Mary Beard
Professor of Classics, Cambridge University
★ Twitter star ★
The Cambridge don and TV presenter has bravely spoken out after she found herself dragged into the Twitter trolling row when anonymous critics sent her abusive messages, including death threats. Her thoughtful, lively BBC2 series Meet the Romans was a surprise hit that introduced the classics anew to a wider audience and established her as the elder stateswoman of intelligent TV.
Dean Godson
Policy Exchange, director
NEW ENTRY
A former chief leader writer of the Daily Telegraph who now heads what is arguably the most influential Right-wing think tank, with close links to the Cameron government. Believes individuals must take more responsibility for their actions, rather than the state. Godson is a noted expert on Northern Ireland’s Troubles and is also a surprising defender of the London Routemaster bus, writing a pamphlet urging the Mayor not to phase it out.
Rupert Shortt
Author
NEW ENTRY
Writer who has spoken out about the threat of persecution that Christians face in some Muslim countries in his book, Christianophobia: A Faith Under Attack. Religion editor of the Times Literary Supplement, he has written a well-regarded biography of former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Ben Rogers
Centre for London, director
NEW ENTRY
Writer and policy thinker who heads what is billed as the first think tank dedicated to London. Cut his teeth in Haringey before becoming a strategy adviser in Whitehall during the Gordon Brown era and has produced a series of thoughtful reports on improving London, the built environment and public-sector reform. The not-for-profit independent think tank is backed by Demos.
Richard Dawkins
Thinker
★ Twitter star ★
Britain’s best known atheist and author of bestseller The God Delusion has an uncanny knack for provoking controversy with his attacks on religions of all different stripes and, like many cerebral figures, has found Twitter to be a potent platform for his thoughts. He has more than three-quarters of a million followers. Has set up his own Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science.
Alain de Botton
Philosopher
NEW ENTRY
★ Twitter star ★
An erudite thinker, author and TV presenter whose great virtue is that he does not take himself too seriously — even as he tackles the big questions that surround life and religion. “What makes us fully human is education,” says the Cambridge history graduate, whose most recent book is Religion for Atheists. Has close to 400,000 Twitter followers.
