Nicky Campbell to deliver NSS Bradlaugh Lecture

The National Secular Society is delighted to announce that broadcaster and journalist Nicky Campbell will deliver this year's Bradlaugh Lecture.

Having worked in radio and television since 1981, Campbell's career has been diverse and distinguished. But perhaps one of his most notable highlights was hosting The Big Questions – an ethical and religious debate show which ran on BBC1 between 2007 and 2021. Through this show, Campbell provided a crucial space for religious and nonreligious people alike to come together and robustly debate often highly controversial topics with candour and good humour.

At the lecture, Campbell will reflect on his work exploring issues of religion and society and share his insights into the media's treatment of religion.

Named after NSS founder Charles Bradlaugh, the Bradlaugh Lecture is an annual event which gives a celebrated speaker an opportunity to explore a topic of interest to secularists in depth. The lecture will be held at Manchester Art Gallery, which displays a portrait of Bradlaugh by Walter Sickert.

The lecture will be held on Saturday 30^th September at 2pm and will include a Q&A and a drinks reception.

NSS comment: Campbell has consistently promoted "living together cohesively, despite our different beliefs"

NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "We are very excited to welcome Nicky Campbell as our guest speaker for this year's Bradlaugh Lecture.

"Nicky's ability to engage with diverse perspectives, and his commitment to upholding the values of open debate make him the perfect choice for this event. Living together cohesively, despite our differences, is an idea that he has consistently promoted throughout his career. And it's an idea at lies at the heart of secularism and the National Secular Society's work to separate religion and state for a fairer society.

"We look forward to hearing what Nicky Campbell has to say – and to an event which, we hope, will be as lively and thought-provoking as The Big Questions."

Tickets for the lecture are £10 – and are half price for NSS members.