The Reith Lectures were inaugurated in 1948 by the BBC to mark the historic contribution made to public service broadcasting by Sir John (later Lord) Reith, the corporation's first director-general. Each year, the BBC invites a leading figure to deliver a series of lectures on radio.
The 2001 Reith Lectures are on 'The End of Age' and contain 5 lectures by Tom Kirkwood, Professor of Medicine and head of the Department of Gerontology at the University of Newcastle.