BBC World Service To Air Professor Stephen Hawking’s BBC Reith Lectures

BBC World Service is to broadcast Professor Stephen Hawking’s BBC Reith Lectures, giving audiences around the world the chance to hear his unique perspective on the topic of black holes and what they can tell us about the universe. The lectures will air as two parts on 26 January and 2 February at 1500-1530 GMT.

Professor Hawking will describe the history of scientific thinking about black holes, and explain how they have posed tough challenges to conventional understanding of the laws which govern the universe. These collapsed stars challenge the very nature of space and time, as they contain a singularity – a phenomenon where the normal rules of the universe break down. Black holes have held an enduring fascination for Professor Hawking throughout his life. Rather than see them as menacing, destructive and dark he says if properly understood, they could unlock the deepest secrets of the cosmos.

Professor Hawking says: “I'm delighted to be the BBC's Reith lecturer and to be able to convey the thrill of science to millions of listeners around the world through my lecture. I want to encourage people to imagine and explore the possibilities of science. Both the known, and the as yet unknown.

We should never stop trying to tell these extraordinary stories from science, and I hope my Reith lecture will enthuse a new generation to develop ideas that will have an impact on our understanding of the world and never to be overwhelmed by the task of discovery.”

Hosted by Sue Lawley and recorded in front of an audience at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London, the lectures will also include a question-and-answer session with Professor Hawking.

The programmes will broadcast internationally on the BBC World Service and on BBC Radio 4 in the UK. BBC World Service listeners can tune in on 26 January and 2 February at 1500 1530 GMT or catch up online via www.bbc.com/worldserviceradio

Mary Hockaday, Controller of World Service English said: “Professor Hawking is recognised around the world as one of the most iconic scientists of our time and we’re thrilled to bring his exclusive lectures to our global audience.”

The BBC Reith Lectures began in 1948 and each year the BBC invites a leading figure to deliver a series of lectures on radio. Last year Atul Gawande examined the future of medicine, and other past lecturers include Aung San Suu Kyi, Niall Ferguson, Atul Gawande and Daniel Barenboim.