Aristotle: The Lecture

Aristotle

Never mind the blank verse

The first of famous international playboys and more David Beckham than Pam Ayres - get to know the real Byron.

Investigating the universe

Although much of what he thought subsequently proved to be wrong, it shouldn't ruin our view of Aristotle - Olympic thinker.

Find out more about Aristotle in this programme from the BBC/OU Mark Steel Lectures.

Mark Steel traces the history of Greek Philosophy from Pythagoras (“never ate beans”), to Plato (“old and bald”), to Aristotle (“made lists of Olympic champions for fun, and possibly a bugger for the bottle, or possibly not”).

The lecture takes in all the important areas of classical philosophy, including ethics, Sue Barker, whether the Four Tops are really the Four Tops at all, incontinence and Jim Davidson, ballooning, and why Aristotle would have disapproved of Orange marches.

Filmed at the Parthenon and across Athens, Mark Steel brings you the Aristotle that history has forgotten; the one that liked a pretty girl, a shop full of beds and a KFC, and just maybe a drink as well.

Featuring Martin Hyder as Aristotle.

Content last updated: 11/10/2004