Speaker

,

Author

Mike Figgis

Oscar-nominated film director, Leaving Las Vegas, Timecode, Suspension of Disbelief

Film director whose Leaving Las Vegas was nominated for two Oscars. He has since worked at the cutting-edge of digital film.

Film director whose Leaving Las Vegas was nominated for two Oscars. He has since worked at the cutting-edge of digital film.

More Videos

A large mechanical spider with multiple arms and fire spewing from its center, surrounded by a crowd at a night festival.

Margaret Boden,George Ellis,Warren Ellis,Joanna Kavenna

Minds, Machines and Magic

Is human creativity no more than mechanics?

A person holds two cameras, each displaying a detailed eye, creating a surreal and artistic effect in a dark setting.

Hilary Lawson,Galen Strawson,Bruce Hood,Marya Schechtman

Life Story

Making sense of the self

A graphic illustration of four raised fists holding a smartphone, a pencil, a microphone, and a pen, symbolizing freedom of expression and communication.

Hilary Lawson,John Lloyd,Stephen Hull,Jonathan Calvert

Story Time

Is objective news an illusion?

A paper airplane made of text flies through a dark, cloudy sky, with fragments of letters scattering around it.

Stephen Frears,Hermione Lee,Katie Derham,Ray Monk

The Art of Life

Are biographies fiction?

An abstract black-and-white illustration featuring distorted human faces with intertwined features and hands, creating a surreal and enigmatic visual effect.

Steve Fuller,Finn Mackay,Simon Glendinning,Sam Roddick,Alison Stone

Philosophy in the Bedroom

Exploring pain and pleasure

Surreal artwork featuring an easel with a blank canvas in a coastal landscape, accompanied by a burning candle and a rock, evoking themes of perception and reality.

The Art of Imagination

Is art the ultimate arbiter of truth?

A silhouette of a man playing a piano, dressed in a white shirt, with soft, dramatic lighting creating an artistic atmosphere.

Joanna Kavenna,Shahidha Bari,Andrew Motion,Lowkey

The Key to Creativity

Do restrictions breed inventiveness?

A hand holds an illustration of human evolution, while a person with a camera stands against a stone wall, blending art and modernity.

Julian Baggini,Dylan Evans,Jasper Fforde,Eliane Glaser

Imagining Reality

Can we create fantasy worlds?

A series of nested frames creates a visual illusion, showing a person with their hands raised, evoking themes of introspection and confinement.

Hilary Lawson,Steve Fuller,Janne Teller,Naomi Goulder

Authenticity, Reality and Being

What is it to be real?

A dramatic landscape featuring a city skyline behind a massive, surreal waterfall cascading off a precipice into the sea, under a cloudy sky.

Terry Eagleton,Terry Pratchett,Antonia Byatt

At the World's Edge

Fantasy, fiction, and desire

A close-up portrait of a young man with wavy hair, resting his chin on his hand, dressed in Victorian attire.

The Doubleness of Oscar Wilde

What's behind the gentlemanly facade?

Portrait of Henry VIII, King of England, depicted with a beard and wearing an ornate hat and collar, showcasing jewelry.

Suzannah Lipscomb

The King's Will

Mystery and death in the House of Tudor

A silhouette of a person stands on the left, with colorful, abstract artistic elements resembling waves and planets flowing from their head, symbolizing creativity and imagination.

Jonathan Derbyshire,Terry Eagleton,Joanne Harris,Paul Boghossian

Strange New Worlds

A new vision of reality

A man with a beard and glasses speaks into a microphone, seated against a colorful patterned backdrop.

Iain McGilchrist

A Spider in the Eye

A young woman with pink hair adorned with daisies smiles as she poses among white and colorful flowers.

Authenticity is a Con

The problem with 'truthful' politics

A man with curly hair and a serious expression speaks at a microphone during a press conference or public event.

Douglas Murray,Elleke Boehmer,Toby Young,Nigel Warburton

Canon Under Fire

A close-up of a woman with outlined sections on her face, preparing for a cosmetic procedure with a syringe. She has a calm expression, eyes closed.

Rana Mitter,Heather Peto,Miles Berry,Julia Long

Mirror, Mirror

Can plastic surgery make you more authentic?

A vibrant, abstract collage of graffiti art featuring bold colors and intricate designs, showcasing urban creativity and street culture.

Peter Curran,Anders Sandberg,Jenny Boyd,Allen Jones

Conditions for Creativity

Does censorship create great art?

A surreal depiction featuring oversized ears with a dagger piercing one, set against a chaotic background of torment and suffering, reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch's style.

Hilary Lawson,Justina Robson,Nicholas Royle,Jim Crace

Myths for Modernity

Fictions and fantasies in an age of reason

A woman in a white top speaks passionately while holding a microphone, with a focused expression and soft lighting illuminating her features.

Nell Leyshon,Jez Butterworth,Paul Kingsnorth

The Old Gods: England's Mythic Past

A man in a suit sits thoughtfully in an interview setting, surrounded by sunflowers and greenery, with a coffee cup nearby.

How to Rediscover Your Creativity

Why blue sky thinking is essential

A dramatic landscape painting depicting a town engulfed in fire, with dark clouds overhead and faint silhouettes of people and animals in the foreground.

Mark Haddon,Jim Crace,Michael Symmons Roberts,Ted Hodgkinson

Dark Satanic Mills

Do our landscapes determine our selves?

