Lambert is the creator of other well-known unscripted global formats, including Undercover Boss, Gogglebox and Squid Game: The Challenge.
His programmes have won more than a dozen BAFTA awards and several Primetime Emmys.
“A love of television” was essential to anyone wanting a career in the medium, he added.
“I’m amazed when I meet people who want to work in television and I start asking them, ‘Oh what have you watched recently?’ and they go, ‘Oh, I don’t really watch television’,” said Lambert.
“And you think… maybe you’ve not the right person to go into television – what I’m looking for is a critical appreciation of television programmes that people have watched… or even better, what ideas have you got for a new programme?”
His lecture was called Why We Watch: The psychology of reality and the power of story.
The Lasdun Lectures bring together thought-leaders from across disciplines, to explore topics that resonate both locally and globally, according to UEA.
Past lectures have focused on women’s health, the state of democracy in the United States, and the findings of the 16th Century shipwreck The Gloucester.