Our patrons (original) (raw)

Humanists UK is supported in its work by an extensive list of patrons who lend their association and public profile to the humanist cause in a variety of ways. Some have been appointed as patrons for their specific contributions to human rights, equality, and justice; others for contributions to humanist philosophy; and some for artistic achievements which have helped to shed light on the human condition. Many others are recognised for specific work in science, or journalism, or furthering human welfare.

Our patrons are all individuals with unique and varying opinions, points of view, and stances on many issues, and naturally they don’t speak for Humanists UK on every subject where they have opinions. What they have in common is their public support for Humanists UK, our advocacy work, our services, and our campaigns. Collectively they showcase the diversity of humanist thinking, and humanist achievement, in public life.

Click here to see obituaries of Humanists UK Patrons.

Our President & Vice Presidents

Janet Ellis MBE

Broadcaster, actor, writer, and President of Humanists UK

Dr Adam Rutherford

Geneticist, author, broadcaster, and Vice President of Humanists UK

Professor Laurie Taylor

Sociologist and Vice President of Humanists UK

Professor Alice Roberts

Anatomist, author, broadcaster, and Vice President of Humanists UK

Shaparak Khorsandi

Comedian, author, and Vice President of Humanists UK

Professor Jim Al-Khalili CBE

Scientist, author, broadcaster, and Vice President of Humanists UK

Polly Toynbee

Columnist, broadcaster, and Vice President of Humanists UK

Professor A C Grayling CBE

Writer, philosopher, and Vice President of Humanists UK

Spotlight

John Amaechi OBE

Psychologist and author

David Baddiel

Comedian, writer, and television presenter

Baroness Joan Bakewell DBE

Journalist, television presenter, and Labour Party peer

Sue Cook

Author, journalist, and broadcaster

Janet Ellis MBE

Broadcaster, actor, writer, and President of Humanists UK

Sir Stephen Fry

Actor, comedian, writer, and presenter

Professor Sir David King FRS

Distinguished scientist

Stewart Lee

Comedian, broadcaster, and lyricist of 'Jerry Springer the Opera'

Mike Little

Co-founder of WordPress

Dr Henry Marsh CBE

Leading neurosurgeon

Sara Pascoe

Actor, writer, and comedian

Sir Philip Pullman CBE

Author

Dan Snow MBE

Television presenter and historian

Sir Patrick Stewart, OBE

Actor

Sandi Toksvig

Comedian, playwright, novelist, and TV personality

Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes

Archaeologist, author, and public scholar

All our patrons

Graham Allen

Labour MP for Nottingham North from 1987 to 2017

John Amaechi OBE

Psychologist and author

Adèle Anderson

Actress, singer, and patron of Humanists UK

Dr Iolo ap Gwynn FRMS

Scientist, mountaineer, and patron of Humanists UK

Peter Atkins

Scientist and author

David Baddiel

Comedian, writer, and television presenter

Dr Julian Baggini

Writer, philosopher, and patron of Humanists UK

Baroness Joan Bakewell DBE

Journalist, television presenter, and Labour Party peer

Lorraine Barrett

Celebrant and former Member of the Welsh Assembly

Dr Richard Bartle

Professor of Computer Game Design

Siân Berry AM

Green Party member of the London Assembly, and author

Lord (John) Birt

Crossbench peer and former Director-General of the BBC

Piers Bizony

Science journalist

Professor Simon Blackburn

Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and member of the Humanist Philosophers’ Group

