Samuel Wilberforce, the Bishop of Oxford, took the stage to address Darwin's theories, reportedly influenced by anti-Darwinian Richard Owen, who had stayed at his home the previous night. As expected in events that stir controversy, the accounts of the interaction varied significantly, highlighting the unreliability of firsthand testimonies during heated discussions.

In the most widely recounted scenario, Wilberforce cleverly questioned Thomas Huxley’s ancestry, jokingly asking if he derived from apes through his grandmother or grandfather. This moment became emblematic of the tension between science and religion during this period, showcasing the sharp wit and personal nature of the debate that surrounded Darwin's evolutionary theory.