Simon Guerrier & Dr Marek Kukula: The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who Thursday 12th January, 7.45pm
The Great Hall, Oundle School, New Street, Oundle
The first official guide to the science of Doctor Who by acclaimed Doctor Who novelist Simon Guerrier and Dr Marek Kukula, the Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
Weaving together authoritative scientific discussion with a series of new adventures by acclaimed Doctor Who writers including Jenny T Colgan, George Mann and Jacqueline Rayner, Simon Guerrier and Dr Marek Kukula explore the possibilities of time travel, life on other planets, artificial intelligence, parallel universes and more. From the dawn of astronomy and the discovery of gravity to the moon landings and string theory, the authors show how science has inspired Doctor Who, and how, on occasion, life has mirrored art, such as the 1989 discovery of ‘ice-canoes’ on Triton which were featured in the 1973 episode The Planet of the Daleks.
Simon Guerrier is co-author of The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who for BBC Books, and has written countless Doctor Who books, comics, audio plays and documentaries.
As research for one of his Doctor Who stories, he studied GCSE astronomy at the Royal Observatory Greenwich – resulting in an A* and the plot for another Doctor Who story. In 2015, Simon was a guest on Front Row and The Infinite Monkey Cage on Radio 4, and with his brother Thomas, makes films and documentaries – most recently HG and the H-Bomb for Radio 3.
Dr Marek Kukula initially wanted to be a Time Lord when he grew up but settled on becoming an astronomer as the next most exciting thing. He obtained his PhD in Radio Astronomy at Jodrell Bank Observatory, then carried out research into galaxies and black holes at a number of institutions including the University of Edinburgh and the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of the Hubble Space Telescope. As the Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich he gives talks, curates exhibitions and liaises with scientists and the media. Marek is a judge on the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition and is also the author of The Intimate Universe, published in 2015.
Doctor Who stories are many things: thrilling adventures, historical dramas, and science fiction tales. But how much of the science is real? And how much is fiction? Come along to the TARDIS, otherwise known as the Great Hall and find out!
£1 off early bird tickets bought before 5th January Oundle Box Office.
Jane Hawking: From Fact to Film to Fiction Saturday 28th January, 7.45pm
The Great Hall, Oundle School, New Street, Oundle
Jane Hawking, Ph.D., is an English author and educator. She is the ex-wife of Stephen Hawking and the author of the autobiography Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen.
Jane and Stephen met through mutual college friends at a party in the early 1960s and married in 1965, despite Stephen’s diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Jane and her husband separated in 1990, and divorced five years later. In 1999, Jane wrote an autobiography about her first marriage, Music to Move the Stars: A Life with Stephen. Jane once stated that there were four partners in their marriage. Stephen and her, motor neurone disease and physics. If you took out motor neurone disease, you were still left with physics.
Jane and her first husband established a working relationship following his separation and divorce from his second wife. In 2007, an updated version of the autobiography was re-published under the title Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, and was subsequently made into the award-winning film The Theory of Everything. It was nominated for five Oscars, four Golden Globes and ten BAFTAs; the film has grossed £77 million worldwide.
Silent Music, written in 2016, is Jane’s latest book. It is a coming-of-age novel about the unpredictable nature of human behaviour and about taking control of one’s destiny; it is a timeless portrait of post-war Britain, as well as a lyrical paean to hope and aspiration. Jane now resides with her second husband, musician Jonathan Hellyer Jones, in England.
This will be a fascinating chance to hear Jane speaking about her life with Stephen, her thoughts about the film, The Theory of Everything, and she will also talk about her latest book, Silent Music.
£1 off early bird tickets bought before 21st January from the Oundle Box Office.
Tickets £8, conc. £6, from the Oundle Box Office, 4 New Street, Oundle, open Mon-Fri 10am to 4pm on 01832 274734 or at www.oundlefestival.org.uk Any queries, call Helen on 07743 988 181 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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