Rob is a one-time TV host and university lecturer, formerly based in Asia but now authoring books back home in England.

Heading to rural China with an initial degree in Theology, Rob soon found himself hosting an English-learning show on local TV. This show, ‘English Corner’, was watched by upwards of 6 million people per week and made Rob a (minor!) celebrity in the province. He was eventually invited to Beijing, where he wrote and hosted another TV show – ‘Reel China’, about global movie news – for an even wider audience. In conjunction with his media career, Rob channelled his growing academic interest in Asia into a PhD focusing on historical interactions between China and various countries across the continent.

Rob’s globe-hopping background later saw him chosen to create and teach courses on inter-cultural communication at Tsinghua, China’s top university. When these courses proved successful, he was allowed to launch China’s very first academic Theology module for Chinese and international undergraduates there. Rob has since published numerous books in China, on the topics of inter-cultural communication and global cinema.

On the cruising front, Rob has experience as both a destination lecturer (for cruises in the Asia region) and an enrichment lecturer (focusing on Religion and Cinema around the globe).

All lectures listed below have been previously delivered to audiences either on land or at sea.

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Destination Lectures: Asia (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka)

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1. Beijing: The Last Capital
China’s cultural, political, and educational heart is the last of the country’s Four Great Ancient Capitals. Today, imperial palaces and ornate temples stand beside epic skyscrapers and stadiums - sometimes in harmony... and sometimes not. Where a glorious past meets a hopeful present, though, things don't always run smoothly.

2. Shanghai: Paris of the Orient
Located on the east coast, Shanghai (meaning ‘upon the sea’) transformed rapidly during the 19th century – from a humble fishing village into an international trade hub. Despite a decline during the early years of Communist rule, economic reforms over the past four decades have seen the city transformed once again: into a global city that echoes with the charm and elegance of a bygone era.

3. Escape to Victory: Taiwan and the Tungning Kingdom
Formerly known as Formosa under the control of the Dutch, Taiwan has had a long history as a political hot potato. In 1662, the last remnants of the Ming Dynasty – just defeated by the Qing, China’s final dynasty – arrived on the island, kicked out the Dutch, and briefly set up their own rebel empire. This is the story of that short-lived Ming hold-out.

4. Fragrant Harbour: Holding on to Hong Kong
Both a city and a Special Administrative Region of China, Hong Kong (technically) exists under the principle of ‘one country, two systems’. The region has been central to trade between Europe and China for over 500 years, but that relationship has been – and continues to be – a complicated one.

5. Tokyo: The Eastern Capital
Starting out as a humble fishing village named Edo, Tokyo eventually replaced Kyoto as Japan’s capital in 1868. The city’s inherent charms, both ancient and modern, have led countless movie studios – both at home and abroad – to use the city as a backdrop.

6. Nagasaki: Revealing the Hidden
First visited by Portuguese explorers over 500 years ago, Nagasaki grew to become a hub of international trade and even spent a brief period as a Jesuit colony. This environment eventually came to an end with Japan’s Seclusion Policy, but ‘Hidden Christians’ continued to practice – and Nagasaki is well-known today for its so-called Hidden Christian sites.

7. Okinawa and the Ryukyu Kingdom
Originally a land of three kingdoms, Okinawa was unified in 1429 under King Hashi of the Shō Dynasty. The new Ryukyu kingdom, with Chinese material support, then enjoyed a golden age of maritime trading and geographical expansion. The former glory of this kingdom is still visible in many of the ancient structures of Okinawa.

8. Jeju: The Island Province
South Korea’s largest island and a province in its own right, Jeju is a region famed for its great natural beauty. Ruled as the Kingdom of Tamna for thousands of years, the isle’s ups and downs have taken place in the shadow of South Korea’s highest peak: Hallasan.

9. Busan: City of Film
South Korea’s second city has a long and storied history, leading to its current status as the country’s busiest port. A cultural as well as industrial powerhouse, centuries of international influence have culminated in Busan receiving a most welcome creative title in recent years: ‘City of Film’.

10. Of Heroes and Rebels: The Shaping of Hanoi
Hanoi sits in the fertile Red River Delta. For millennia, reaching back into days of legend, the region in and around Vietnam's long-time capital has played a key part in shaping both the nation and its people. Hanoi has fallen into foreign hands repeatedly throughout its history, but there have always been local heroes and rebels ready to rise up in its defence.

11. Angkor: Jewel of the Khmer Empire
Established over 1,000 years ago, the Khmer Empire’s capital of Angkor – where the glorious temples of Angkor Wat and Bayon are located – grew to be the largest pre-industrial urban centre in the world at its peak. How did the city reach such heights of civilization, only to vanish from memory for several centuries?

12. Singapore: Roar of the Lion City
Originally a fishing village, Singapore traces its origins to the sighting of a mysterious lion on its shores. These two elements combine in the fish-lion hybrid Merlion, a well-known symbol of the small nation. Singapore’s rise to global prominence began with the arrival of Britain’s East India Company in 1819, laying the economic foundation for its later branding as one of the region’s Four Economic Tigers.

13. Mumbai: A Story of Seven Isles
Labelled an Alpha World City in 2008, Mumbai – formerly known as Bombay – has been inhabited for well over 2,000 years. It has changed hands numerous times over that period, ruled first by indigenous kings and then by European powers (Portugal and England), before India gained its independence in 1947. This mix of cultures has led to a city that feels both Indian and international.

