Fields of Play

  • Thursday 14 November 2024 | 7.30pm
  • The Crown Hotel | Harrogate
  • Tickets: £18

    Please note all bookings are subject to a £2.50 transaction fee.

BOOK NOW

FIELDS OF PLAY

From Football Fields to Digital Fields to Quantum Fields, get ready for a thought-provoking evening with Robert McCrum, Nick Couldry and Zahaan Bharmal as we dive into the worlds of sport, digital domination, and the wonders of physics.

Our trio of guest speakers will be expertly hosted by writer, journalist and BBC Radio 4 Broadcaster Kirran Shah.

 

Berwins Salon North | Big ideas in intimate spaces

In a world dominated by other people’s opinions, Salon gives you the knowledge to form your own.

Three expert speakers deliver TED-style talks designed to challenge perceptions and change your life for the better. Showcasing the most stimulating ideas in arts, science, and history, each scintillating speaker has the challenge of engaging their audience within a 25-minute set, interspersed with intervals where you can chat, get a signed book from the speaker, or grab a drink at the bar.

Voted number six in the ‘Top 100 Things to do in the World’ by GQ magazine, Salon is a night out that will enlighten, entertain, excite your curiosity and change your life for the better.

Robert McCrum

The Penalty Kick: The Story of a Gamechanger. Join Robert as he shares the captivating story of the penalty kick – a simple idea that changed football forever.

Drawing on his personal connection to the set piece, Robert McCrum will reveal how his great-grandfather’s invention in the 1880s revolutionised the sport, creating moments of high drama and fairness on the field. But this is more than just a story about football – it’s a journey through history, culture and even literature. Robert invites us to explore the broader implications of a rule that has shaped not just the game, but the way we think about fairness, decision-making and risk in everyday life.

Expect fascinating insights and lively discussion, offering a fresh perspective on a game we all know and love.

Nick Couldry

Data Grab: The Battle for Your Digital Soul. Nick will take you on an eye-opening journey into the hidden world of ‘data colonialism’ and how it affects every click, post, and likes you make online.

Drawing direct parallels to historical colonialism, Nick Couldry argues that Big Tech is quietly seizing control over our most valuable resource – our personal data. This isn’t just about privacy; it’s about how your data is being used to shape your behaviour, your choices, and even your future. Nick will explain how we ended up here and, more importantly, what we can do about it.

Prepare for a compelling and urgent conversation that will leave you questioning the invisible forces shaping our digital lives.

Zahaan Bharmal

The Art of Physics: Life, the Universe, and Everything. Zahaan invites us to look at the world in a completely new way, through the lens of physics with a fresh take on how science impacts our lives.

With The Art of Physics, Zahaan Bharmal explores how the most complex ideas in physics, like quantum mechanics and chaos theory, are deeply connected to the everyday questions we all ask: Why do relationships break down? Why is inequality so hard to solve? Why do we make irrational decisions? Zahaan will show how physics can unlock a deeper understanding of ourselves and the unpredictable world we live in.

Come ready for an enlightening and entertaining conversation that just might change how you see life itself.

‘Berwins Salon North is unique, I’ve never lived anywhere that had anything like it. It’s great!’

‘Geek chic’

‘I came away feeling just a little bit smarter – and who doesn’t love that?’

Sponsored by: