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The Best Episodes of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

Every episode of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures!

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic, which have been held at the Royal Institution in London each year since 1825. The lectures present scientific subjects to a

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 8 Episode 4 - Simple Signs and Complicated Communications
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #1 - Simple Signs and Complicated Communications

    S8:E4

    The fourth lecture in the series, 'Simple Signs and Complicated Communications', is considered lost, as there is no known copy of it. If you do have a copy of the recording, the Royal Institution would love it if you got in touch at [email protected] to help us make all our CHRISTMAS LECTURES available for future generations.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 26 Episode 1 - Waking Up in the Universe
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    #2 - Waking Up in the Universe

    S26:E1

    Dawkins discusses the amazing capabilities of the human body and contrasts these with the limited capabilities of computers and other man-made machines. He uses a small totem pole (which is used in ancestor worship) to illustrate the importance of studying our ancestors to understand how we've evolved.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 26 Episode 2 - Designed and Designoid Objects
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    #3 - Designed and Designoid Objects

    S26:E2

    Dawkins' second lecture of the series examines the problem of design. He presents the audience with a number of simple objects, such as rocks and crystals, and notes that these objects have been formed by simple laws of physics and are therefore not designed. He then examines some designed objects - including a microscope, an electronic calculator, a pocket watch, and a clay pot - and notes that none of these objects could have possibly come about by sheer luck.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 26 Episode 3 - Climbing Mount Improbable
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    #4 - Climbing Mount Improbable

    S26:E3

    Dawkins starts the lecture coming in with a stick insect on his hand. He describes with how much details such a being imitates its environment, its almost like a key that fits a lock. He then shows another insect, namely a Leaf Insect, which basically looks exactly like a dead leaf.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 26 Episode 4 - The Ultraviolet Garden
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    #5 - The Ultraviolet Garden

    S26:E4

    Dawkins begins by relating the story of asking a little girl "what she thought flowers were 'for'." Her response is anthropocentric, that flowers are there for our benefit. Dawkins points out that many people throughout history have thought that the natural world existed for our benefit, with examples from Genesis and other literature.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 26 Episode 5 - The Genesis of Purpose
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    #6 - The Genesis of Purpose

    S26:E5

    Dawkins opens by talking how organisms “grow up” to understand the universe around them, which requires certain apparatus, such as a brain. But before brains can become large enough to model the universe they must develop from intermediate forms.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

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  7. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 28 Episode 1 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 1
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    #7 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 1

    S28:E1

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 28 Episode 2 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 2
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    #8 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 2

    S28:E2

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 28 Episode 3 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 3
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    #9 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 3

    S28:E3

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 28 Episode 4 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 4
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    #10 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 4

    S28:E4

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    Director:Unknown
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  11. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 28 Episode 5 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 5
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    #11 - The Cosmic Onion Lecture 5

    S28:E5

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 31 Episode 1 - The History in our Bones
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    #12 - The History in our Bones

    S31:E1

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    Director:Unknown
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  13. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 31 Episode 2 - The History in our Bones
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    #13 - The History in our Bones

    S31:E2

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    Director:Unknown
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  14. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 31 Episode 3 - The History in our Bones
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    #14 - The History in our Bones

    S31:E3

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
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  15. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 31 Episode 4 - The History in our Bones - Innovations And Novelty
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    #15 - The History in our Bones - Innovations And Novelty

    S31:E4

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    Director:Unknown
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  16. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 31 Episode 5 - The History in our Bones - Feet On The Ground, Head In The Stars - The History Of Man
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    #16 - The History in our Bones - Feet On The Ground, Head In The Stars - The History Of Man

    S31:E5

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 38 Episode 1 - Blast Off
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    #17 - Blast Off

    S38:E1

    This is the first in the 2003 series of Christmas Lectures.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 38 Episode 2 - Mission to Mars
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    #18 - Mission to Mars

    S38:E2

    Second in the 2003 series of Christmas Lectures, 'Voyage in space and time'.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 38 Episode 3 - Planet Patrol
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    #19 - Planet Patrol

    S38:E3

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 38 Episode 4 - Collision Course
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    #20 - Collision Course

    S38:E4

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 38 Episode 5 - Anybody Out There?
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    #21 - Anybody Out There?

    S38:E5

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 39 Episode 1 - Ice people
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    #22 - Ice people

    S39:E1

    First lecture in the 2004 Christmas Lecture series 'To the ends of the earth: surviving antarctic extremes'.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 39 Episode 2 - Ice life
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    #23 - Ice life

    S39:E2

    Second lecture in the 2004 Christmas Lecture series 'To the end of the earth: surviving antartic extremes'.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 39 Episode 3 - Ice world
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    #24 - Ice world

    S39:E3

    Third lecture in the 2004 Christmas Lecture series 'To the end of the earth: surviving antartic extremes'.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 40 Episode 1 - The Truth About Food: The Ape That Cooks
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    #25 - The Truth About Food: The Ape That Cooks

    S40:E1

    What did you have for your Christmas dinner? The traditional turkey? A vegetarian meal? And how did the turkey tradition start? What did people have for Christmas dinner 500 years ago? Just how is your Christmas meal turned into you? John takes us on a journey through time from our earliest ancestors, on the way exploring how scientists have come to understand the diets of our fossil ancestors from studying their teeth and bones and how differences in food habits among populations and cultures have arisen. We ask whether our diets today are a result of evolutionary adaptations or chance, and how origins of agriculture 10,000 years ago transformed the food habits of our ancestors as we moved from hunting and gathering to growing crops and keeping livestock. We humans are unique in the animal kingdom because we cook much of our food before we eat it. What has been the impact of cooking both on the range of foods we can eat and on our evolution? In this lecture we learn about genetic differences among populations in ability to deal with certain foods and come to understand why some like it hot, spicing up their food with chillies and other hot spices.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Simple Signs and Complicated Communications" is the best rated episode of "Royal Institution Christmas Lectures". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 12/4/1973. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Waking Up in the Universe".