Sheldonian Series

The Sheldonian Series continued on Wednesday 20 May with a panel discussion delving into the questions surrounding the power of satire. 

Read our news story here.

Panellists:

Ella Baron is a political cartoonist for The Guardian, also featured regularly by The Times. An Arts Council-supported artist, she's held residencies at the Sir John Soane's Museum and The London Library. Ella has worked with Médecins Sans Frontières in Ukraine, Lebanon and South Sudan on illustration projects about trauma and hope. Her debut graphic novel, Interface- a social satire about connection in a fractured near-future world- will be published by Virago in 2028. An exhibition of Ella’s political cartoons opens at The Schwarzman Centre, Oxford in January 2027. A Merton College, Oxford graduate, Ella began her career drawing for Cherwell.

Andrew Hunter Murray is a broadcaster and writer from London. He writes jokes and journalism for Private Eye magazine, presents the Eye's podcast Page 94, hosts BBC Radio 4's Friday night comedy The Naked Week, and co-hosts the podcast No Such Thing As A Fish. His novels include The Last Day, A Beginner's Guide To Breaking And Entering and his latest, Bad Deeds. He read English at Keble a long time ago and spent all his free time doing improvised comedy, which is how he got into his current line of work.

Jan Ravens is one of the UK’s leading impressionists, known for her sharp satire and acclaimed mimicry. A long-standing star of BBC Radio 4’s Dead Ringers, her Theresa May impression gained viral popularity. She is a regular on programmes including Just a Minute and I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, and has appeared widely across radio, television, and theatre. Her stage work includes the RSC and Chichester Festival Theatre. Ravens has also toured solo and with Rory Bremner, and recently completed a Dead Ringers live tour.

The discussion was moderated by Professor William Whyte, and the event concluded with a satirical sketch performance by student comedian Foo.
 

The Sheldonian Series continued on Wednesday 4 February 2026 with a panel discussion on 'The Power of Activism'. Read our news story of the event here.

From climate change to democracy to peace, has activism failed? Or has our world been shaped by activism in more ways than we recognise? What role should activism play in contemporary society?

Contributors on the evening:

• Professor Federica Genovese - Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Oxford
• Dr Munira Mirza - Chief Executive, Civic Future
• Dominique Palmer - Climate Justice Activist, Youth Climate Justice Fund
• Shermar Pryce - President (Communities and Common Rooms), Student Union, University of Oxford

With pre-recorded contributions from:

• Baroness Shami Chakrabarti CBE - Labour peer, House of Lords, and former director of human rights advocacy group Liberty

The conversation was moderated by Dr Julius Grower, Associate Professor of Law and Ann Smart Fellow in Law and Tutor at St Hugh’s College.

The first event of the series for this academic year took place on Tuesday 21 October 2025. The panel discussed 'Cancel Culture' - whether cancellation a threat to free expression, or a necessary means of accountability. You can view a recording of the event below or read the news story here.

Panellists

• David Isaac (moderator) - Provost of Worcester College
• Sunder Katwala - Director of the British Future think tank
• Helen Mountfield KC - Principal of Mansfield College and trustee for Index on Censorship
• Zoe Williams - Journalist, columnist and author at The Guardian
• Lord Young of Acton - General Secretary of the Free Speech Union and Conservative peer

The third event in the series took place on Tuesday 13 May 2025. A recording of the event is available to watch below. You can read the news story here.

Speakers

• Moderator: Richard Ovenden, OBE, Bodley’s Librarian and the Helen Hamlyn Director of the University Libraries, Head of Gardens, Libraries, & Museums (GLAM), University of Oxford;
• Panellist: Mitali Mukherjee, Director of the Reuters Institute, University of Oxford;
• Panellist: Professor Kimberley Johnson, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University and Winant Visiting Professor of American Government, University of Oxford;
• Panellist: Fraser Nelson, journalist at The Times newspaper and columnist and editor of The Spectator from 2009-2024.

The second event in the series took place on Tuesday 11 February 2025. A recording of the event is available to watch below. You can read the news story about the event here.

Host

• Professor Irene Tracey, CBE, FRS, FMedSci

Speakers

• Professor Jayne Birkby, Associate Professor of Exoplanetary Science
• Rev Canon Prof Luke Bretherton, Regius Professor of Moral & Pastoral Theology
• Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt FRS FREng, Principal of Jesus College and Professorial Research Fellow in Computing Science

The inaugural event in the series took place on Monday 25 November 2024.

Read our news story: Sheldonian Series launches with an energetic and open exchange of views on 'Democracy'.

Moderator

• Rachel Sylvester, Political Columnist at The Times

Speakers

• Henry Zeffman, BBC Chief Political Correspondent
• Sonia Sodha, Chief Leader Writer and a Columnist at the Observer
• Professor Ben Ansell, Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions
• Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America and former Director of Policy Planning at the US State Department
• Professor Simon Johnson, Nobel Prize winner in Economics Sciences