Every generation produces one or two intellectuals who attain celebrity status, and Malcolm Gladwell is certainly a celebrity. Ten years ago, he wrote The Tipping Point, an explanation of how new ideas spread until they are considered unarguable.

Now he is gearing himself up for a tour of four British cities, where he will appear on stage to give what he describes as “plain 19th-century talks”.

Since the success of The Tipping Point, publishers have rushed out a series of non-fiction books in the same genre — all based on one relatively simple idea that promises to upend the way we think about the world.

Malcolm Gladwell is the first to admit that he is a journalist, not an academic. His gift is in turning complex ideas into amusing anecdotes, using the work of psychologists and social scientists and making it understandable and entertaining to a lay audience. His job, as he describes it, “is to be this intermediary between the academic world and the public”.

He claims that every academic whose work he has popularised has been pleased. But Nobel Prize winning economist Thomas Schelling, who developed the “tipping point” model 30 years before Gladwell’s book was published, has said: “The fact that he didn’t give me any significant credit didn’t bother me. It just made me wonder why.”

However, many academics whose work he has popularised are grateful for the recognition. He has received awards from the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association.

He says: “Everyone I have ever written about, as far as I’m concerned, has been thrilled. This is what academics want; that someone will come and translate their work for a lighter audience. I have always had the most wonderful experiences with academics.”

The Tipping Point is the moment when an idea finally catches on, spreading like an epidemic disease. His next book, Blink, explained how quickly we make up our mind about things. “When you meet someone for the first time or walk into a house you are thinking of buying, or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusions,” he said. Now 46, he describes much of his writing as “playful, intellectual explorations” of ideas. His third book, Outliers, described the secrets of successful people. His answer — a combination of motivation, constant practice and talent — may seem obvious to the point of banality. But much of his own success is due to skilful storytelling, and the ability to leave his readers feeling vaguely comforted. For example, you might think that rapid decision-making — as described in Blink — is a bad thing. But Gladwell concentrates on how good the human subconscious is at interpreting events or cues and how past experiences allow people to make informed decisions quickly.

Similarly, Outliers leaves us feeling good about ourselves. Instead of lamenting our lack of talent, we can see how successful people have benefited from an unusual environment, as well as unique personal drive and motivation.

He is apparently modest about his own contribution to the world of ideas. “I’m not doing brain surgery. My books are entertaining, in the sense that intellectual stimulation is entertaining.”

And he likes the idea of standing on stage telling a story. “It’s fun to thumb your nose at our superconnected world and see if you can entertain someone for one-and-a-half hours.” He insists that “no prior knowledge is necessary” to enjoy his show and he is clearly having the time of his life.

Though he grew up in Canada and writes for the New Yorker, he was born in Fareham, near Southampton, and has relatives in the UK.

“Last time we did this, I felt like a minor rock band on tour. Not everyone gets the chance to pretend they are a minor rock band.”

Oxford is one of the four cities chosen for his UK tour, which follows a sell-out series of shows in 2008. He is at the New Theatre on Monday, May 10.

His latest book, What the Dog Saw, a collection of journalism, is published by Penguin at £9.99.