An audience with Francis Crick

Francis Crick's unseen final interview permanently available in Peoples Archive

The world now has a unique chance to listen to Francis Crick talk in depth about his life, work, and view of the world. Peoples Archive releases Crick's last interview on video, featuring over two hours of never previously broadcast footage, online today.

Francis Crick, one of the fathers of Molecular Biology and co-discoverer of the double helix with James Watson, died in July at the age of 88. Although Crick talked to radio and print journalists until last year, this 1993 interview was the last that was captured on video.

Preserved for posterity by Peoples Archive, Crick's recollections bring the foundations of molecular biology and genetics to life - making this an unsurpassed source of inspiration and insight for students, researchers and historians.

Peoples Archive, an online subscription service, has broken down the original footage into 90 stories, making the interview easy to view, topic-by-topic. In the video, Crick reflects on the work that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, the scientific mind and religion, and talks with passion about the subject that occupied his latter years ? the biological foundations of consciousness.

The interview was filmed by Christopher Sykes, an independent documentary producer, and his wife Lotte. They originally approached Crick for the BBC2 series 'Seven Wonders of the World', in which outstanding scientists were invited to talk about themselves and their own seven wonders. Sykes recalls, "Crick declined to take part in the Seven Wonders series, claiming that 'everything is wonderful', but he did agree to spend a few hours talking about his life and and work." The footage did not appear in the 'Seven Wonders' series, and has never been publicly shown. When Crick died in the summer of 2004, BBC TV kindly gave permission for it to be included in Peoples Archive.

Peoples Archive, launched in May 2004, is the first international online collection that captures autobiographical video of great thinkers & creators. All contributors are given an unlimited amount of time to tell their life story in their own words, with minimum intervention by the 'listener', always a fellow scientist. The rapidly expanding archive already features evolutionary biologist John Maynard Smith, physicist Edward Teller, who helped create the first atomic bomb, and many others. Described by James Knight in a recent Sunday Times article as "utterly enthralling". and "a dream team of dazzling scientific minds, all filmed in pin-sharp video". The videos are enhanced by Peoples Archives' use of the latest internet technology, and an elegant website design.

Press Contacts:

Peoples Archive content enquiries: Tamara Tracz, Director/Producer (tel: +44 (0) 20 7631 9988)

Peoples Archive technical enquiries: Dr Christopher Thorpe, Information Architect (tel: +44(0)20 7631 9184)

Grace Baynes, PR Manager (tel: +44 (0) 20 7631 9988)

Chris Sykes is available for interviews. Contact details on request from Grace Baynes

---