Ella Al-Shamahi: Becoming Human brings a two-hour evening talk to Norwich Theatre on Thursday, 11 June 2026, with the Visit Norwich event listing giving the price as free.
The event is aimed at readers interested in human origins, science on stage, archaeology, anthropology, BBC science programming and first-hand expedition stories. It is listed as a talk, running from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Event | Ella Al-Shamahi: Becoming Human |
| Date | Thursday, 11 June 2026 |
| Time | 7.30pm to 9.30pm |
| Venue | Norwich Theatre |
| Price | Free |
| Format | Talk |
A free Thursday evening talk at Norwich Theatre
The premise is direct: this is the story of Homo sapiens, and how a species with comparatively humble origins became the only surviving human species.
Al-Shamahi, host of the BBC landmark show Human, is billed as a palaeoanthropologist, TV presenter, explorer and stand-up. The Norwich event places that mix of field science and stage presence at the centre of the evening, with the source description promising a talk built around our origin story rather than a formal lecture alone.
The Visit Norwich listing says the talk will draw on the latest discoveries in human evolution, personal history, humour and expedition stories. Its framing reaches back to a time when Homo sapiens shared the planet with other human species, before asking how humans survived, innovated, travelled, built cities and created culture on a scale no other human species did.
Human evolution told through fieldwork and biography
The event description gives the talk a wider arc than fossils and timelines. Al-Shamahi is described as having started studying evolution as a creationist, and the Norwich preview says she interweaves that personal story with the science.
That thread matters to the shape of the evening. The source text links her own background to the power of tribalism, both in the deep human past and in the present. For an audience, that suggests a talk concerned not only with what happened to early humans, but also with how people understand identity, belief and belonging now.
Al-Shamahi’s fieldwork is also part of the draw. She is described in the listing as a National Geographic Explorer who specialises in searching for fossils in Palaeolithic caves in politically unstable, hostile and disputed territories. The event highlights include expedition stories from those difficult settings, alongside research on human evolution.
BBC Human presenter brings science to a live audience
The Norwich listing identifies Al-Shamahi as presenter of Human, a flagship BBC/PBS science series, as well as other television and radio shows. It also notes that she is the author of The Handshake: A Gripping History, described in the source text as a Times/Sunday Times book of the year.
That background gives the event a clear audience beyond academic specialists. People who follow science documentaries, archaeology, early human history, popular anthropology or narrative nonfiction are all likely to recognise the territory of the talk.
The listing’s own categories place it within arts and culture, culture, entertainment and nightlife, events, talks and theatres. In practical terms, this is an evening cultural event rather than a daytime academic session.
What readers need before going
The confirmed venue is Norwich Theatre, with the event listed for Thursday, 11 June 2026, from 7.30pm until 9.30pm. The source gives the price as free.
No venue address, access information, organiser name or detailed booking condition was included in the supplied event text. Readers should not assume extra entry arrangements from the listing alone.
The Visit Norwich source text includes Norwich Theatre contact details, including the phone number 01603 630 000. The supplied listing also points to Norwich Theatre as the event source, while the confirmed public-facing facts are the date, evening time, venue, format and free price.
Source: Visit Norwich Events
Source check Source trail
This preview uses the supplied Visit Norwich event details and avoids adding booking, transport or access information not present in the source.
- Matched the event title, venue and city to the supplied listing.
- Confirmed the date and time as 11 June 2026, 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
- Used the listed price of free without adding unsupported booking terms.
- Flagged missing venue address, organiser and access details rather than filling them in.
- Source
- Visit Norwich event listing
- Scope
- Norwich
- Updated
- 2026-06-11 16:48
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