Laurie Taylor

Laurie Taylor is a celebrated academic, broadcaster, and author renowned for his ability to blend sharp wit with substantial intellectual content. A visiting professor at Birkbeck College, University of London, and Fellow of the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences, he has authored fourteen books on motivation, change, and communication, whilst presenting BBC Radio 4's acclaimed Thinking Allowed for over fifteen years. His satirical column in the Times Higher Education Supplement has entertained readers for more than two decades. Laurie's sessions help audiences explore complex social ideas with clarity and humour, leaving them energised, thoughtful, and equipped to see familiar challenges through fresh, insightful perspectives.

Laurie Taylor spent eight years in industrial sales, worked as a librarian in Liverpool, taught in a London comprehensive school, and performed as a professional actor with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop Company before becoming Professor of Sociology at the University of York. That eclectic career path shaped his distinctive approach to communicating complex ideas: he combines academic rigour with theatrical timing, using wit and storytelling to make social science accessible and entertaining. His fourteen books explore motivation, change, communication, and personal identity, whilst his satirical column on university life has appeared in the Times Higher Education Supplement since 1978. For over fifteen years, he has presented BBC Radio 4's Thinking Allowed, a programme devoted to society and social change that won the 2010 Bar Council Award for its series on white collar crime.

Laurie holds visiting professorships at Birkbeck College, the University of the Arts, and Westminster University, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences. He has received honorary doctorates from five universities in recognition of his contributions to sociology and public understanding of social issues. His work spans multiple platforms: he has made major television documentaries on crime, celebrity, and mortality for Channel 4 and Channel 5, and completed five series of In Confidence for Sky Arts, interviewing figures including Richard Dawkins, Stephen Fry, David Attenborough, and Damien Hirst. As an ambassador for Investors in People, he applied his insights into human behaviour and organisational culture to business development. He also serves as editor of New Humanist and Chair of the Rationalist Association, championing freethinking and rational inquiry across public discourse.

Laurie helps audiences navigate complex social and organisational challenges by translating academic research into practical, memorable insights. His presentations blend intellectual substance with humour, ensuring that participants remain engaged whilst absorbing ideas about motivation, identity, and change. Whether addressing corporate teams, educational institutions, or public forums, he creates moments of recognition and clarity that shift perspectives and spark productive conversation. Audiences leave his sessions not only entertained but equipped with fresh frameworks for understanding behaviour, communication, and the forces shaping contemporary society. His ability to connect scholarly expertise with everyday experience ensures that even the most abstract concepts feel relevant, applicable, and genuinely useful long after the event concludes.