Chiswick Student To Star In BBC Christmas Lectures

Helping to mark the 80th anniversary since the first broadcast of the science lectures

Oisin Sadek helping out with the demo for the BBC show

A teenager from Chiswick will be starring in the annual Christmas Lectures, presented by the Royal Institution and televised as part of the BBC’s Christmas content.

Oisin Sadek, aged 12 who attends Thomas London day school in Battersea, attended the filming of the third of three historic science and engineering lectures in London on Thursday 15 December and supported the lecturer, Saiful Islam, with an exciting demonstration for the show.

This year, the Christmas Lectures will describe something invisible that drives everything around us, from our bodies to mobile phones, from aeroplanes to all the stars in the universe… ENERGY. It cannot be created or destroyed, it just transforms from one form to another – the challenge is whether we can harness and use it for our own purposes when it changes from one form to another. The three Lectures will take us on an incredible journey through these powerful transformations to inspire the next-generation of scientists.

The lectures will be broadcast as part of the BBC’s Christmas schedule on BBC Four at 8pm on the 26, 27 and 28 of December. Oisin helped Saiful to demonstrate to the audience how many AA batteries it would take to power your mobile phone for a whole year. Oisin’s demo forms part of the third programme called ‘Fully Charged’ which will appear on screen on 28 December.

He commented,“I thought the lecture was really interesting, and the demos were cool and fun to do. Being a volunteer was scary but also quite nice and fun. My favourite part of the lecture was when they exploded a big balloon full of hydrogen!”

Presenter Saiful Islam said “I would like to ignite a spark of excitement and a deeper understanding of energy. I also want children to understand that the pursuit of science is the proper way to unravel the mysteries of the world around us and is full of beauty and exciting discovery.

“And for viewers of all ages, I’d like people to understand that materials chemistry plays a crucial role in developing new, clean energy technologies, one of the biggest challenges facing our society today.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to inspire and inform a wider audience about materials for energy. Hopefully they will help to create a further buzz about chemistry and the global energy challenge.”

Filmed in front of a live audience in the iconic theatre at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, the original idea for science and engineering events for children was pioneered by Michael Faraday in 1825. They were first broadcast on national television in 1936, making this year the 80th anniversary and the Christmas Lectures the world’s oldest televised science series.

This year marks the 80th anniversary since the BBC first broadcast the Christmas Lectures on TV. To celebrate, chemist Professor Saiful Islam explores a subject that the lectures’ founder – Michael Faraday – addressed in the very first Christmas Lectures – energy. In his first lecture, Saiful investigates one of the most important challenges facing humankind – how to generate energy without destroying the planet in the process. As part of the celebrations, Saiful invites former Christmas Lecturers to join him on stage, and repeats some of the most exciting (and dangerous) experiments and demonstrations from the past.

The Royal Institution’s (RI) purpose is to harness science for the maximum benefit of society. Home to eminent scientists such as Michael Faraday, Humphry Davy and Kathleen Lonsdale, its discoveries have helped to shape the modern world. Just as importantly these scientists recognised the importance of sharing their work with the wider public.

Today it continues its mission as a registered charity providing science education and heritage activities for people of all ages and backgrounds across the UK and around the world. These activities include the world-famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES; public talks from the world's greatest thinkers in its historic lecture theatre; a national programme of Ri Masterclasses for young people in mathematics, engineering and computer science; hands-on science workshops in its L'Oréal Young Scientist Centre; animations and films from its award-winning Ri Channel and the preservation of its scientific legacy through the Faraday Museum and archival collections.


December 21, 2016