The Christmas Lectures were started by Michael Faraday in 1825 and are broadcast every year to help engage young people with science though informative and entertaining lectures.

Now, Professor Hood will take another peak inside the complex organ as he delivers the lecture in front of a captivated group of local school pupils, aged 11 to 16, many of which will get their first taste of higher education when they visit the University of Bristol on Wednesday [April 25].

Professor Hood, who is Director of the Bristol Cognitive Development Centre at the University of Bristol, said: “Our brain makes us who we are and yet the way it works has been a mystery for much of human civilization.  We all know that we think but not how we think. 

“The Christmas Lectures were a great opportunity to explore how our brains work and just what makes us truly human.  Although it was watched by millions on television, we wanted to make sure that local school children could experience a lecture first-hand, not only to educate them about their own brains but also to engage them with science and what studying at university would be like.”

The lecture, which will be a condensed one hour version of the three-part series watched by four million people, has been organised by the Widening Participation Team at Bristol University.

Doug Jennings, Schools and Colleges Liaison Officer, said: “The Christmas Lectures were a huge success and we wanted to give local school children the chance to see them first-hand. All the places got snapped up really quickly, which is a sign of their popularity.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to engage with the University and to experience the sort of work which goes on here, while also celebrating Professor Hood’s success.”