Learn about Dundee's history and culture.

Dundee has an amazing history! We have castles and dragons! A volcanic plug dominates the skyline, deposited during the Ice Age. A rampaging polar bear once terrorised our streets, and our sky, now hailed at the sunniest in Scotland, was once blotted out by brooding Jute Mills. The docks launched ships on missions of scientific discovery, and for the darker purposes of the bloody whaling trade. Writer Mary Shelley was inspired by Dundee when she created Frankenstein. And we are the capital of comics and games! The city inspired the creation of Desperate Dan, Dennis the Menace, and Grand Theft Auto. This event invites you to discover fascinating stories of Dundee’s history and culture! This talk will be accompanied by the launch of the preview of a new free comic, Dundee Tales, featuring stories about Dundee. Meet the artists involving in creating the comic and learn about the process of its creation. And come prepared to tell us what you think is astounding about Dundee – perhaps your story could be made into a comic! This event will be held in The Little Theatre and is open to the public. It will consist of an illustrated talk delivered by Professor Christopher Murray and Professor Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), and a question and answer session in which the audience can share their stories about what makes Dundee so special.

This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 5-14th November 2026. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see beinghumanfestival.org

Description supplied by the event organiser.