The 10 Best Lecture Series

1. Intelligence Squared

£25, intelligencesquared.com

Possibly the world's premier debating forum, Intelligence Squared pull in the biggest names with the sharpest minds around.

2. Do Lectures

dolectures.com

Do is all about interesting people. Past topics have included: an ode to a bicycle, trusting in the things you love, and doing things the long, hard way.

3. Gifford Lectures

Free online, ed.ac.uk

The Gifford Lectures at Edinburgh University were started in the 19th century as a means to advance philosophical and theological thought.

4. Courtauld

Free, courtauld.ac.uk

A couple of times a week, you can join art researchers for a 15-minute talk on their favourite work in the sumptuous collection.

5. Ulster Museum

Free, nmni.com

Ulster Museum has talks on The Golden Age of Dutch Painting, Irish and Street art. On Sunday the lectures acquire a more political focus.

6. Royal Academy of Arts

£15, royalacademy.org.uk

The RA's strength in lectures comes in architectural history. Expect the likes of Stephen Poliakoff lecturing on the Natural History Museum.

7. LSE Burning Issues

Free, lse.ac.uk

This mini series of lectures does exactly what it says on the tin, discussing topics from the right to die, to parasites in the developing world.

8. TED.com

Free, ted.com

The famous lecture series' website has become a behemoth, with more than a thousand videos on a massive range of topics.

9. Royal Geographic Society

Prices vary, rgs.org

The RGS's talks are a treat. Be sure to keep your eye out for club president Michael Palin's "Michael Meets..." series.

10. ICA Talks

£5, ica.org.uk

The Institute of Contemporary Arts has lectures ranging over visual arts, music and cinema. The weekly lunchtime Culture Now talks are a real highlight.