If you joined us at the Festival, you’ll know how inspiring our talks and workshops were — from fossil-hunting detectives to mammoth discoveries! And if you missed it this year, don’t worry — we’ve got something special for you.
We caught up with some of our amazing speakers and workshop leaders after their sessions to bring you exclusive bonus insights into their research, discoveries, and what makes them passionate about rocks, fossils, and the planet beneath our feet.
Our Festival Speaker Q&A series on the Rockwatch YouTube Channel gives you a front-row seat to fascinating conversations with geologists, palaeontologists, and science communicators who are shaping the world of Earth science today.
You’ll hear from:
🧑🎤 Your Host: The Rock Showman – Steve Cousins
Keeping the day full of laughs, learning and excitement, Steve brought his spectacular show “Volcanoes are a Little Bit Awesome!” to life with eruptions, explosions, and energy that truly rocked!
🦖 The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs
With Dr Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls
Palaeontologist Dean Lomax took us behind the scenes of prehistoric life — from dinosaur parenting to the battle for survival — while natural history artist Bob Nicholls revealed how he brings ancient worlds to life through stunningly detailed artwork.
🪸 How to Build a Jurassic Coastline
With Saskia Elliott (@geo.sassie)
Geologist and science communicator Saskia Elliott showed us how coastlines form, change, and shape our planet over time — and used flour to demonstrate erosion in a fun and accessible way!
🐚 The Early Evolution of Animal Life
With Dr Frankie Dunn
Frankie took us back 570 million years to the mysterious Ediacaran Period, where the first animals evolved. Her talk explored the origins of ancient bodyplans and how life began and what she thinks they might have looked.
🦴 Dinosaur Detectives
With Steve Friedrich
A real-life fossil detective story! Steve shared the exciting tale of how scientists uncovered the fossils of the last dinosaurs to walk Britain in Folkestone, Kent — and how each discovery helps us understand prehistoric life a little better.
🦣 Unearthing the Mammoth Graveyard
With Sally & Nev Hollingworth
The fossil-hunting duo behind Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard gave us a behind-the-scenes look at their incredible Ice Age discovery — and the adventure of bringing it to life in a BBC documentary.
🌋 Plus loads of hands-on fun:
Families joined in with Rockwatch and GeoBus activities, fossil and mineral stalls, university and society exhibits — and even the chance to win a microscope!
Hear directly from these amazing speakers in our Festival Speaker Q&A Series — featuring their discoveries, advice, and the stories that fuel their love of geology and palaeontology.
A huge thank you to all our speakers and everyone who made the Festival such a success. You’ve inspired us all to keep exploring, questioning, and discovering the wonders of the Earth!
👉 Watch for the Festival Speaker Q&As on the Rockwatch YouTube Channel!
