Nick Dobson (Talks & Events)
I am a freelance speaker and I currently have over 100 talks available on a wide range of subjects. From horticulture, to the First World War and from Dickens to Gilbert and Sullivan. Some of the talks feature readings and performances from experienced actors and musicians. All of the talks are fully illustrated with slides. I have delivered more than 70 talks on Zoom, speaking to societies all over the world.Prices do not include travel.
Travel costs are charged for journeys over 10 miles at 45p per mile. Travel costs can be reduced where I can use public transport.Please note that if you require a form to be completed in relation to my talks, an admin fee of £5 will be added. (I can provide all information by email without a form and without a fee).
Below is a comprehensive list of my latest talks. Prices are competitive, starting from £65.
The First World War
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| It’ll All Be Over By Christmas! | A brief history of the First World War in pictures and poetry. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| It’s a Long Way to Tipperary | An illustrated look at the lighter side of the Great War. | £70 | 50 minutes |
| Pack Up Your Troubles | Life in the Great War illustrated in pictures and song. | £80 | 50 minutes |
| The Man Behind the Poster: Lord Kitchener | The life and career of the great, but controversial soldier and politician. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| The Poetry is in the Pity | The poetry and art of WW1. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| Christmas in the Trenches | How British servicemen and civilians in Blighty celebrated Christmas during WW1. Illustrated with slides of contemporary cards. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Africa’s Great War | An illustrated look at the First World War in Africa. | £70 | 50 minutes |
| The Battle of the Somme | A look at the most controversial battle of the Great War in the words of the soldiers who took part. Fully illustrated. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| I Died in Hell – they called it Passchendaele | An illustrated look at one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War using the words of those who experienced it. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| 1918: 100 days to End the Lousy War! | An illustrated account of the last 100 days on the Western Front and the final allied victory. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| 1919: a pivotal year | What happened when the war to end all war finally ended? Find out in this illustrated talk featuring the words of those who survived. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
Other Historical Talks
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peace in Our Time | A look at the efforts to prevent conflict in the twentieth century illustrated in pictures and poetry. | £75 | 50-60 minutes |
| London: a City in Turmoil | An illustrated story of a city where riot and disorder lurk just under the surface throughout history. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| 1066 – the year that changed history | An illustrated account of the year that marked the end of Britain’s Dark Ages. | £75 | 50-60 minutes |
| An Underground Guide to Historical London | A virtual tour of London by tube, stopping off to look at places of historical interest. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| London in the “Naughty Nineties” | An illustrated look at London in the 1890’s witnessing the major events of the decade as we take an illustrated tour of a very different Capital. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| An Underground Guide to Edwardian London | Travel back in time and take the tube Edwardian style for an illustrated virtual tour of our Capital over a century ago. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| London in the Roaring Twenties | What was our Capital like a century ago during the “Jazz Age”? Find out on this illustrated virtual tour. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| “Never Had it so Good!” A guide to 1950’s London (An Underground Guide to 1950’s London) | Take the time tube back to the Fifties for this fully illustrated history. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| The Great Fire of London | An illustrated look at events leading up to, during and after the Great Fire of 1666. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Tour of Elizabethan London | A virtual tour of our Capital as it looked over 400 years ago. Fully illustrated. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole – two extraordinary Victorian Ladies | An illustrated look at two amazing and controversial women who won fame in the Crimean War. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Swinging London | An illustrated timeline of London in the 1960’s. It’s groovy! | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| London in the Seventies: the dark decade | A timeline of our Capital in a decade which has the worst press of any since the Second World War. Fully illustrated. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| The Spanish Civil War – a Portrait of Turmoil | A brief history of the origins and course of the War illustrated by the amazing art works and posters of the conflict. