Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock will mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures with a trio of truly ambitious, thought-provoking and daring lectures on space – particularly the potential for extraterrestrial life.
You can watch Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2025 online from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.
It’s a divisive topic even within scientific circles, one that pits probability, theory, and imagination against cold, hard evidence. On the one hand, how could anyone maybe maintain the idea that our planet is the only place in the infinite expanse of the universe with the properties necessary to support life. On the other hand, when was the last time you saw an alien?
Thanks to images captured by the James Webb Telescope – not only the most powerful space telescope ever created, but one that Aderin-Pocock herself helped develop – the award-winning William Thomson Medal, Lord Kelvin and Honorary Research Associate at UCL and Sky at night The presenter will search for other “Goldilocks planets” beyond the Milky Way.
Aderin-Pocock will also tip his hat to his predecessors, including Warren De La Rue, Carl Sagan and Kevin Fong, by drawing on the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures archives to discover the multiple ways in which new scientific advances have changed our understanding of space.
Expect to feel old as you rediscover the original props of yesteryear and maybe even a historical demonstration or two.
Keep reading as we explain how to watch Royal Institution Christmas Lectures from anywhere.
Can I watch the Royal Institution Christmas 2025 lectures for free?
Yes. UK viewers can watch Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2025 Free on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. Anyone can connect for free via the Royal Institution YouTube channel.
Outside the UK this festive period? To use NordVPN to unblock your free streams.
How to watch the Royal Institution Christmas 2025 lectures from anywhere
If you want to watch the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures but you’re not at home and access to the show is geo-blocked, you can still use a VPN to access it (assuming you’re not violating the broadcaster’s terms and conditions, of course). You might be surprised how simple it is to do.
Use one of best VPNs look Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2025 from anywhere:
How to watch the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2025 in the UK
In the United Kingdom, the 2025 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are presented for FREE on BBC Four.
Conference 1, Destination Moonpremieres on television at 7 p.m. GMT on Sunday December 28; Conference 2, Research in the solar systempremieres on television at 7 p.m. Monday, December 29; Conference 3, To the stars and beyondpremieres on television at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30.
However, the entire work of Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock Is there life beyond Earth? the series will be available for streaming on the BBC iPlayer streaming service on Sunday, December 28.
All you need is an account, a TV license and a UK postcode (eg HA9 0WS). Register here.
Outside the UK? Use a VPN to access all the content you normally stream at home.
How to watch the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2025 in the US, Canada and Australia
All three Royal Institution Christmas Lectures with Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock will be available for free on the Royal Institution YouTube channel from Sunday December 28.
Far from home? Use a VPN to access all the content you might normally stream.
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