Professor Brian Cox

Brian Cox, OBE, is a professor of particle physics at the University Of Manchester and a Royal Society University Research Fellow. 

Born and raised in Oldham, he initially embarked on a music career, playing keyboards with the rock band Dare in the ’80s and early ’90s. Next he joined the group D:Ream, who released the No.1 hit Things Can Only Get Better in 1994. During that time, Cox began to study physics at the University of Manchester, eventually making a transition from aspiring pop idol to science star.

A charismatic speaker, he has been an ever-present personality on British television since doing several episodes of the BBC series Horizon that aired from 2005 to 2009. In 2009, Cox and comedian Robin Ince also began co-hosting the popular BBC Radio 4 show Infinite Monkey Cage, which takes an irreverent look at the world through scientists’ eyes.

Over the years, he’s presented programmes including Wonders Of Life, Wonders Of The Universe, Stargazing Live, Forces Of Nature and In Einstein’s Shadow as well as appeared on the comedy panel show QI. Plus, he’s penned books accompanying the Wonders Of series and co-authored Why Does E=mc2?, The Quantum Universe, Human Universe and The Planets.

In 2012, Cox was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Huddersfield. He also holds two Guinness World Records – Most Tickets Sold For A Science Show and Most Tickets Sold For A Science Tour – which he continually breaks, as he did with his 2019 sell-out live tour Universal: Adventures In Space And Time. During that tour he explored the origin and evolution of the solar system and universe.

“I loved the 2019 arena tour because it gave me the opportunity to discuss the most profound ideas with tens of thousands of people in front of the most spectacular images of the universe,” said Cox. “When the tour was over, I immediately started thinking about how I could delve deeper, tell an even more profound story and make the show even more spectacular. I’m very excited about what has emerged.”

In November 2020, Cox announced a return to the road in autumn 2021 with his Horizons arena tour.