Paul Davies is a good popularizer. He's also a good physicist. He's known mostly for his work in the area of attempts at quantum gravity, although he's not approaching exactly the same problem as either Lee Smolin or the people who do superstring theory are. He's the kind of person who takes a more pragmatic approach.
People are interested in questions of origins.
I'm referring to the origin of the universe, but the origin of life and the origin of consciousness are equally major landmarks in trying to understand what we are and how we fit into the wider scheme of things. It's interesting that for those who are religious and insist on having a role for God, there are only three gaps left in our knowledge where they would wish to invoke God as a direct influence in the world. The third is the origin of the universe as a whole. These are the three perceived gaps in science where people would wheel in God, if you like. If people aren't as fascinated by the origin of life or consciousness as they are by the origin of the universe, there's something a bit wrong about the way these subjects are being presented.