From My Blog
In which I make Ian Hislop laugh
It happened like this. I found myself sitting next to him at a concert. We were introduced to each other. Conversation did not flow. As regular readers of this blog will know, small talk is not my strong suite. But I have at least read books on how to make conversation. Rule number one always
A post in which I defend Art Historians against criticisms of uselessness
Back in January of this year I had an embarrassing experience. I was picked up, after filming, about 8.30 in the evening, by a mini-cab from St George’s Hospital in Tooting, on my way home after a long day. (I think we had started at 7am at Westminster Abbey.) I was clearly a bit tired,
In which my speech impediment is criticised, but all ends happily
A true email conversation recently conducted through my website reveals an unexpected moment of courtesy in cyberspace. While I have not exactly displayed heroism on the Mary Beard scale, it will warm the hearts of the speech-impedimented everywhere. (Apparently my problem is my enormously long tongue – its great length means that it rather lazily
I finally wade into the controversy of Richard III…
Well, for a long time now I’ve been resisting having ‘views’ on Richard III, because I’m generally quite equivocal about the whole thing. But here we go. With a comment in today’s Guardian I have finally succumbed… ‘Who says the Wars of the Roses are over? Five hundred years since the Battle of Bosworth, the Yorkist
My new programme on Bolsover Castle: this Wednesday, 27th March, 8pm, BBC Four
Devoted readers of my blog and books will know this story already, but this Wednesday you can see it made into a lovely little television programme… A few weeks ago I was in cold and misty Derbyshire, making a film in a new BBC Four strand called ‘Secret Knowledge’. This is a really great idea
What it’s like to be the Queen’s doctor…
Here’s my article from yesterday’s Telegraph… When the Queen left hospital after a brief stay earlier this month, she reputedly told her doctors not to “make a fuss’ – entirely in keeping with what we know about her stoical character. But our monarchs have never been particularly docile patients. The doctors who look after them
‘Fit to Rule?’ series coming up on BBC2 – what it’s all about
Some people have kindly been asking me about my ‘Murder’ series, but I’m afraid that you’re getting ahead of yourselves, we haven’t even made that one yet! Next up will be ‘Fit to Rule?’, which is rumoured (and I stress rumoured) to start on 26th April. Here’s the official explanation of what it’s all about.
I am proud to be in The Women’s Institute’s magazine
Did you know that The Women’s Institute has more members than the Labour Party? It’s a great fact, isn’t it? Last year I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Sheila Purcell for their magazine: Woman’s World 2013, The Annual of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. I’m sorry to say that it looks like
Guest post: a step-by-step guide to putting Lucy on the telly!
Hello, it’s Lucy here, but only briefly introduce my guest. This week we have a special post by TV producer Lauren Jacobs … hope you enjoy it! ‘Lucy has very kindly asked me to appear as a guest writer on her blog this week to share some insight into making history documentaries. I have worked
I turn the tables on my old boss…
I mentioned back in the autumn that I’d been back to Milton Manor, where I started my career. Here’s my finished interview with its owner, Anthony Mockler, which has finally come out in this year’s Hudson’s Historic Houses. Plus a few bonus images too, from an amusing photo shoot with Nigel Gibson and Linda Croose-Smith.