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Queen Elizabeth II: a life in flowers | We trace the life and times of our late Queen using the many plants associated with her as our guiding points. We will also reflect on the Queen’s love of horticulture and its importance in her life. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| “I do like to be beside the Seaside!” – A History of Holidays | An informative and light-hearted, fully illustrated look at the development of holidays from the Middle Ages to the present day. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| See Britain by Poster! | A tour of Britain from Inverness to Land’s End using vintage railway posters as our guide. We’ll look at the beauty of these collectable artworks, their artists and the social history they reflect. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| An Underground Tour of London by Poster | Guided by the posters that promoted tube travel from the early twentieth century, we will tour our Capital discovering history as we marvel at these highly collectable and valuable adverts, now considered artworks. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| The East End 1900-1914: the People of the Abyss | An illustrated glimpse at life in the East End in the early twentieth century. We’ll look at some of the events that shaped the history of the area but mainly explore what life was like for the poor of the East End at the time. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Five Famous Eastenders | A look at five people from the East End of London who escaped the poverty of the area to achieve great fame. They include a sporting hero, an artist, a songwriter and cinema legends! | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| VE Day: a tide of happiness and relief | An illustrated look at how we celebrated Victory in Europe in 1945. We’ll attempt to recapture the spirit of a day that none who experienced it will ever forget! | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
Literary
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Dickens in his own words | An illustrated life and times of the great novelist with quotations | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| Around and About with Boz | A slide show looking at the various places associated with Dickens. | £70 | 50 minutes |
| An Underground Guide to Literary London | A virtual tour of London by tube, stopping off to look at places of literary interest. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Literary Cruise Along the Thames | A virtual tour stopping off at places of literary interest. Illustrated with readings, pictures and the odd song! | £80 | 55-65 minutes |
| Agatha Christie: Queen of Crime! | An illustrated look at the life and career of the world’s bestselling novelist. | £75 | 50 minutes |
| Around the World with Agatha Christie | An illustrated look at some of the many places associated with the great Crime Fiction writer | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| The Extraordinary Sherlock Holmes | An illustrated history of the world’s most famous fictional detective. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Pageant of Poetry | Readings of some of our best-loved poems with commentary. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud! | A virtual tour of the Lake District stopping off at places of literary interest. Fully illustrated with readings and slides | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Good Laugh! | Humour in Literature with readings and pictures. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Tour of Literary Dublin | A virtual trip around the literary sites of Dublin’s Fair City. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Wander around Literary Camden | An illustrated virtual ramble around the London Borough of Camden to discover an unparalleled wealth of literary links. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Wander around Literary Harrow | An illustrated virtual ramble around the London Borough of Harrow discovering a rich literary history. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Wander around Literary Richmond | An illustrated virtual ramble around the London Borough of Richmond to discover a wealth of literary connections. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| Travels with Miss Jane Austen | Take a virtual tour following in the footsteps of one of the world’s favourite novelists. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| “The Love that Dare Not Speak its Name” | An illustrated look at the history of LGBTQ+ literature focussing on four great writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. | £75 | 50-60 minutes |
| “An Unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde Sort” | An in-depth illustrated look at four more major writers of the twentieth century All were major contributors in literary history and all were gay. | £75 | 50-60 minutes |
| The Moods of London: the City explored through the eyes of the Diarists | From the earliest times diarists recorded their thoughts about London. We explore the moods they uncovered through readings and pictures. | £75 | 50-60 minutes |
| Uneasy lies the Head that Wears the Crown! | A study of Shakespeare’s Kings illustrated with readings from the plays. | £75 | 50-60 minutes |
