Highlights
20th February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
An Evening With Fiona Shaw
In Conversation With Matthew Stadlen
The BAFTA and Olivier award-winning Irish actor and director explores her life and career on stage and screen.
GO TO EVENT11th February 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
Lessons from Women Leaders
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Join former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard for an eye-opening conversation about power, sexism, and the rise of women leaders on the world stage.
GO TO EVENT8th February 2021 - 9:00 pm
Online - EST
Priyanka Chopra Jonas in conversation with Glennon Doyle
In this thoughtful and revealing memoir, readers will accompany one of the world’s most recognizable women on her journey of self-discovery.
GO TO EVENT29th January 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
The Unravelling of America
Wade Davis
As COVID reduces to tatters the illusion of US exceptionalism, anthropologist Wade Davis tells the story of the American century.
GO TO EVENT28th January 2021 - 6:00 pm
Online - GMT
Ten keys to reality with Frank Wilczek
In this talk Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek will present a simple yet profound exploration of reality based on the deep revelations of modern science.
GO TO EVENTFeatured Events
Free Online
Time 100 Talks: Angeline Jolie and Vanessa Nakate
Angelina Jolie
Concerned about her country’s rising temperatures, Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, 23, spent months protesting alone outside the gates of Parliament in Kampala....
25th January 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism
Mariana Mazzucato
Join one of the world’s most exciting and original economists for a powerful new approach for dealing with inequality, disease and climate change....
25th January 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
Jonathan Biss about his new Audible Original, Unquiet
In Conversation With Stephen Fry
World-renowned pianist and leading musical thinker Jonathan Biss joins us with British national treasure and polymath Stephen Fry to discuss Biss’s moving new Audible Original Unquiet: My Life with Beethoven....
27th January 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
Saving Justice
James Comey in Conversation with Dan Abrams
James Comey might best be known as the FBI director who Donald Trump fired in 2017, but he’s had a long, varied career in the law and justice system....
28th January 2021 - 6:00 pm
Online - GMT
Jonathan Franzen on Facing the Facts of the Climate Crisis
Franzen will explore what we can do once we accept the idea that it is too late to ‘save the planet’....
28th January 2021 - 6:00 pm
Online - GMT
Ten keys to reality with Frank Wilczek
In this talk Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek will present a simple yet profound exploration of reality based on the deep revelations of modern science....
29th January 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
The Unravelling of America
Wade Davis
As COVID reduces to tatters the illusion of US exceptionalism, anthropologist Wade Davis tells the story of the American century....
1st February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
A Compassionate Approach to Addiction and Self-Destructive Behaviour
Dr Gabor Maté in conversation with Hannah MacInnes
Drawing on cutting-edge science and real-life stories, renowned physician Dr Gabor Maté joins us to show that all addictions – from drugs to sex, workaholism to shopping – originate in trauma....
6th February 2021 - 9:00 pm
Online - EST
Ziggy Marley
In Conversation With Malcolm Gladwell
In honor of Bob Marley’s seventy-fifth birthday, this glorious oversize book collects more than 150 photographs that celebrate the life and influence of the forefather of reggae and one of the greatest musical and sociopolitical icons of twentieth-century pop culture....
7th February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
Harvard Professor Avi Loeb
Renowned astrophysicist Avi Loeb takes us on a mind-bending journey through the furthest reaches of science, space-time and the human imagination....
8th February 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online
Gamechangers Series – Oliver Stone: Chasing the Light
With Francine Stock
A rare online event with one of the most admired – and often controversial – filmmakers of the last four decades....
8th February 2021 - 9:00 pm
Online - EST
Priyanka Chopra Jonas in conversation with Glennon Doyle
In this thoughtful and revealing memoir, readers will accompany one of the world’s most recognizable women on her journey of self-discovery....
10th February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
Francis Bacon – Revelations
Annalyn Swan and Mark Stevens In Conversation With Belle Donati
With unrivalled access to the archives and the full co-operation of the Bacon estate, critics Annalyn Swan and Mark Stevens have produced the definitive biography of the seminal artist....
11th February 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
Lessons from Women Leaders
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Join former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard for an eye-opening conversation about power, sexism, and the rise of women leaders on the world stage....
12th February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
An Unorthodox Guide to Finding Your Voice
Mary Beard Meets Jonty Claypole
Exploring conditions such as aphasia and Tourette’s, and telling the stories of the ‘creatively disfluent’ – from Lewis Carroll to Kendrick Lamar – join us for a celebration of the merits of speaking poorly....
17th February 2021 - 6:00 pm
Free Online
The Earth Convention: What We Eat and Why It Matters
This fourth session in the Earth Convention series explores the huge global impact of food production on the environment and climate change....
