Festival of Imagination: 50 years in 50 minutes

Fifty years of Warwick University were celebrated and reflected upon in the Festival of the Imagination’s ‘50 Years in 50 Minutes Show’ on Saturday evening.

The show, a talk given in Warwick Arts Centre’s cinema, featured guest speaker and Warwick alumnus Philip Collins, a columnist for the Times and Tony Blair’s former speechwriter.

Collins’ speech focused on the rise of Warwick as a leading British university amongst a backdrop of social, cultural and political changes since 1965.

The Arts Centre’s guide to the Festival promised a “whistle-stop tour of the last 50 years on campus and the wider world” with “surprise walk-on experiences from some familiar faces.”

However, while Collins gave a broad overview of the University’s progress in relation to the world around it, he did so alone. The only “familiar faces” appeared in the form of pictures and YouTube clips of successful Warwick alumni, from entertainers Ruth Jones, Frank Skinner and Stephen Merchant, to politicians including Valerie Amos, Wendy Alexander and Estelle Morris.

Collins discussed the increasing interest over time in Warwick’s economic value and scholarship, visiting milestone events both for the University and worldwide.

Local events such as the 1981 Brixton Riots and Lord Scarman’s report were mentioned with, on a global scale, Bill Clinton’s final speech on foreign policy as President – given at Warwick.

Nick Crabtree, a first year Classics student, said that the talk “made [him] feel excited to be a student at Warwick and be a part of its constant move forward, especially considering that it’s a relatively young university.”

First year Engineering student Álvaro Clavo Vallejo found Collins’ speech witty and was impressed by his ability to educate and entertain his audience.

Rachel Jackson, also a first year Classics student, enjoyed “exploring the idea of what this university is, not just the buildings and location but the students, staff, alumni and their achievements.”