Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People
Encyclopedia
Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People is a Christmas stage show celebrating a view of science. It was first run in 2008 at the Bloomsbury Theatre and re-run as The Return of Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People in 2009, then televised on BBC Four
as Nerdstock: 9 Lessons and Carols for Godless People.
It is organised by the Rationalist Association
and the journal New Humanist
.
It was described by the host, Robin Ince
: "If the Royal Variety Show
was put in a matter transportation machine with the Royal Institution
Christmas lectures
, this is what you'd get".
on 20th December, 2009. The Apollo show was also broadcast in part on BBC Four
, produced by Kaye Godleman. Part of proceeds go to Mustard Seed secular school in Uganda.
The live music was provided by the Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra.
.
The participants were:
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
as Nerdstock: 9 Lessons and Carols for Godless People.
It is organised by the Rationalist Association
Rationalist Association
The Rationalist Association, originally the Rationalist Press Association, is an organization in the United Kingdom, founded in 1899 by a group of free thinkers who were unhappy with the increasing political and decreasingly intellectual tenor of the British secularist movement...
and the journal New Humanist
New Humanist
New Humanist is a monthly magazine published by the Rationalist Association in the UK. It has been in print for 125 years; starting out life as Watts's Literary Guide, founded by C. A. Watts in November 1885....
.
It was described by the host, Robin Ince
Robin Ince
Robin Ince is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage .-Stand-up comedy:...
: "If the Royal Variety Show
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
was put in a matter transportation machine with the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
Christmas lectures
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 general audience, including young people, in an informative and entertaining manner....
, this is what you'd get".
The Return of...
The 2009 show was performed at the Bloomsbury Theatre from the 15th to 19th December, 2009, and at the Hammersmith ApolloHammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
on 20th December, 2009. The Apollo show was also broadcast in part on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
, produced by Kaye Godleman. Part of proceeds go to Mustard Seed secular school in Uganda.
The live music was provided by the Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra.
Line-up of BBC broadcast
The presenter was Robin InceRobin Ince
Robin Ince is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage .-Stand-up comedy:...
.
The participants were:
- Brian CoxBrian Cox (physicist)Brian Edward Cox, OBE , is a British particle physicist, a Royal Society University Research Fellow and a professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at...
- Mark SteelMark SteelMark Steel is a British socialist columnist, author and comedian. He was a member of the Socialist Workers Party from his late teens until 2007.-Early life:...
- Shappi Khorsandi
- Richard DawkinsRichard DawkinsClinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
- Jim BobJim BobJim Bob is the stage name for James Morrison, the London born writer and musician best known as the singer of indie punk band Carter USM.-Biography:Jim Bob was born James Neil Morrison in the city of London, on 22 November 1960...
- Simon SinghSimon SinghSimon Lehna Singh, MBE is a British author who has specialised in writing about mathematical and scientific topics in an accessible manner....
- Baba BrinkmanBaba Brinkman"Baba" Dirk Murray Brinkman Jr is a Canadian rapper and playwright best known for recordings and performances that combine hip hop music with literature, theatre and science.- Biography :...
- Ben GoldacreBen GoldacreBen Michael Goldacre born 1974 is a British science writer, doctor and psychiatrist. He is the author of The Guardian newspaper's weekly Bad Science column and a book of the same title, published by Fourth Estate in September 2008....
- Robyn HitchcockRobyn HitchcockRobyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
- Richard HerringRichard HerringRichard Keith Herring is a British comedian and writer, whose early work includes his involvement in the double-act, Lee and Herring...
- Barry CryerBarry CryerBarry Charles Cryer OBE is a British writer and comedian. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie...
and Ronnie GoldenRonnie GoldenRonnie Golden, born Tony De Meur, is a British singer, guitarist and comedian. He was the founder of the band The Fabulous Poodles. After the group broke up he worked as a stand up comedian as a member of The Comic Strip. From the early 1980s he made many appearances at The Comedy Store and on the...
External links
- Nerdstock: Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People at The Internet Movie Database
- Guardian article
- New Scientist article