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Talk 200: Lecture and podcast series
A lecture and podcast series to mark our bicentenary: 200 years of making a difference.
Introduction
Discover Talk 200
We’re reflecting on our past, celebrating our present and looking to the future – and Talk 200 invites listeners to be part of the journey.
Released throughout 2024, the series comprises four in-person and live-streamed lectures, and six recorded podcast episodes.
Guests include pioneering academics and notable figures, inspiring staff, alumni and students; and topics cover health, digital and AI, climate change, equality and justice, and much more.
All lectures and podcast episodes are also available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Series trailer
Watch our trailer for a glimpse of Talk 200 in action.
A stellar lineup of experts from across our University community discuss the biggest topics of the day.
Lecture series
Health inequalities past, present and future
Professor Sir Chris Whitty considers the main drivers of inequalities and disparities in health, how these have changed over time and why addressing them remains a major public health priority.
Watch and listen : Health inequalities past, present and future
The limits to equality – access to justice and scandal
University of Manchester Chancellor Nazir Afzal examines inequalities in access to justice and how treatment in the legal system could be made fairer for all.
Watch and listen : The limits to equality – access to justice and scandal
The unmaking of everything
Professor Mike Shaver, Professor of Polymer Science and Director of Sustainable Futures, places a focus on plastics and asks: how can we address the sustainability challenges of our material world?
Access and success: 200 years of removing barriers from education
Professor April McMahon and panelists Professor Duncan Ivison, Naa Acquah and William McArthur discuss the University’s legacy and ongoing commitment to addressing the removal of barriers from access to education.
Watch and listen : Access and success: 200 years of removing barriers from education
Podcast series
Talking together
Our podcast host is Manchester aficionado, author and University of Manchester alumnus Andy Spinoza.
Andy is joined by a diverse line-up of guests from across our University community, discussing the past, present and future of today's biggest topics.
Talking energy and climate change: “We don’t have hundreds of years to sort this out”
Professor Alice Larkin, Dr Aneeqa Khan and Geography student Aidan Rhode discuss the solutions needed to address climate change and global energy challenges, now and in the future.
Talking innovation: It’s in Manchester’s DNA
Professors Richard Jones and Aline Miller discuss Manchester’s pioneering spirit through the ages and current and future landscapes for innovation, economy and commercialisation – here and beyond.
Watch and listen : Talking innovation: It’s in Manchester’s DNA
Talking fairness and equality: “We’re not moving fast enough”
Professor Colette Fagan, Aisha Akram and George Obolo discuss fairness and equality, the importance of diversity and inclusion in higher education and more broadly in society, and how we might improve it moving forward.
Watch and listen : Talking fairness and equality: “We’re not moving fast enough”
Talking health innovation: Manchester as a living lab
Professor Alejandro Frangi, Dr Louise Hunter and Raluca-Elena Valcescu discuss the challenges and inequalities around health – and the groundbreaking research and innovations striving to address them.
Watch and listen : Talking health innovation: Manchester as a living lab
Talking digital and AI: An interdisciplinary approach
Dr Riza Batista-Navarro, Dr Mauricio Álvarez and Dr Filip Bialy discuss the always-evolving fields of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) – and Manchester’s important role in their past, present and future.
Watch and listen : Talking digital and AI: An interdisciplinary approach
Talking creative and culture: Manchester’s “anthropological soup”
Professor John McAuliffe, Professor Caroline Bithell and Keisha Thompson discuss Manchester’s role as a thriving hub of creativity and culture – and how we can protect it moving forward.
Watch and listen : Talking creative and culture: Manchester’s “anthropological soup”
Keepsake cabinet
Our podcast guests were asked what object they would add to a virtual time capsule.
Discover which items – and the fun, poignant and remarkable stories behind them – comprise the Talk 200 'Keepsake cabinet'.