GENETICIST, author and broadcaster Dr Adam Rutherford inspired an audience of Bedales pupils, parents and staff at its annual Eckersley Lecture held on January 21.

Dr Rutherford, who co-hosts Radio 4 show The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry, spoke about his recent book – How to Argue with A Racist: History, Science, Race and Reality – which illuminates what modern genetics can and cannot tell people about human differences.

He also talked to pupils and gave a copy of his new book, Control, to the school’s Memorial Library. The book, published last Thursday, explores the history of eugenics.

The Eckersley Lecture series began in 1966 and is named after brothers and former pupils Thomas and Peter Eckersley, who attended Bedales in the 1900s. Peter was the first chief engineer at the BBC and Thomas was a theoretical research engineer.