Press Releases
Was Shakespeare the father of the Christmas Special?
For many families, sitting down to watch a Christmas Special is as much a part of the holiday season as the Queen’s Speech, a carol service in the parish church, or a trip to the pantomime.But when did the tradition of a holiday-themed premiere start? Professor Paul Raffield of Warwick Law School argues that the Christmas special can be traced back to the creative mind of William Shakespeare, and specifically the premiere of The Comedy of Errors at Gray’s Inn on 28 December 1594.
Starving, sprouts and strolls: how to step into Christmas healthily
You can offset some of the effects of Christmas overindulgence with a few easy steps – quite literally!
Charles Dickens and the Ghost of Lille
Today we associate sharing ghost stories round a fire with Hallowe'en - but for the Victorians, a spine-chilling tale in front of the hearth was an essential Christmas tradition. It's one of which Charles Dickens was a master. But were his tales drawn from imagination...or from real life? Dr Fabio Camilletti from Warwick’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures investigates one possible source of Dickens' terrifying Christmas tales.
Self-lighting Christmas trees could be the future
Say goodbye to tangled up Christmas lights, as self-lighting Christmas trees could be the future thanks to scientists from the Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre (WISB) at the University of Warwick using VR.
Coventry’s universities prepare for City of Culture with cultural projects open to all
Coventry’s universities are to embark on a series of collaborations to bring their research directly to Coventrians in the run up to UK City of Culture 2021.
Working with local cultural groups the University of Warwick and Coventry University will collaborate on 13 projects during the spring and summer of 2018 that will support Coventry City Council’s Cultural Strategy.
Io Io Io! Modern Christmas vs Roman Saturnalia
Partying, pantomime, feasting and gift-giving are all established traditions of the Christmas season. At the same time of the year over 2000 years ago, Romans had the very same customs in celebration of a different festival – Saturnalia.