BBC Reith Lectures

(Image: Bertrand Russell and W.M. Newton, Editor, BBC Talks Department.)

The inaugural Reith Lecture was given on 26 December 1948 by Bertrand Russell. In a series of 6 talks Russell spoke on the theme of Authority and the Individual.

The Reith Lectures were named in honour of the first Director-General of the BBC, Sir John Reith, to mark his contribution to the idea of public service broadcasting. They allowed a speaker to talk at length on a subject in the "field of thought". The lectures were viewed as highly prestigious by the BBC and repeated on the Third Programme and given a global audience via the BBC's Overseas and Transcription Services.

Russell was a good candidate as first speaker, being highly regarded as a philosopher and known to the public for his appearances on The Brains Trust. The list of people who have delivered the Reith Lectures since they began includes Richard Hoggart, Nikolaus Pevsner, Robert Oppenheimer, Daniel Baremboim, Marina Warner and JK Galbraith. In 2013 artist-potter Grayson Perry lectured on contemporary art.

The Reith Lectures have been broadcast every year since 1948. Transcripts of all the lectures are on the BBC website and many are available to download. In recent years the lectures have been delivered in front of an audience, who then have the opportunity to question the lecturer.