14. Goa and the Era of Portuguese India
Popular with tourists both domestic and international, Goa spent almost 500 years as a colony of Portugal. This fusion of cultures has led to some of the nation’s most famous landmarks, which still stand side-by-side with the ancient temples and palaces of previous kingdoms. It was only in 1961, following military action, that India took control of what is now its smallest state.

15. Sri Lanka: Realm of the Three Crowned Cholas
Historically known as the Granary of the East, the island paradise of Sri Lanka has caught the eye of many outside kingdoms and countries over the millennia. Today it is a cultural melting pot, ready to rise again as a key port along this century’s blossoming maritime Silk Road.

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Enrichment Lectures: Cinema

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1. Flops, Turkeys, Bombs: The Worst of the Worst!
Most bad or unsuccessful films are quickly forgotten, but a few live on in infamy – either because they bankrupted studios, destroyed the careers of those involved, or totally missed the mark in terms of what they were trying to achieve. The tales behind some of these ‘anti-classics’ are often far more entertaining than any of Hollywood’s success stories.

2. The Sounds of Silence: Stars of the Silent Era
Before ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1927, the only sound heard in cinemas was the live music that accompanied most films. The earliest stars, having transferred from the stage, tended to give rather melodramatic performances. As the medium developed, however, so did a new generation of naturalistic screen actors – not just in Hollywood, but around the world.

3. Keeping Things Clean: The Hayes Code
Between 1934 and 1968, when it was replaced by the MPAA film rating system, the Hayes Code kept Hollywood’s morals in check – on screen, at least!

4: Driving Each Other Crazy: A Century of Buddy Films
One of the oldest tropes in Hollywood is that of the mismatched buddies, who must work together – despite their differences – to win the day. It’s possible, then, to draw a line from Laurel and Hardy in the early days of cinema, via ‘Thelma and Louise’ and ‘Lethal Weapon’, all the way through to the most recent iterations of Sherlock Holmes on screen.

5. Action Stations: Mighty Heroes (and Heroines) to Cheer
Hollywood in the 1980s churned out numerous classic action movies, starring some of the mightiest stars in cinema history. Although many consider this to be the golden age of action, it was simply another golden age for a genre that has been wowing audiences since the 1920s when Douglas Fairbanks played such legendary heroes as Robin Hood and Zorro.

6. Creature Features: Clash of the Mega Monsters
Cinematic monsters have scared, delighted, and entertained audiences across the world since the very earliest days of cinema. In the silent era, special effects artists wowed crowds with realistic (at the time!) dinosaurs, apes, and spiders… all the size of houses – and when sound arrived and as special effects improved, the wow factor only increased.

7. A Kind of Magic: Classics of the Fantasy Genre
Cinema can be magical – and no genre is more magical (literally!) than fantasy. The literary works of fantasy titans such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and J. K. Rowling, for example, have proved box office gold. No wonder studios are keen to expand these franchises and keep the magic alive.

8. Punching Above Their Weight: The Most Inspiring Cinematic Underdogs
Everyone loves an underdog, so it’s no surprise that some of cinema’s best-loved and most inspiring characters fall into this category – especially when sport is involved. From fighters to football players, here are some of the greatest Cinderella stories ever told.

9. Being Human: Robots, Cyborgs… and Big Questions about Ourselves
Since the earliest days of cinema (and literature before it), science fiction has allowed us to explore questions about ourselves – including what it means to be human. Films featuring robots as central characters, then, often serve a far deeper purpose than mere entertainment.

10. On a Knife Edge: How ‘Psycho’ Set the Stage for Modern Horror
Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece was revolutionary at the time of release in 1960, and its unexpected success paved the way for the popular slasher movies of the 1970s and 1980s. When the Golden Era of slashers rolled around, 'Psycho' itself received a belated sequel – three, in fact!

11. From Lead to Gold: Rise of the Supermen
In recent years, superhero movies – especially those based on Marvel characters – have dominated the global box office. However, it wasn’t always the case. Not so long ago, besides a few exceptions (based on DC rather than Marvel properties), such movies tended to fail either critically or commercially… or both. So, when and how did things change for the genre?

12. Christmas Crackers: The Best Festive Movies
Christmas is a magical time of year – and there have been plenty of movies made over the past century to capture that sense of magic. Some are festive, others are something else entirely… but many have become essential viewing when December rolls around.

13. Dr Jones: ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and Its Imitators in Adventure
Following the massive success of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ in 1981, a whole host of imitators popped up on cinema screens and video store shelves. But were any able to capture the same sense of fun and derring-do inherent to the early 20th century film serials which inspired Indiana Jones in the first place?

14. Poor Orson: The Ups and (Many) Downs of Mr Welles
Lauded for his first film 'Citizen Kane', Orson Welles never again reached those heights – thanks to an angry newspaper magnet, interfering studios, and a constant lack of funding. As Welles pointed out near the end of his career: “I started at the top… and worked my way down from there!”

15. Cloning the Master: The Many (New) Faces of Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee had only completed four films before his untimely death in 1973 aged just 32, and yet he was already a global superstar. How was he able to make such a long-lasting impression on the movie-going public, and how did the Hong Kong film industry adapt and evolve following the unexpected demise of its greatest asset?

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