| The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets | An entertaining and informative look at The Bard’s Sonnets. Illustrated with readings. | £75 | 55-65 minutes |
| Workshop on the Sonnets of Shakespeare. | £100 | 120 minutes |
Christmas
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| A History of Christmas | A pictorial look at Christmas through the years with readings and songs. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| In Search of Father Christmas | Discover the origins and evolution of the world’s most recognisable fictional figure in this illustrated talk. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Christmas in the Trenches | How British servicemen and civilians in Blighty celebrated Christmas during WW1. Illustrated with slides of contemporary cards. | £70 | 50 minutes |
| The Christmas Garden | A light-hearted and informative illustrated look at the garden and gardening around the Festive Period. | £70 | 50-60 minutes. |
Miscellaneous
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Thames Estuary | An illustrated celebration of the history and literature associated with the Thames Estuary | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| An Underground Guide to London Place Names | A virtual tour of London by tube, stopping off to look at the stories behind London Place Names. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| A London Romance! | Love London? Let’s explore some of the most Romantic spots across the Capital. | £70 | 50 minutes |
| “The Glorious Garden of the Dead” – Highgate Cemetery | An illustrated look at Highgate Cemetery one of London’s “Magnificent Seven” Cemeteries focusing on its history, architecture and at the famous people for whom it is a final resting place. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Brompton Cemetery – the Sleeping City | Take a wander around Brompton Cemetery another of London’s “Magnificent Seven”. We’ll focus on some of the famous people sleeping there in this illustrated talk. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| The World’s Weirdest Festivals | A light-hearted look at some of the bizarre and eccentric events and festivals held around the world. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
Musical
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan | A talk illustrated by songs and slides. | 2 performers and backing tracks £95 | 70-80 minutes |
| Edwardian Musical Comedy | An illustrated look at this very tuneful, but neglected genre with slides and songs. | 2 performers and backing tracks £95 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Musical Grand Tour of Europe | A virtual tour of Europe illustrated with slides and songs from light operas and Musical Comedies from 1870 to 1914. | 2 performers and backing tracks £95 | 60-70 minutes |
| Sing a Song O’ London | A musical excursion around our Capital with slides. | 2 performers and backing tracks £95 | 55-65 minutes |
| A History of Music Hall | Illustrated with songs and slides. Includes original recordings and live performance. | 2 performers and backing tracks £95 | 65-75 minutes. |
| Concerts | Gilbert and Sullivan, Light Opera, Edwardian Musicals, Music Hall or Variety. Featuring a Concert Party. | With backing tracks £100 | 60-70 minutes |
Quizzes
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Book Quiz | A literary quiz night with lots of fun! | £65 | 60-90 minutes |
| London: the Quiz | A test of knowledge of our capital: it’s history, geography and literature. | £65 | 60-90 minutes |
| The Gardening Quiz | How well do you know your onions? Have fun with this test of horticultural general knowledge! | £65 | 60-90 minutes |
Gardening
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuchsias: the Three Virtues | An introduction to fuchsias with live plant demos (depending on the season) and colourful slides. | £70 | 50 minutes |
| The Fuchsia Story | A PowerPoint presentation looking in detail at the story behind of one of the most popular plants in the world. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| How to Grow Fuchsias | A slideshow with seasonal demo | £70 | 50-70 minutes |
| The Sexiest Fuchsias in the World | A PowerPoint show looking at the most eye-catching fuchsias. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Fuchsias with a Difference! | An illustrated talk looking at some of the more unusual cultivars in this diverse genus of plants. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| A Place for Your Fuchsias | A PowerPoint presentation looking at where to use Fuchsias in the garden and conservatory. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| What’s in a Name? | The names of fuchsias can ensure popularity or consign them to obscurity. This is an illustrated look at the names of this popular flowering plant. | £70 | 45-50 minutes |
| Sports night | An illustrated talk focussing on the Sports or mutations that have produced some of the most attractive and unusual fuchsias. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Plants for Pollinators | An illustrated talk looking at plants that attract pollinators whilst providing the most colourful display possible throughout the year. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Dazzling Dahlias | A colourful introduction to Dahlias with slides. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Tulips: a terrible, triumphant story | A slide show tracing the colourful history of the most colourful of spring flowers. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| The World of Flowers | A presentation looking at Dahlias, Pelargoniums and Fuchsias. | £70 | 50-70 minutes |
