From the moment he started speaking, Lord Robert Winston's rumbling voice and trademark moustache captivated the audience. Though Winston had apparently no talk prepared and seemed to be winging the whole show, he managed to sustain an entertaining and informative performance throughout.

The theme of the talk was the relationship between science and the public. Winston began with an amusing anecdote about how he got into television by accidentally performing his first caesarean section in front of a BBC television crew.

He continued by discussing how science frequently makes developments that are as much a threat to human life as they are of benefit and how this can result in the public viewing science with general suspicion. In his opinion the problem is compounded by the way science is portrayed by the media, with some newspaper basing stories on the personal agendas of their editors rather than the facts.

Also of interest was his opinion of medicine. Winston forged his varied and successful career from medicine, but was frequently disillusioned with the narrow minded and authoritarian way in which medics are trained. Indeed, at one point he quit medicine altogether to become a theatre producer.

Winston responded well to questions from the audience, providing eloquent responses to issues including nuclear power and the public perception of GM foods.

Ultimately, Winston presented a not too science-heavy talk about the nature of science, littered with entertaining stories from his life, which were well received by the packed out audience.