About Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People
The legendary annual celebration of all things curious and creative returns to Manchester for 2023. Nine Lessons is a variety night like no other.Hosted by comedian Robin Ince and featuring a plethora of incredible (often secret!) guests, expect a night of science, comedy, music and mayhem. From physics to folk, maths to mirth, Christmas to chemistry, and everything else in between. As ever, all profits will go to charity. Previous guests have included Brian Cox, Jim Al-Khalili, Helen Czerski, Josie Long, Sara Pascoe, Chris Jackson, Grace Petrie and Robyn Hitchcock. Who might show up this year....? Robin Ince's groundbreaking creation was born in 2007 and this much-loved end-of-year tradition plays annually to sold-out live audiences each year, pandemics permitting. The aim of the show is to promote curiosity and wonder of the world, and Universe, around us. There is a delight to be found in everything from quantum physics to puppetry to folk music to mathematics to absurdist comedy to poetry to biology to jazz to, well, to everything. The only prerequisite for Nine Lessons is an inquiring mind. As Robin says, ‘If you show people interesting things, they will be interested’. |
Line Up (+ more acts to be announced!)
Night One
- Robin Ince - Multi-award-winning comedian, broadcaster, author and co-host of The Infinite Monkey Cage
- Josie Long - Multi-award-winning stand-up comedian (Short Cuts, Live from the BBC)
- Prof Chris Jackson - Geologist, broadcaster and 2020 Royal Institution Christmas Lecturer
- Prof Chris Lintott - Astronomer and co-host of The Sky at Night
- Andy White - Stand-up comedian and winner of The Weakest Link comedian’s special
- Dr Jamie Gallagher - Chemist, Science Communicator and one of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 175 faces of Chemistry
- Dr Sofia Aziz - Biomedical Egyptologist, Author, Broadcaster
- Jonny and the Baptists - Multi-winning comedic musicians
- Prof Nav Kapur - Professor of Psychiatry and suicide prevention researcher
- Prof Sheena Cruickshank - Immunologist, member of iSAGE and biomedical researcher
- Dr Sammie Buzzard - Climate Scientist and regular news media contributor on climate issues
- Prof Pete Etchells - Psychologist, Author and video game researcher
Night Two
- Robin Ince - Multi-award-winning comedian, broadcaster, author and co-host of The Infinite Monkey Cage
- Kiri Pritchard-McLean - Multi-award winning comedian (Live at the Apollo, All Killa No Filla)
- Josie Long - Multi-award-winning stand-up comedian (Short Cuts, Live from the BBC)
- Prof Chris Jackson - Geologist, broadcaster and 2020 Royal Institution Christmas Lecturer
- Prof Suzie Imber - Planetary scientist and winner of BBC’s Astronauts
- Dr Katie Steckles - Mathematician, curator of 'Mathematics of Life’ column for New Scientist
- Keisha Thompson - Performance artist and Artistic Director and CEO of Contact
- Foxdog Studios - Acclaimed Former IT consultants creating & performing live interactive comedy with technology
- Jim Moray - Singer-songwriter, BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Album of the Year Award winner
- Dr Brenna Hassett - Anthropologist, best-selling author, co-founder of Trowelblazers
- Jonny and the Baptists - Multi-award-winning comedic musicians
- Prof Sheena Cruickshank - Immunologist, member of iSAGE and biomedical researcher
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"An endearingly shambolic, joyful lucky dip of a show”.
The Guardian
“The antidote to the ignorance and unkindness sweeping the world.”
Chortle
Access and Content Warnings
Access
If you have any access needs you want to discuss with us, please call the box office Tuesday to Friday between 12pm – 10pm on 0161 274 0600.
Alternatively, you can email the box office on boxoffice@contactmcr.com, or get in touch via direct message on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram (@contactmcr on all three platforms).
Content Warnings
This show contains mild language, discussions around the topic of mental illness, discussions around the topic of death, grief & suicide, mild audience interaction, and haze (TBC).
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Dates & times
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