Professor Anthony King from the Department of Government gives the first of a series of Christmas Lectures by academics from the University of Essex on BBC Essex this afternoon (Monday 23 December).

Academics from the University will be featuring on the Drivetime show throughout the Christmas and New Year period discussing their research, talking about what inspires them and reflecting on the past year.

Professor King will be talking about The Blunders of Our Governments, his new book with Professor Sir Ivor Crewe.

Other academics will be chatting about their new research, recent awards, upcoming lectures and their latest books.

The Christmas Lecture series will include:

• Monday 23 December - Professor Anthony King, Department of Government
• Tuesday 24 December – Professor Philip Hancock, Essex Business School
• Friday 27 December - Dr James Canton, Department for Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies (interview starts at 2 hours 10 minutes, available for seven days after broadcast)
• Monday 30 December - Dr Matthew Grant from the Department of History (main interview starts at 2 hours 10 minutes, available for seven days after broadcast)
• Tuesday 31 December – Professor Nigel South, from the Department of Sociology (interview starts at 2 hours 10 minutes, available for seven days after broadcast)
• Thursday 2 January – Dr Gavin Sandercock, School of Biological Sciences (interview starts at 2 hours 10 minutes, available for seven days after broadcast)
• Friday 3 January – Professor Karen Hulme, School of Law (interview starts at 2 hours 10 minutes, available for seven days after broadcast)

Drivetime on BBC Essex is on every day from 4pm to 7pm. You can tune in at 103.5FM or listen on BBC iPlayer.