Dr Susan Blackmore

Writer, lecturer and broadcaster

Baroness Blackstone

Labour life peer

Sir David Blatherwick, KCMG, OBE

Diplomat and writer

Sir Tom Blundell

Scientist

Liv Boeree

Science broadcaster and poker champion

Sarah Bridle

Professor of Food, Climate, and Society

Baroness (Lorely) Burt

Member of the House of Lords

Dr Emma Byrne

Scientist, author, and broadcaster

Don Cameron MBE

Aeronautical engineer and balloon manufacturer

Colin Campbell

Sociologist

Philip Campbell

Editor in science publishing

Dr Alfredo Carpineti

Astrophysicist, science journalist, and social activist

Lord Michael Cashman

Peer and activist

Peter Cave

Philosopher, author, speaker, and lecturer

Colin Challen

Labour politician, and campaigner on climate change

Michael Clapham

Labour politician

Michael Connarty

Former Labour MP

Sue Cook

Author, journalist, and broadcaster

Dr Hannah Critchlow

Author, broadcaster, and neuroscience presenter

Dr Helena Cronin

Co-Director, Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, LSE

Dr Helen Czerski

Physicist

Matthew d'Ancona

Journalist and author

Sir Richard Dalton

Former diplomat

Professor Richard Dawkins FRS

Scientist, author, and former Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford

Jonathan Derbyshire

Philosopher and journalist

Professor Kate Devlin

Computer scientist and writer

Louise Doublet

Jersey States Deputy

Marcus Du Sautoy

Mathematician

Maureen Duffy

Poet, playwright, novelist,

Robin Dunbar

Evolutionary psychologist

Janet Ellis MBE

Broadcaster, actor, writer, and President of Humanists UK

Professor Edzard Ernst

Physician

Hermione Eyre

Journalist and author

Zoë Fairbairns

Feminist writer

The Viscount Falkland

Crossbench peer

Lynne Featherstone

Liberal Democrat peer and architect of the Same-Sex Marriage Act 2013

The Rt Hon the Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, PC

Labour peer

Kate Fox

Anthropologist and author

Professor Chris French

Professor of psychology

Sir Stephen Fry

Actor, comedian, writer, and presenter

Professor Ben Garrod

Scientist, author, and broadcaster

Timothy Garton Ash

Historian

Clare Gerada

Former President of the Royal College of General Practitioners and Peer

Nicci Gerrard

Writer and journalist

Professor Jonathan Glover

Philosopher

Anne Glover

Professor of biology, and former Chief Scientific Adviser to the European Commission

Professor Anjali Goswami

Professor of Palaeobiology

David Hand

Eminent statistician

Felicity Hannah

Journalist

Professor John Harris

Philosopher, and bio-ethicist

Dr Evan Harris

Former Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament

Ellie Harrison

Naturalist and broadcaster

Tony Hawks

Comedian, Writer, Musician and Philanthropist

Natalie Haynes

Comedian and writer

Matthew Healy

Singer and guitarist

Isaac Hempstead Wright

Actor

Richard Herring

Writer and stand-up comedian

Julie Hesmondhalgh

Actor and campaigner

Jon Holmes

Writer, comedian, and broadcaster

Mary Honeyball

Former Labour Member of the European Parliament

Martin Horwood

Former Liberal Democrat MP

Philip Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath OBE

Labour life peer

Julian Huppert

Academic and former MP

Dr Roger Hutton

Former senior civil servant

Deborah Hyde

Skeptic and folklorist

Dr Michael Irwin

Retired doctor and assisted dying campaigner

Professor Saiful Islam

Professor of Materials Chemistry, and Royal Institution Christmas Lecturer 2016

Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys FRS

Discoverer of DNA fingerprinting

Dr Christian Jessen

Doctor, writer, and broadcaster

Professor Steve Jones

Professor of Genetics, science writer, and broadcaster

Adam Kay

Writer, comedian, and former doctor

Professor Sir David King FRS

Distinguished scientist

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Kinnock PC

Labour politician

Sally Le Page

Evolutionary biologist and science educator

Stewart Lee

Comedian, broadcaster, and lyricist of 'Jerry Springer the Opera'

Professor John A Lee

Consultant Histopathologist

Mike Leigh

Writer and director

Zion Lights

Science communicator and environmentalist

David Lindo

Broadcaster, writer, and educator

Mike Little

Co-founder of WordPress

Ralf Little

Actor, writer, and producer

Lord Gus Macdonald

Labour life peer (retired)

Norman MacLean SDA, BSc, PhD, FLS, FIBiol.