| Spring Bulbs | A lavishly illustrated look at four of our favourite Spring Bulbs: Snowdrops, Crocuses, Narcissi and Tulips. | £70 | 55-65 minutes |
| More Spring Bulb | A look at five more spring favourites: Hyacinths, Muscari, Alliums, Anemones and Fritillaries. | £70 | 55-65 minutes |
| Spring Bulbs: the Unusual Ones! | A glance at some of the more unusual gems of the season including Erythroniums, Trilliums and Ornithogalum. Plus a look at the world’s most beautiful spring garden. | £70 | 55-65 minutes |
| The Snowdrop: a story of a ‘simple’ little flower | An in-depth look at a favourite early-flowering bulb that has a story that is surprising rich and complex. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Botanical Tulips | Would you like to grow tulips that naturalise and look good year after year? This is an illustrated introduction to the fascinating little tulips that do just that. | £70 | 50 minutes |
| International Flowers | A presentation looking at some of the National Flowers of the World. | £70 | 50 minutes |
| A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Potting Shed! | An illustrated look at humour in the garden. | £75 | 50 minutes |
| The Art of the Botanical Illustrator | A fully illustrated talk featuring the work of award-winning botanical artist Vincent Daniels and providing cultural advice. | £80 | 50-60 minutes |
| Summer Sizzlers | A visual feast looking at some of the flowers and fruits with hot colours that brighten up the Summer months. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Around the World in 100 Flowers | A dazzling world tour with flowers named after places worldwide as our guide (a colourful bit of fun!). | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| From the Rainforest to Your Living Room | Many of our garden and house plants originate from tropical rainforests. We’ll take a colourful look at these plants. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| The Christmas Garden | A light-hearted and informative illustrated look at the garden and gardening around the Festive Period. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Garden Your Way to Health | A slide show looking at the mental and physical benefits of gardening. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
| Amazing Amaryllis | A lavishly illustrated look at the history and beauty of a winter favourite including cultural advice. | £70 | 45-50 minutes |
| Queen Elizabeth II: a life in flowers | We trace the life and times of our late Queen using the many plants associated with her as our guiding points. We will also reflect on the Queen’s love of horticulture and its importance in her life. | £70 | 50-60 minutes |
Short Gardening Talks
If you need an additional talk for a longer event, you can select one of the following to accompany the main talk. Alternatively, for a varied programme, you can choose 2 from this list (the price will be the same as a single standard talk).
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuchsias: the Three Virtues | An introduction to fuchsias with colourful slides. | 20-25 minutes | |
| The Sexiest Fuchsias in the World | A PowerPoint show looking at the most eye-catching fuchsias. | 25 minutes | |
| What’s in a Name? | An illustrated look at the names of fuchsias. | 25 minutes | |
| A Delight in Dahlias | A colourful history. | 25-30 minutes | |
| A Passion for Pelargoniums | A quick look at this diverse and colourful family of plants. | 25 minutes | |
| Summer Sizzlers | A visual guide to Summer colour. | 25-30 minutes | |
| A Glimpse at Hellebores | A quick look at these winter-flowering gems. | 25-30 minutes | |
| A Tiptoe Through the Tulips | A brief, colourful guide. | 25-30 minutes |
Combinations
All other combinations for shorts are possible, the below are suggestions only.
Fuchsias: the Three Virtues + A Passion for Pelargoniums
A Delight in Dahlias + The Sexiest Fuchsias in the World
Summer Sizzlers + What’s in a Name
A Glimpse at Hellebores + Tiptoe through the Tulips
Talks for Schools
I can adapt any of the below for different age groups and many of the adult talks can also be adapted for schools. I can also write new talks as requested.
| Talk | Description | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Fire of London | Suitable for Years 1 and 2. Illustrated with slides. | £50 | 25 minutes |
| Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot | Suitable for Years 2 and 3. Illustrated with slides. | £50 | 25 minutes |
| The Battle of Hastings | Suitable for Years 1, 2 and 3. Illustrated with slides. | £50 | 25 minutes |
| Elizabethan London | Take a journey back to experience the sights and smells of Elizabethan London – suitable for Years 2, 3 and 4. Illustrated with slides. | £50 | 25 minutes |
| A History of Christmas | Looking at Christmas through the ages fully illustrated. Suitable for Years 2 and 3. | £50 | 25 minutes |
| A History of Christmas | A version suitable for Years 4 and 5. | £50 | 35 minutes |
| Plants of the Amazon Rainforest | A colourful look at some strange and some familiar plants that originate in the Amazon Forest. Fully Illustrated. Suitable for Years 3 and 4. | £50 | 30 minutes |