University replays Einstein talk

It is 100 years since Albert Einstein's "miraculous year"

A university is staging the re-enactment of a lecture given by Albert Einstein 84 years ago.

The famous German physicist's 1921 presentation is again taking place at the university of Manchester's Whitworth Hall.

This time, the lecture will be in English with Einstein, who had arrived in Britain by boat to Liverpool, being played by actor Michael Roberts.

The lecture on Monday will focus on the Theory of General Relativity.

The university says it was Einstein's first ever lecture in Britain.

It is hard for people to imagine how historic an occasion this was Professor Robin Marshall

Professor Robin Marshall, a physicist and Einstein enthusiast, has studied film footage, photographs and newspaper articles to piece together how Einstein would have looked and sounded.

He has also unearthed extracts of the lecture which Einstein delivered in his native tongue to an audience of more than 500 people.

The original blackboard which Einstein used and signed will be used as a prop. An authentic 1920s-style microphone will also be used.

"The reconstruction is meant to be entertaining as well as educational," said Professor Marshall.

"It is hard for people to imagine how historic an occasion this was, but in 1921 Einstein was not only one of the world's most renowned scientists but a celebrity in his own right."

It is 100 years since Einstein's "miraculous year" in which he published three revolutionary papers and 2005 is Einstein Year, launched in the UK and Ireland to inspire the next generation of physicists.