The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures have been held in London annually since 1825. They serve as a forum for presenting complex scientific issues to a general audience in an informative and entertaining manner. In the mid 1820s Michael Faraday, a former Director of the Royal Institution, initiated the first Christmas Lecture series at a time when organised education for young people was scarce. He presented a total of 19 series, establishing an exciting new venture of teaching science to young people that was eventually copied by other institutions internationally.