°×С½ãÂÛ̳

The right to obscene thoughts will be championed by °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Law Professor Stephen Guest, as part of the Lunch Hour Lecture series running this autumn at °×С½ãÂÛ̳ (°×С½ãÂÛ̳).

Professor Guest will argue that genuine freedom must include all manner of thought, including the irrational, the bad and the obscene, and that the recent new offence of possessing extreme pornography has breached this principle. His talk will be held on Tuesday 8 December 2009.

Other lectures that will run this autumn include:

• The new biology of ageing - Professor Dame Linda Partridge (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Genetics, Evolution and Environment) -Tuesday 20 October
• Dhoti, Suit and Trilby: M.K Gandhi and his opponents - Professor Christopher Pinney (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Anthropology) -Thursday 22 October
• Tales of vampires and the undead - Dr Rebecca Haynes (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies) - Thursday 29 October
• Why the courts are as important as hospitals to the nation's health - Professor Dame Hazel Genn (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Laws) - Tuesday 3 November
• Recession and the public health - what is the evidence? - Professor Mel Bartley (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Epidemiology and Public Health) - Tuesday 17 November
• Living buildings: Towards sustainable cities - Dr Rachel Armstrong (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Bartlett School of Architecture) - Thursday 26 November
• The right to obscene thoughts - Professor Stephen Guest (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Laws) -Tuesday 8 December

The autumn series launches with a talk on Tuesday 13 October by Professor Malcolm Grant, °×С½ãÂÛ̳ President and Provost. Professor Grant will discuss the challenges facing universities and how °×С½ãÂÛ̳ is uniquely placed to engage with the major issues of our times.

Notes for Editors

1. Admission is free without a ticket, no need to book. However, entry is on a first-come first-served basis.

2. Lectures are held in the Darwin Lecture Theatre, °×С½ãÂÛ̳, Gower Street (entrance via Malet Place), London WC1E 6BT. Lectures run from 1.15 pm to 1.55 pm.

3. The full listing of °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Lunch Hour Lectures for autumn 2009 can be found at .

4. Journalists seeking more information can contact Jenny Gimpel in the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Media Relations Office on tel: +44 (0)20 7679 9726, mobile: +44 (0)7747 565 056, out of hours +44 (0)7917 271 364, e-mail: j.gimpel@ucl.ac.uk.