Topical Talk experts

To make informed opinions, students taking part in Topical Talk lessons hear from leading industry experts.

Experts answer questions, set challenges and take part in live lessons – giving students access to reliable knowledge and inspiring role-models.

See our impressive list of Topical Talk experts below.

 

Politics and democracy

Experts have shared knowledge on topics including gender inequality, elections and human rights.

Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai
Education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Jeremy Paxman

Jeremy Paxman
Broadcaster and journalist

Ibram X Kendi

Dr Ibram X. Kendi
Leading expert and speaker on anti-racism

Richard Nash

Richard Nash
Senior Global Advisor for Corruption, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems

Reggie Love

Reggie Love
President Obama's former personal aide

Emma Barnett

Emma Barnett
Broadcaster and journalist

Olivia Platman

Tim Marshall
Author of Divided: Why We’re Living In An Age Of Walls

Jérôme Mangelinckx

Jérôme Mangelinckx
Global Policy Manager at Penal Reform International

Peter Tatchell

Peter Tatchell
Human-rights campaigner

Science and tech

Experts have shared knowledge on topics including AI, innovation and space exploration.

Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield
Astronaut and engineer

Kenneth Harris

Dr Kenny Harris
Senior Project Engineer and worked on the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA

Mamta Patel Nagaraja

Dr Mamta Patel Nagaraja
Associate Chief Scientist for Exploration and Applied Research, NASA

Matthew Ball

Matthew Ball
Author, leading theorist on the metaverse

News and media literacy

Experts have shared knowledge on topics including social biases, the power of the media and what it’s like to work in the media industry.

Zanny Minton Beddoes

Zanny Minton Beddoes
Editor-in-chief at The Economist

Robert Guest

Robert Guest
Deputy editor at The Economist

Rachel Burden

Rachel Burden
Newsreader, reporter and presenter

Evan Davis

Evan Davis
Broadcaster and journalist

Amelie Zilber

Amelie Zilber
Activist and UNICEF ambassador

Environment and climate

Experts have shared knowledge on topics including the climate crisis, environmental legislation and eco-anxiety.

Al Gore

Al Gore
Former American vice-president and founder of The Climate Reality Project

Gillian Burke

Gillian Burke
BBC wildlife presenter and biologist

Pete Pearson

Pete Pearson
Global Initiative Lead for the Food Circularity program, WWF

Caroline Hickman

Caroline Hickman
Psychotherapist and international authority on climate psychology

Erling Kagge

Erling Kagge
Norwegian explorer
Photo credit: Simon Skreddernes

Liz Bonnin

Liz Bonnin
Science, wildlife and natural-history presenter

Clover Hogan

Clover Hogan
Climate activist and the founding Executive Director of Force of Nature

Arts and culture

Experts have shared knowledge on topics including “cancel culture”, the British royal family and the arts.

Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry
Actor, author, screenwriter and director

Tina Brown

Tina Brown
Journalist, author and former editor in chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker

Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg
Singer-songwriter and activist

Sport and wellbeing

Experts have shared knowledge on topics including the Olympic games and performance-enhancing drugs.

Aron D'Souza

Aron D’Souza
President of the Enhanced Games

Geordie Greig

Geordie Greig
Editor at the Daily Mail

See the experts in action

See how the experts contributed to our 2024 Topical Talk Festival