17th February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
Peter Frankopan Meets Ai Weiwei
Stories from the Global Refugee Crisis
The legendary artist and political activist joins the internationally bestselling author of The New Silk Roads for a powerful personal account of the most urgent humanitarian crisis of our time....
17th February 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - GMT
Bill Gates – How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
“It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a problem as big as climate change. But you’re not powerless. And you don’t have to be a politician or a philanthropist to make a difference.” – Bill Gates...
18th February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
The Cambridge Code – A Test To Uncover Who You Are
Dr Emma Loveridge In Conversation With Hannah MacInnes
Drawing on decades of expertise and clinical practice, psychologist Dr Emma Loveridge is here to teach us how to read and interpret the DNA of our own minds....
20th February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
An Evening With Fiona Shaw
In Conversation With Matthew Stadlen
The BAFTA and Olivier award-winning Irish actor and director explores her life and career on stage and screen....
22nd February 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - GMT
The Changing Mind – a Neuroscientist’s Guide to Ageing Well
Daniel Levitin In Conversation With Hannah MacInnes
Sudoku will not save you. Join neuroscientist Daniel Levitin to discover proven and effective ways to keep your brain fit and healthy into old age....
2nd March 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - GMT
An evening with Kazuo Ishiguro
In his first global in-conversation event, Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro will talk about his much-anticipated new novel, Klara and the Sun....
4th March 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - GMT
Recollections of My Non-Existence
Rebecca Solnit and Mary Beard
We are delighted to bring together Rebecca Solnit and Mary Beard in a digital event to celebrate the paperback publication of Recollections of My Non-Existence....
International Highlights
UPDATE
As all talks are currently online only, we are incorporating Unmissable talks organised outside the UK in the UK section so you don’t have to look in two sections. When live talks start to happen again we will revert to UK and International....
Museums and Galleries
Curator Chats Series: The Significance of African Americans in Sports
With Dr. Damion L. Thomas
Damion Thomas discusses experiences that sparked his interest in researching the history of African Americans in sports, and some of his favorite objects in our Sports: Leveling the Playing Field exhibition.
Free Online
New Solutions to Plastic Pollution
Live talk with David de Rothschild
Hosted by leading environmental change advocate, NHM Ambassador and founder of the Voice for Nature Foundation David de Rothschild, the panel will discuss their unique takes on how to tackle plastic pollution, encouraging us all to become advocates for the planet.
Free Online
Marking Time: Indigenous Art from the NGV
National Gallery of Victoria
Marking Time: Indigenous Art from the NGV looks at the persistence of images, signs or text painted or drawn on a range of surfaces in Indigenous Australia, from ancient times until now.
Free Online
I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa
National Museum of African Art
Taking its name from a 1970’s feminist anthem, I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa draws upon a selection of artworks by women artists from the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art’s permanent collection to reveal a more contemporary feminism that recognizes the contributions of women to
Free Online
Illegal to Be You: Gay History Beyond Stonewall
National Museum of American History
The museum marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots with a display featuring objects from its collections that put the history of that memorable event within a larger and longer experience of being gay.
Free Online
Contemporary Muslim Fashions
Smithsonian Design Museum
The exhibition examines how Muslim women—those who cover and those who do not—have become arbiters of style within and beyond their communities and, in so doing, have drawn attention to the variations and nuances of their daily lives.
Free Online
Vikings at British Museum
Bettany Hughes and Michael Wood
Bettany Hughes and Michael Wood present a tour around the BP exhibition Vikings: life and legend. Discover the world of these warriors, seafarers and conquerors, and come face to face with the largest Viking warship ever discovered.
Free Online
The Museum of the World
The British Museum
For the first time ever, discover objects from the British Museum’s collection from prehistory to the present using the most advanced WebGL (Web Graphics Library) technology available.
Theatre, Opera and Concerts
Free Online
Barbican Centre Concerts
Various Artists
Each Sunday and Thursday (from 22 March) Barbican Centre will be streaming a concert from our archive on our YouTube channel....
Free Online
Berliner Philharmoniker
Various Artists
Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall presents a variety of free concerts in the upcoming weeks and months....
22nd January 2021 - 7:00 pm
Free Online
Puccini’s Tosca
Met Opera
Zeffirelli captures the overwhelming grandeur of Rome, as well as the dark undercurrent of decadence and corruption in the drama....
23rd January 2021 - 7:00 pm
Free Online
Massenet’s Manon
Met Opera
As the young ingénue, Oropesa delivers a stunning performance, marked by brilliant coloratura, melting lyricism, and enchanting stage presence....
Festival Highlights
18th November 2021
Royal Geographical Society, London
How to Change the World 2021
Supported by The New York Times
Supported by The New York Times, How To Change The World 2021 is your guide to the future. We bring together globally renowned innovators, engineers, activists and entrepreneurs to share their insights into paradigm-shifting technologies, ground-breaking campaigns, and exhilarating new scientific research....
