David Aaronovitch

An excellent after dinner and keynote conference speaker, David Aaronovitch is one of the most familiar and astute political commentators and broadcasters in the UK today.

Combining humour with his extensive knowledge of the changing political landscape in Britain, Europe and the US, David’s views have become influential. His close association with Tony Blair during the making of the BBC series ‘The Blair Years’ is particularly notable.

David has chaired and spoken at many conferences and events in both the private and public sectors over the past three decades. This includes debates at Intelligence Squared; engagements with Canada's travel industry, EMAP and The Association of Chief Police Officers; and speaking alongside the Mayor of London at the Mansion House.

His work spans a variety of platforms. He is a regular political and social commentator in national newspapers, such as The Times, and on BBC programmes, including 'Newsnight', 'The Andrew Marr Show', and ‘Have I Got News For You'.

Since starting his career in BBC news in the 1980s, he has produced and written a variety of material for television as well as presenting in front of the camera.

In 1996, he presented the analytical show ‘Think Tank’ for BBC1. The following year, he wrote and presented a film biography of the early lives of Major and Blair, entitled ‘Two Little Boys’, transmitted by Channel 5 on their opening night.

For Channel 4, David presented two series of a new books programme called ‘Booked’ in 1998. Other credits on TV, to name a few, include ‘The Last Word’, ‘Never Mind the Full Stops’, ‘Million Dollar Wife’, and ‘Don't Get Me Started’.

For BBC Radio 4, he has presented three series of ‘True Lies’ and three series of ‘Copysnatchers’ and appeared on the ‘Today’ programme, ‘Devil's Advocate’ and ‘Pick of the Week’.

He has also covered for veteran presenters Jimmy Young and Michael Parkinson on BBC Radio 2, as well as being a guest on their shows.

In terms of journalism, David became chief leader writer for The Independent in 1995, and has since written for every major newspaper and won numerous accolades, including Columnist of the Year 2003 and the 2001 Orwell Prize for Political Journalism.

His book ‘Voodoo Histories’ (2010), a Sunday Times best-seller, expounds on the public's obsession with conspiracy theories, from Obama's birth to Princess Diana's death; while his personal memoir, entitled 'Party Animals - My Family and Other Communists' (2016), has been critically acclaimed since its release.

In 2014, David was one of 200 public figures to sign an open letter to the people of Scotland urging them to vote 'No' to Scottish Independence in the Scottish Referendum on 18 September 2014.

Influential, sharp, and articulate, David's insight into political leadership and the changing political landscape engages and entertains his audiences.