The alchemists were a mysterious group of medieval scientists who believed their knowledge of chemistry gave them magical powers. They could summon fire, produce mystical potions and even tried to turn metals into gold. Their magnificent feats enthralled kings and commoners alike, but they never revealed their secrets.
Today's chemists can perform equally impressive feats, but they do so to explain and explore the extreme frontiers of our material world.
Dr Peter Wothers is the Modern Alchemist and in this year's Christmas Lectures he unpicks the chemistry of the world around us - looking at Air, Water and Earth - three of the original ancient Greek 'elements' that tantalised alchemists for centuries…
In his first Christmas Lecture, Dr Peter Wothers explores what the alchemists knew about the air we breathe and reveals how our modern knowledge of these elements can be used to control fire, defy gravity and harness the power of a lightning storm.
Peter is joined by the cast of the musical Loserville and is be helped in his exploration of the 118 modern elements by a periodic table made from audience members at the Royal Institution.
Medieval alchemists wrote of a mysterious fountain of youth, whose waters could rejuvenate the anyone who drank them. But can water really be magical? In his second Christmas Lecture, Dr Peter Wothers drinks from the fountain and finds out whether the elements lurking in the water can restore his youth. Along the way he discovers how exploding balloons could solve the energy crisis, how water contains the remains of the most violent reactions on Earth and that the real secret to eternal youth might be drinking no water at all.
Peter is joined in his quest by Paralympic champion cyclist Mark Colbourne and finds out what happens when the two most reactive elements on the periodic table, caesium and fluorine meet each other.
For centuries alchemists have tried to turn base metals into gold. But is such a feat even possible? In his final Christmas Lecture, Dr Peter Wothers explores the elements within the earth and discovers just how difficult it is for chemists to extract the planet’s greatest treasures. He discovers how our knowledge of the elements can allow us to levitate, turn carbon dioxide into diamonds and maybe, just maybe, turn lead into gold.
Peter is joined by Nobel prize-winning chemist Professor Sir Harry Kroto and together they find out whether a member of the audience is worth their weight in gold and what happens when you set fire to a diamond.
| Executive Producer | David Dugan |
| Series Producer | Joe Myerscough |
| Director | David Coleman |
| Assistant Producer | Chloe Seddon |
| Researcher | Fiona Leaper |
| Production Manager | Victoria Wilson |
| Production Co-Ordinator | Claire Pocock |