Documentary Archives

Bentham’s Beautiful Mind (documentary)

When philosopher Jeremy Bentham died, he bequeathed over 100,000 manuscript pages to UCL. But what do these pages contain, and how does UCL’s Bentham Project make sense of them? In this video, Professor Philip Schofield unpacks the life, legacy and working mind of Jeremy Bentham. He also reveals how the Bentham Project brings order to this vast archive of manuscript pages, and how Bentham’s thinking still offers a model for clarity, purpose and intellectual rigour today.

The Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham, edited by Professor Philip Schofield

Journal of Bentham Studies

Vision Impairment: Science, Art and Lived Experience by Dr Michael Crossland (documentary)

Vision impairment affects millions of people worldwide. Dr Michael Crossland, a Senior Research Fellow at UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology, joins Professor Philip Schofield to discuss his research on how cutting-edge AI technologies can offer immediate support for those with low vision. They also explore how art, such as the work of visually impaired artist Luka Kille, provides a powerful way to express the lived experience of vision loss.

Vision Impairment Science, art and lived experience by Michael Crossland

Beyond the Visual: Multisensory modes of beholding art, edited by Ken Wilder and Aaron McPeake

Bentham’s Defence of Sexual Liberty (documentary)

What if one of history’s most influential philosophers argued for sexual liberty centuries ahead of his time? This documentary uncovers Jeremy Bentham’s radical defence of queer lives against the backdrop of 18th- and 19th-century repression.

From the hidden joy of Molly Houses to the tragedy of the Vere Street scandal, UCL researchers reveal a forgotten history of resistance, identity, and community. Featuring experts from law, literature and economics, this film shows how Bentham’s thinking shaped UCL’s founding values, and still resonates today.

Speakers include Professor Philip Schofield, Director of the Bentham Project, economic historian Professor Judy Stephenson, and Dr Xine Yao, Associate Professor in English and co-director of UCL’s Queer Studies network; qUCL.

Nonbinary Gender in the Middle Ages: Recognising Wilgefortis, featuring Professor Bob Mills (documentary)

Did the medieval world embrace gender diversity more than we think? In this documentary, Professor of Medieval Studies Professor Bob Mills joins Professor Philip Schofield to explore the legend of Saint Wilgefortis: a virgin martyr who grew a beard to escape forced marriage. Her story, rich with gender ambiguity, resonated deeply with medieval worshippers and still holds meaning for trans, queer and non-binary people today. Through striking artworks and shifting church responses, this film challenges the myth of a strictly binary Middle Ages, and the idea that gender diversity is a modern phenomenon.

Further reading

Further reading