"Six Feet Over: Adventures in the Afterlife"

Does the light just go out and that’s that – the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness, persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my laptop?”

The bestselling author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers now trains her considerable humour and curiosity on the human soul, seeking answers from a varied and fascinating crew of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die.

Electromagnetic hauntings, out-of-body experiences, ghosts and lawsuits: Mary Roach sifts and weighs the evidence in her hilarious, inimitable style. Tonight Mary will be in conversationaward winning journalist, Jon Ronson. It's a pleasure to welcome Jon back to the Academy.