THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN

Based on the worldwide best-selling novel by Simon Winchester, 'The Professor and the Madman' is an extraordinary true tale of madness, genius, and obsession about two remarkable men who created history with the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857 and was one of the most ambitious, and revolutionary projects ever undertaken. Professor James Murray (Mel Gibson) took on the challenge of creating the most comprehensive dictionary ever compiled, but knew that it would take him and his team over a century to compile all known definitions. However, by "crowdsourcing" the work, that is, by enlisting definitions from people all over the world, the dictionary could be compiled in mere decades.

As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor Murray, discovered that one man, Dr W.C. Minor (Sean Penn), had submitted more than ten thousand words. When the committee insisted on honouring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was a convicted murderer and being held at an asylum for the criminally insane.

The 'The Professor and the Madman' competition has now closed. Winners will be announced shortly. Check our Comps page for all a list of our winners.

Competition opens at 5:00pm AEDT on Sunday 9th February 2020 and closes at 11:59 pm AEDT on Sunday 16th February 2020. Five winners will be chosen at random on Monday 17th February 2020. To successfully win, entrants must fulfil the above entry conditions before the time the competition closes. Current members/followers are eligible to enter the competition. Only one entry per person. Only one winner per household. To be a valid winner, the entrant must not have won a prize from SWITCH within the last 28 days. Each winner will receive one double pass to 'The Professor and the Madman'. By entering, you agree to receive occasional emails from SWITCH in the future. If you decide to unsubscribe from these updates, any further entries will not be applicable. Only Australian residents are eligible to enter.