A person holds a sign that reads

Taking Humour Seriously

Is humour an essential form of subversion?

A surreal landscape featuring an oversized open book with grassy hills and a child flying a kite, set against a cloudy sky.

Mike Figgis,Jasper Fforde,Lyse Doucet,Adam Roberts

Imagining the Truth

Can fantasy reveal reality?

A close-up of a hand holding an open book, with text visible on the pages, set against a dark background.

Stanley Fish,Renata Salecl,Sophie Fiennes,Linda Woodhead

Killer Stories

Why do we fall for narratives?

A middle-aged man with gray hair and blue eyes, wearing a red shirt and jacket, smiles softly against a neutral background.

Michael Morpurgo,Stephanie Merritt

The Arc of Life: Michael Morpurgo

How reading cultivates empathy

A figure standing against a dramatic sunset, with fragments dispersing from their head, creating a surreal, ethereal effect.

Godfrey Barker,Timothy Secret,Sokari Douglas Camp,Colin Grant

In the Moment

A man holding a small chip close to his eye, with a green and purple lighting effect illuminating his face.

Kevin Warwick,Quentin Cooper,Angela Saini,Luciano Floridi,Eva Aldea

The Fantasy of Technology

Is technology the driver of progress?

A middle-aged man with glasses and light-colored hair, wearing a dark shirt and brown vest, looking directly at the camera with a thoughtful expression.

Andrew Copson,Frank Furedi,Gwyneth Jones,Philip Pullman

The Great Escape

Is fantasy fiction a dangerous crutch?

A dramatic landscape featuring rocky terrain under ominous, dark clouds with a hint of reddish light illuminating the sky.

Frank Furedi,Joanna Kavenna,Jasper Fforde

Visions of Apocalypse

Is the end always nigh?

A young girl in a yellow dress watches as a fantastical creature leaps from a ledge, surrounded by floating bubbles and a serene blue sky.

A Field Guide to Reality

Overcoming the tyranny of realism in literature

Angie Hobbs,Peter York,Polly Morland,Ian Blair

Death of the Hero

Icons for a new era

A woman with curly hair sitting in a patterned chair, looking contemplative and serious. The background is softly lit, suggesting a quiet atmosphere.

Ruth Padel,Jonathan Ree

Verses for Eternity

A close-up of a vibrant red dahlia flower with layered petals, surrounded by green leaves, against a blurred background.

Hilary Lawson,Sean Curran,Imogen Stubbs,Anthony Neilson

The Mirror to Nature

The wonder of the wild vs. our imagination

A man in a leather jacket sits comfortably in a chair, smiling while speaking into a microphone, against a colorful patterned backdrop in a tent-like setting.

Writing the End Times

A woman with short, curly hair wearing a green top and orange scarf gestures while speaking, set against a colorful patterned backdrop.

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

Tales of an Extravagant Stranger

A colorful, swirling representation of figures intertwined, embodying themes of love and intimacy, with decorative patterns and vibrant hues characteristic of Gustav Klimt's Art Nouveau style.

Peter Curran,Doon Mackichan,Malcolm Guite,Frances Spalding

Austen vs Woolf

The female fantasy

An open book with intricate cut-out designs on its pages, showcasing artistic text patterns and textures.

Poetry and the Transmission of Errors

The poetical errors that matter

A man with short hair and a microphone discusses a topic in front of an audience, seated at a table.

Jonathan Derbyshire,Ziauddin Sardar,Giles Fraser,Hilary Rose,Bjorn Lomborg

Uncharted Territory

A man wearing a partially unbuttoned suit jacket speaks in a tent, with colorful patterns in the background.

Lust, Love and the Late Madame Picasso

Seduction, suicide and a courtcase. Godfrey Barker sheds light on Picasso’s final years.

A solitary tree stands in a lush green field under a dramatic night sky, featuring two large planets and swirling clouds illuminated by starlight.

Hilary Lawson,Marcel Theroux,Sophie Fiennes,Peter Watson

Irony, Truth and Reality

Confronting the limits of sincerity

A cartoonish, two-headed cat with red eyes, one smoking a cigarette, against a vibrant red background, suggesting an edgy, rebellious theme.

Our Hopeless Future & Other Comedy

Elderly man with glasses and gray hair, wearing a navy sweater over a green checkered shirt, engaged in a discussion.

Roger Graef,Jerry Rothwell,Hilary Lawson,Susan Richards

Shooting Truth

The Mara Crossing

A man with short, tousled hair wearing a colorful scarf gestures while speaking, seated on a patterned couch.

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

Does Shakespeare’s mystery and magic resonate in a rational age?

A man with short gray hair and a beard, wearing a blue shirt, smiles while sitting in front of a colorful patterned background.

Rhyme and Punishment

Art for prisons

A small, handmade voodoo doll made of gray fabric, adorned with colorful buttons and several pins inserted into its body, against a black background.

Dangerous Virtues

When enticing stories sell shady truths

A man in a black polo shirt is singing into a microphone while standing inside a tent, with wooden poles visible in the background.

Tim McInerny,Nell Leyshon

Order out of Chaos

A man in a leather jacket and scarf speaks to the camera inside a dimly lit corridor of what appears to be a prison.

The life inside with Andy West

Exploring the world behind bars

A vibrant pink skull with an open mouth, set against a black background, emphasizing its intricate details and texture.

Why do we laugh?

The role of comedy in our lives