The Claridge Lecture – Professor David Olusoga OBE
1 June | The Guildhall, Bath | Doors at 6:15pm, lecture starts at 7pm
2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and we are delighted to welcome back Professor David Olusoga OBE as part of the American Museum & Gardens’ Claridge Lecture Series. In this landmark anniversary year, he will deliver a custom lecture exploring the history of the Revolution on the anniversary of the Declaration.
This event forms part of the Museum’s year-long America 250 programme, commemorating the anniversary by exploring our shared UK–US history and celebrating American arts, artistry and culture.
David Olusoga is a British Nigerian historian, broadcaster and filmmaker. An award-winning presenter and documentary maker, David’s most recent series include The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire (BBC 2) and Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners (BBC 2).
David is the author of The World’s War (Head of Zeus, 2014), the co-author of The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism (Faber & Faber 2010) and was a contributor to the Oxford Companion to Black British History. He is currently writing a new history of slavery, 5000 Years a Slave (Head of Zeus), and White Slavery & the Black War, a new history of the British colonisation of Tasmania. David is a regular writer for The Guardian and The Observer and has written for The Nation and BBC History Magazine.
David Olusoga presented the major BBC2 series A Black History of Britain, documenting life from slavery to the twentieth century, from the Windrush Generation, to the country today. And his contribution to landmark BBC Arts series Civilisations explores contact, trade, interaction, empire and race.
In 2023 David was honoured with a BAFTA Special Award which recognised his outstanding contribution to television as both a producer and presenter. In 2025 David appeared in the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors and his 2026 national tour is entitled A Gun Through Time.
Tickets
1 JUNE
Things you need to know
This lecture is Monday 1 June 2026.
The lecture will take place in the Guildhall, High Street, Bath, BA1 5AW.
Doors open at 6:15pm and the lecture starts at 7pm. The event finishes at 9pm.
Please be aware that we are unable to provide a refund unless the event is cancelled by the American Museum & Gardens.
We look forward to welcoming you to David Olusoga's Claridge Lecture for the American Museum & Gardens, if you have any questions, please contact us via email to ticketoffice@americanmuseum.org or by phone on +44 (0)1225 460503.