Started at the Royal Institution (Ri) in 1825 by Michael Faraday, the Christmas Lectures have been broadcast on television since the 1960s and have formed part of the British Christmas tradition for generations. First devised to attract young people to the magic of science through spectacular demonstrations, they are now watched by millions of people around the world every year.

Drawing on the incredible archive at the Ri, which is packed full of handwritten notebooks, photographs and transcripts, this book will focus on thirteen of the most captivating lectures given at the Ri on space and time, taking a look at what we thought we knew then and what has been discovered since.