---
title: "The Great Human Detective Story"
date: "2022-05-20T14:38:07+01:00"
modified: "2026-03-27T14:53:19+00:00"
url: "https://heritage.humanists.uk/object/the-great-human-detective-story/"
post_id: 7083
categories: ["Education"]
tags: ["Ethical Movement", "Furthering human understanding", "Humanism", "Philosophy"]
---

# The Great Human Detective Story

*Humanism: The Great Human Detective Story* was produced by the British Humanist Association (now Humanists UK) in 1991, with the aim of introducing ‘the ideas and ethics of the 2,500-year-old Humanist tradition in a clear and concise way suitable for all ages’. The 21-minute film featured jazz singer [George Melly](https://heritage.humanists.uk/george-melly/) and agony aunt [Claire Rayner](https://heritage.humanists.uk/claire-rayner/), both patrons and [Presidents](https://heritage.humanists.uk/presidents-of-humanists-uk/) of the British Humanist Association, who explain their own humanist philosophy and what it means to them. In addition to investigating the rich humanist tradition, the film explores how humanists make sense of the world, how they live, how they mark significant events, and their ideas on the education of children, drawn together by the concept of a detective story.







### Watch







[From the archives: The Great Human Detective Story](https://heritage.humanists.uk/the-great-human-detective-story/) | Humanist Heritage