BDA Students Blast Off at the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
Thursday 15 January 2026
We are delighted to thank the Royal Institution for donating tickets that allowed a group of young people from Upward Bound Metropolitan to attend the recording of the 2025 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in December 25. The visit was supported by BDA Trustee Marlon James-Edwards, who leads the Upward Bound Metropolitan initiative and selected 10 young people from the programme to take part in this memorable experience.
First launched in 1825, the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are one of the world’s longest-running and most loved science programmes, bringing big ideas to life for young audiences. This year’s series marked a special 200th anniversary and was presented by dyslexia advocate, space scientist and broadcaster Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, with support from CGI UK. The lectures are now available to watch on BBC iPlayer (UK) and YouTube (rest of the world).
Across three engaging episodes, Dame Maggie took viewers on a journey through the universe, exploring the search for extra-terrestrial life, cutting-edge space technology, and the science helping us better understand our place in the cosmos.
Dame Maggie has spoken openly about being dyslexic and the importance of recognising different ways of thinking within science and education.
Reflecting on the visit, Marlon James-Edwards said:
“My colleague Lydia Banjo and I had the honour of escorting 10 selected students from our Upward Bound Saturday School to the Royal Institution’s BBC Christmas Science special with Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock on behalf of the British Dyslexia Association.
It was extremely inspirational for our young people to see a BBC recording in action and even better to meet Dame Maggie. She was very caring and encouraging to our Upward Bound students and had so much wisdom to share about being dyslexic and how it has helped her in her career.
This experience has helped them realise what is possible in the world of science, despite barriers.”
Upward Bound Metropolitan is an educational program to support the academic and social development of young people in Islington secondary schools. It is funded by The Dame Alice Owen Foundation, with support from London Metropolitan University, Friends of Upward Bound, and Islington Council.