Incoming University of Leicester Chancellor brings Sky At Night to the city

The University of Leicester’s incoming Chancellor will be bringing a special live edition of the BBC’s Sky at Night show to the city on Wednesday – and free tickets are still available.

Space scientist, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, will be part of the BBC Sky at Night: Question Time panel as part of the British Science Festival, which is being held in Leicester this week.

The show will see audience members pose questions to the panel of experts on the topics of space, astronomy and cosmology. It will be filmed, with a view to being broadcast on BBC Four in the autumn.

Dr Aderin-Pocock, who is one of the Sky at Night presenters, said: “I can’t wait to participate in the BBC Sky at Night: Question Time this year, especially as it is recorded in Leicester, a city with a long-standing reputation as a global centre for space research.

“In 1960, Professor Ken Pounds founded the Space Research Group at the University of Leicester. The first Leicester-built instrument in space was launched aboard a Skylark rocket in 1961 and there has been at least one piece of Leicester-built equipment operating in space every year since 1967. 

“It really feels like the spiritual home of UK space research, and that was a major factor in my interest in becoming the University’s next Chancellor.

“To coincide the filming with the British Science Festival makes it an even more special occasion for me, and I am certain the festival will be an incredible showcase of the scientific work that is carried out here, every single day.”

BBC Sky at Night: Question Time will take place on Wednesday 14 September at 5.45pm, at The Venue, De Montfort University. For more details and free tickets, visit the British Science Festival website.

The British Science Festival is one of Europe’s largest science festivals and regularly attracts hundreds of the UK’s top scientists and speakers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. 

The British Science Festival is hosted by De Montfort University.

The full British Science Festival 2022 programme line-up, including more events run by the University of Leicester, can be found on the website.

Dr Aderin-Pocock will become University of Leicester Chancellor in February 2023. Read more about her appointment on the University website.