Halloween show in which actor-comedian Steve McNeil and Michael Cutts use Victorian scientific equipment to recreate 19th-century experiments on the paranormal.
ShRIek: The spooky science of the paranormal runs at The Royal Institution on Saturday 31 October, a Halloween special that's a first for the Ri. It's led by Steve McNeil, an award-winning actor and comedian who co-created Dara O'Briain's Go 8 Bit and has spent over a decade touring its live stage successor, WiFi Wars, at the likes of Glastonbury Festival, Arena Birmingham and the Sydney Opera House. He's joined by Michael Cutts, the Ri's Content Producer for Heritage and Demonstrations.
McNeil claims not to believe in ghosts, though he admits he's seen one twice. That's where Cutts comes in: he's pointed him towards the Institution's strange historical relationship with the occult and the paranormal. Together they take you through the Ri's own collection, using real Victorian scientific equipment to recreate the experiments of the era and recount long-forgotten tales where science and the paranormal intersected. The night ends with them attempting to contact and communicate with spirits using the same tools available to those Victorian pioneers. They describe the result as atmospheric and unnerving.
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It runs in The Theatre (Faraday Theatre) at 21 Albemarle Street, W1S 4BS, from 7.00pm to 9.00pm, with doors opening about 15 minutes before and the building open from 6.00pm. Tickets for the theatre audience are £16 or £10, and £7 for Ri Members or Ri Patrons, with an Eventbrite booking fee on top.
Date
Saturday, 31 October 2026
19:00
Price
Paid
Recommended Age
+14 years
