…Hugh Montgomery from UCL.

Dr Montgomery is a physiologist working in the Centre for Cardiovascular Genetics at UCL. To deliver the esteemed Christmas lectures – first given by Michael Faraday – you have to be something of a character. Montgomery certainly fits the bill.

He was described in a recent interview as ‘an award-winning novelist, scriptwriter, composer and mountaineer’.

He’s preparing to go up a mountain right now. Everest in fact, as part of the Caudwell Xtreme Everest attempt to put a research team on the world’s rooftop. However, the last anyone heard, he was attempting the treacherous ascent from Hackney to Archway.

The Royal Institution aren’t saying what Montgomery will be talking about at Christmas, but expect some impressive slides.