthday (centenary of the discovery of further galaxies) (18 Mar)
- The rise of deepfakes and online deception (24 Mar)
The full programme, including lectures for later in 2026, can be found on Gresham's website.
If you can't make it to Holborn, then you can also watch for free at home. All lectures are streamed live, and archived on the college's website.