Unmissable Long Reads
Cartooning the Trump Years: The View from Opposing Political Planets
Matt Wuerker
Corrupt villain or mistreated hero? Liberal and conservative Americans saw two very different Trumps—and so did the nation’s cartoonists.
How Nothingness Became Everything We Wanted
Kyle Chayka
Even before the pandemic, American culture was embracing numbness as an antidote for the overload of digital capitalism. But is it a real escape — or another trap?
The American Abyss
Timothy Snyder
A historian of fascism and political atrocity on Trump, the mob and what comes next.
The Hard Crowd
Rachel Kushner
Coming of age on the streets of San Francisco.
What’s Wrong with the Way We Work
Jill Lepore
Americans are told to give their all—time, labor, and passion—to their jobs. But do their jobs give enough back?
Caligula’s Garden of Delights, Unearthed and Restored
Franz Lidz
Relics from the favorite hideaway of ancient Rome’s most infamous tyrant have been recovered and put on display by archaeologists.
What If You Could Do It All Over?
Joshua Rothman
The uncanny allure of our unlived lives. Imagining our alternate selves can be fuel for fantasy or fodder for regret.
After Pro-Trump Mob Storms Capitol, Congress Confirms Biden’s Win
Nicholas Fandos and Emily Cochrane
A normally ceremonial ritual in Congress exploded into chaos as protesters, egged on by President Trump, forced their way into the Capitol to stop the counting of electoral votes to confirm President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory.
Donald Trump’s Alarming Call to Battle in Georgia
Amy Davidson Sorkin
What exactly was Donald Trump asking the crowd to do when he spoke, on Monday night, at a rally in Dalton, Georgia?
‘I Will Get Up’: A Hard New Year Greets a World in Waiting
Jason Horowitz
Around the globe, people who held on in hopes that 2021 would banish a year of horror are struggling with the reality that the hardest challenges may lie ahead.
Unmissable Podcasts
Israel Story – Ep. 1: Faking It
Mishy Harman and Ira Glass
From our relationship with Ira Glass to priceless antiquities all the way to coveted sick passes – Israeli stories that are anything but real. In our very first episode, the Israel Story team delves into the realm of fakes, forgeries, and mimicry. Three stories, from different periods and places, of people pretending to to be something they are not....
The Portal
Eric Weinstein
The Portal is an exploration into discovery, including conversations with thought leaders....
Revisionist Revisited: A Good Walk Spoiled
Malcolm Gladwell
Golfers everywhere love to hate this episode. Since its debut in Season 2, the subject of golf ignites Malcolm's Twitter feed like no other. Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood....
Normal People, The How To: Academy, The Ultimate Top 100 Classical Music Hits and the Virtual Great Wall of China
Lockdown Culture With Ed Vaizey by Country and Town House
Our Culture Editor Ed Vaizey is finally taking to the airwaves, recording from his bedroom, to give you his tips for staying in touch with all things cultural, highbrow, lowbrow and everything in between....
How to Fail: Mo Gawdat on how to cope with anxiety in a time of Coronavirus
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day and Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer for Google [X], talk about how to handle negative thoughts, how to practise gratitude and the concept of 'committed acceptance', working out what you can actively do to make life better....
Donna Tartt and Rick Stroud
Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas
A rare interview with novelist Donna Tartt, author of The Secret History and The Goldfinch, with writer, producer, and friend Rick Stroud, in which they talk about writing, art and adventure....
How To Academy Podcast
Meet the global thought leaders visiting London's How To Academy to share ideas for changing our selves, communities, and the world....
The Origins Podcast
The Origins Podcast, hosted by Lawrence M. Krauss features in-depth conversations with some of the most interesting people in the world about the issues that impact all of us in the 21st century....
Talking Politics
Professor David Runciman and his colleagues in the University of Cambridge Politics department bring their considerable erudition to bear on the critical issues of the present....
Free Thinking
The BBC's unashamedly highbrow arts and ideas magazine, with conversation and debate at the intersection of politics, culture, and cutting edge academic research....
99% Invisible
Why did Freud choose a couch rather than a chair? Where do fortune cookies come from? Take a deep dive into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world....
The Daily
Ready by 6 a.m. five days a week, this podcast distills the biggest stories from The New York Times into a single, essential, 20 minute listen....
Reasons to be Cheerful
The former Labour leader Ed Milliband and radio host Geoff Lloyd meet the world's smartest thinkers....
This American Life
No directory of Unmissable Podcasts would be complete without the original and the best that public radio has to offer: Ira Glass's world-renowned documentary series, This American Life....
Global GoalsCast
Global GoalsCast is a podcast that inspires and empowers listeners to make the world a better place by sharing the stories individuals, companies, and organisations that are advancing and achieving a more sustainable world....
