Sylvester McCoy, who plays the wizard Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit films, will kick off the series of talks at the Cambridge Union, the university’s historic debating society on 4 May.
The details of the talks are yet to be confirmed, but the usual format is a speech or an interview between the speaker and a Union officer, followed by a Q&A. McCoy, who also starred at the Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who, will open the talks at 7:00 p.m. and he is sure to field questions about his time in the TARDIS and Middle-earth.
Throughout the series, an eclectic selection of well-known names from all walks of life will address the Union. Among them are former Apprentice star and outspoken media commentator Katie Hopkins, Baywatch legend David Hasselhoff, designer Cath Kidston, and One Day author David Nicholls – who also penned Starter for Ten, a romantic comedy about a University Challenge team. The Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors to the United Kingdom will also appear. Bringing the series to a close is Paul McGann, who played the Eighth Doctor in Doctor Who.
Former notable speakers at the Union have included the Dalai Lama, Ronald Reagan, and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
