We’re proud to announce a new initiative for the 2019-2020 academic year: the Brigh10 lecture series. This stimulating programme of talks will allow pupils to hear at least 10 exciting high-profile speakers throughout the academic year, all of whom are experts in their respective fields. Over the coming months, we will hear talks on academic freedom, politics, poetry, crossword construction, rugby, religious issues and LGBT equality. We hope that encouraging our pupils and staff to engage with such a diverse and varied set of speakers and topics will enrich and challenge our College community.
The series got off to stellar start earlier this term with a thought-provoking lecture from historian Professor Evan Mawdsley, who delivered a fascinating talk on the influence of World War II on the modern world.
Many thanks to Professor Mawdsley. Our next five speakers are:
Alastair Hignell CBE - Monday 30 September 2019
Alastair “Higgy” Hignell CBE is a former England rugby union international and county cricketer. After his sporting career, he became a respected broadcaster and continued his work despite a multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 1999. Alastair is now a fundraiser and patron of MS charities and has received several honours for his work.
Helen Pluckrose - Monday 28 October 2019
Helen Pluckrose is a political and cultural writer and editor of the digital magazine, Areo. Her academic writing focuses on late medieval and early modern religious writing by and for women. In 2018, Helen and colleagues caused a stir by publishing fake academic papers in journals, aiming to expose how easy it is to get “absurdities and morally fashionable political ideas published as legitimate academic research.”
Ed Husain - November 2019 (Date TBC)
After spending five years as a radical Islamist activist, Ed Husain has become an advocate against extremist ideologies. He co-founded the world’s first counter-extremism think tank, Quilliam, and has advised world leaders globally, including former PM Tony Blair. His most famous written works include The Islamist and House of Islam.
Simon Evans - Tuesday 21 January 2020
Simon Evans is a comedian with his own BBC Radio 4 series ‘Simon Evans Goes to Market’. In addition to his comedy, Evans also contributes as a guest on current affairs programmes. He also won Celebrity Mastermind and was part of the comedians’ team on University Challenge.
David Pugh - Tuesday 25 February 2020
David Pugh is a former Conservative politician who led the Isle of Wight Council from 2007 to 2013. He was also the Head of Youth for the Conservatives and advisor to Michael Gove. He now lives on the Isle of Wight and works as a consultant on the mainland.
Many thanks to all of our speakers.
