Jim Al-Khalili and John Lloyd – DAML 2023

The annual Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture is a tribute to the author of the legendary Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the Founding Patron of Save the Rhino International.

This year it was an evening of science, exploration, imagery and comedy featuring a double bill of Professor Jim Al-Khalili and TV producer John Lloyd.

Jim talked about the nature of infinity, time and space, answering questions you always wanted, but were afraid to ask. John reflected on his life and career in his trademark witty and insightful style through the lens of the hilarious but tiny book The Meaning of Liff, which he had co-written with Douglas Adams.

Jim and John were joined on stage by Jon Taylor, Managing Director of Save the Rhino International, who introduced guests to the world of rhino conservation. The evening was hosted by writer, comedian and serial Douglas’s fan Rachel Wheeley.

Jim Al-Khalili OBE FRS is a theoretical physicist at the University of Surrey, where he holds a Distinguished Chair in physics as well as a university chair in public engagement in science. A prominent author, he has written 14 books on popular science and the history of science, between them translated into twenty-six languages. Jim’s latest book, The World According to Physics, was shortlisted for the Royal Society Book Prize. Jim is a regular presenter of TV science documentaries, such as the Bafta-nominated Chemistry: a Volatile History, and he hosts the long-running weekly BBC Radio 4 programme, The Life Scientific.

John Lloyd is a television and radio comedy producer, broadcaster and writer. He is best known for starting The News Quiz, To The Manor Born, Not the Nine O’Clock News, Spitting Image, Blackadder, and QI. He also co-wrote the last two episodes of the first series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with Douglas, and brought the show to television. John currently hosts BBC Radio 4’s The Museum of Curiosity, which has just finished its 17th series.