The Cambridge Union Society has released its term card for Lent term 2017 today, featuring an array of screenwriters, activists and CEOs who will speak at the Union over the next eight weeks.        

Fans of the popular detective series Sherlock will be delighted to hear that the co-creators, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat OBE, are among those who will be speaking at the Union. Also speaking at later dates in the coming weeks will be former director of the CIA David Petraeus, and Emmy award-winning actor Brian Cox, famous for his appearances in the Bourne films and Troy.

Janice Charette, the Canadian High Commissioner to the UK, is another speaker named on the lineup, as is Bruce Daisley, vice-president of Twitter Europe, Middle-East and Africa, and managing director of Twitter UK. Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watson, who is currently a global ambassador for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), will also be making an appearance in Week 6. 

“We're really excited about this term's lineup,” Anna Bockmuehl, Speakers Officer for the Union, told us, “the diversity of different speakers - leaders in business, politics, entertainment and charity - will, I hope, impress.”

Bockmuehl particularly encourages members to come to hear Simon Gillespie, the CEO of the British Heart Foundation, and Daniel Levin, an international lawyer and political adviser.

Predictably, there is no shortage of thought-provoking and hotly contested topics to debate this term. The shockwaves of political upheaval last year will take centre-stage, starting with a discussion on whether This House Welcomes the End of American Hegemony, set to take place on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Those discussing this will be Secretary John Lehman, President Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of the Navy, former UK Chief of the General Staff, Lord Richard Dannatt, ex-Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, and journalist Peter Hitchens.

Another potentially exciting debate this term is the Special Debate - This House believes Westminster is dead - which will see leading political commentators, Jon Snow and Nick Robinson, go head-to-head.

In Week 6 the topic of Brexit will return to the Union, with a debate on whether this House should regret the Outcome of the EU Referendum. Labour MP Owen Smith will be on the proposition, opposing former UKIP leader-elect Diane James and the chairman of Weatherspoons, Tim Martin. The debate should take place around the time of the launching of Article 50, which Prime Minister Theresa May has promised will take place in March.      

In the same week as the EU debate, there is also an exciting opportunity to see a film-screening of Bitter Harvest. Set for release in February of this year, the film follows the events of the Holodomor, the man-made famine which took place in Soviet Ukraine between 1932 and 1933. Afterwards there will be a Q&A with Ian Ihnatowycz, the producer and financier for the film.  

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Another big event on the Union calendar this term is the annual Spring Ball, taking place in Week 7, with the theme ‘Bacchanalia’. There is also a Spoken Word Night in Week 2, and a Puppy Therapy session planned for the end of the term, by which time a cuddle with some puppies will, presumably, be much-needed by all.

“I am absolutely thrilled to see the hard work of the Lent team pay off in what is a really interesting Term card,” said the Union President, Katherine Dunbar. “Hopefully there should be something in it for everyone, whether that’s a really engaging or challenging debate or an opportunity to get drunk and have fun.”