Biologist

Kenan Malik

Writer and broadcaster

Zoe Margolis

Writer, journalist, and best-selling blogger

Dr Henry Marsh CBE

Leading neurosurgeon

Bob Marshall-Andrews QC

Barrister and occasional novelist, former Labour MP for Medway

S I Martin

Writer, historian, journalist, and teacher

Mark Maslin

Climate change professor and writer

Tim McGarry

Comedian and actor

Professor Sheila McLean FRSE, FRCGP, FRSA

Director of the Institute of Law and Ethics in Medicine, Glasgow University

Jonathan Meades

Writer and broadcaster

Stephanie Merritt

Critic, feature writer, and novelist

Tim Minchin

Musician, actor, comedian, and writer

Julie Morgan MS

Welsh Labour politician

Andrew Mueller

Journalist and author

Kristian Nairn

Actor and DJ

Jane Nicklinson

Assisted dying campaigner

Professor Richard Norman

Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy and founder-member of the Humanist Philosophers' Group,

Paul Nurse

Eunan Charles O'Kane

Laura Lacole and Eunan O'Kane

Model, footballer, and humanist marriage campaigners

Sara Pascoe

Actor, writer, and comedian

Christina Patterson

Writer and journalist

Hannah Peel

Artist, producer, and composer

Professor Sir Roger Penrose FRS, OM

Distinguished mathematical physicist

Lauren Nicklinson

Assisted dying campaigner

Professor Kate Pickett

Academic and writer

Lucy Porter

Actress, writer, and comedian

Martin Poulter

Distinguished skeptic, and speaker on cults and critical thinking

Simon Price

Music journalist, writer, and DJ

Chris Price

Head of Music at BBC Radio 1

Sir Philip Pullman CBE

Author

Nichola Raihani

Evolutionary biologist

Richard Reeves

Writer, commentator, and speaker

Geoffrey Robertson AO KC

Barrister and author

Jon Ronson

Journalist and writer

Professor Steven Rose

Scientist and writer

Martin Rowson

Writer and cartoonist

Michael Rubenstein

Writer and adviser on employment and discrimination law

Professor Wendy Savage

Obstetrician, gynaecologist, women's rights campaigner, academic

Stephen Sedley

Human rights lawyer

Amartya Sen

Economist and philosopher

Professor Anil Seth

Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience

Alom Shaha

Science communicator, teacher, and author

Simon Singh

Science writer

Paul Sinha

Doctor, quizzer, and comedian

Professor Simon Skinner

Historian

Professor Stephen Smartt

Director of the Astrophysics Research Centre, Queen's University Belfast

Ginny Smith

Science writer and presenter

Kate Smurthwaite

Comedian, columnist, and political activist

Dan Snow MBE

Television presenter and historian

Wole Soyinka

Playwright, poet, and activist

Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou

Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion

Sir Patrick Stewart, OBE

Actor

Miriam Stoppard

Doctor, columnist, and author

Joy Swift

Professor Raymond Tallis FMedSci

Physician, philosopher, author, and poet

Peter Tatchell

Human rights campaigner

Jamie Theakston

Radio and TV presenter

Sir Keith Thomas MA, FBA

Historian

Baroness Thornton

Labour peer

Sandi Toksvig

Comedian, playwright, novelist, and TV personality

Frank Turner

Singer-songwriter

Stephen Volk

Screenwriter and author

Natasha Walter

Writer and campaigner

A J West

Novelist and media personality

Professor Richard Whatmore

Historian

Baroness Whitaker

Former civil servant and Labour life peer

Catie Wilkins

Comedian, writer, podcaster, and children's author

Elizabeth Wilson

Researcher and writer

Professor Richard Wiseman

Psychologist and magician

Leanne Wood

Journalist and former politician

Professor John Worrall

Professor of Philosophy

Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes

Archaeologist, author, and public scholar