Professor Alice Roberts: From Cell to Civilisation

Professor Alice Roberts brings her new theatrical production to the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre on Tuesday 2 March 2027, with the show starting at 7:30pm. It's a wide-ranging look at human origins, and it doesn't stop at the dawn of our own species. The evening traces life back to the very beginning: four billion years of evolution in one sitting.

Roberts blends archaeology, evolutionary biology and genetics, and the production uses theatrical sound, light and imagination to bring the science to life. It follows the evolution and connectivity of all living things, starting with the first spark of life on Earth 3.8 billion years ago. From there, it tracks our ancestors' journey out of Africa, through Asia, along the Indian coastline, into Australia, Europe and Siberia, and on to the Americas. Along the way, the show meets other human species and examines the sophistication of some of the earliest civilisations.

It's a long view of history, and Roberts is the one guiding you through it. If you've followed her work before, you'll know she's at home with this kind of scale, and the production is built around her as the main feature. The whole thing runs from the first single-celled organisms through to the rise of human societies, so it covers a vast stretch of time in a single evening.

Tickets start from £51.25, and the show runs on Tuesday 2 March at 7:30pm at the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre.