Lucy Worsley

Lucy Worsley OBE (born 18 December 1973) is a British historian, author, curator, and television presenter.[1]

Lucy Worsley

OBE
Worsley in 2014
Born (1973-12-18) 18 December 1973
Reading, Berkshire, England
Education
OccupationHistorian, author, curator, television presenter
Spouse(s)
Mark Hines
(
m. 2011)
WebsiteLucyWorsley.com

Worsley is Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016), American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley (2019), and Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley (2020).

Early life and education

Worsley was born in Reading, Berkshire to Peter and Enid (née Kay) Worsley.[2] Her father taught geology at Reading University, while her mother is a consultant in educational policy and practice.

Before going to university Worsley attended Abbey School, Reading, St Bartholomew's School, Newbury and West Bridgford School, Nottingham. She read Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford,[3] graduating in 1995 with a BA First-class honours degree.

Career

Curator and academic

Worsley began her career as a historic house curator at Milton Manor,[4] near Abingdon, in the summer of 1995.[5] From 1996 to 2002, she was an Inspector of Historic Buildings for English Heritage in the East Midlands region. During that time she studied the life of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle and wrote the English Heritage guide to his home, Bolsover Castle. In 2001 she was awarded a DPhil degree from the University of Sussex for a thesis on The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593–1676.[6] The thesis was later developed into Worsley's book Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses.[7]

During 2002–2003, she was Major Projects and Research Manager for Glasgow Museums[8][9] before becoming Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity responsible for maintaining the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace State Apartments, the Banqueting House in Whitehall and Kew Palace in Kew Gardens. She oversaw the £12 million refurbishment of the Kensington Palace state apartments and gardens.[10]

In 2005 she was elected a senior research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London; she was also appointed visiting professor at Kingston University.[11]

Television programmes

In 2011 she presented the four-part television series If Walls Could Talk exploring the history of British homes, from peasants' cottages to palaces; and the three-part series Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency.

In 2012 she co-presented the three-part television series Antiques Uncovered, with antiques and collectibles expert Mark Hill,[12] and (broadcast at the same time) Harlots, Housewives and Heroines, a three-part series on the lives of women after the Civil War and the Restoration of Charles II.[13] Later that year she presented a documentary on Dorothy Hartley's Food in England as part of the BBC Four "Food and Drink" strand.

Her BBC series A Very British Murder examined the "morbid national obsession" with murder. The series looked at a number of cases from the 19th century, beginning with the Ratcliff Highway murders which gained national attention in 1811, the Red Barn Murder of 1826 and the "Bermondsey Horror" case of Frederick and Maria Manning in 1849.[14]

In 2014, the three-part series The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain explored the contributions of the German-born kings George I and George II. The series explained why the Hanoverian George I came to be chosen as a British monarch, how he was succeeded by his very different son George II and why, without either, the current United Kingdom would likely be a very different place. The series emphasises the positive influence of these kings whilst showing the flaws in each. A Very British Romance, a three-part series for BBC Four, was based on the romantic novels to uncover the forces shaping our very British idea of 'happily ever after' and how our feelings have been affected by social, political and cultural ideas.[15]

In 2016, Worsley presented the three-part documentary Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley in January and Lucy Worsley: Mozart's London Odyssey in June.[16] In September 2016, she was filming an upcoming series A Very British History for BBC Four.[17] In December she presented and appeared in dramatized accounts of the three-part BBC series Six Wives with Lucy Worsley. In 2017 she presented a three-part series entitled British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley, debunking historical views of the Wars of the Roses, the Glorious Revolution and the British occupation of India.[18]

In 2019, Worsley presented American History’s Biggest Fibs, looking at the nation's founding story and American Revolution, the American Civil War, and the Cold War.

Writing

In 2014, BBC Books published her book, A Very British Murder, which was based on the series.[19] In April 2016, Worsley published her debut children's novel, Eliza Rose, about a young noble girl in a Tudor Court.[20][21] In 2017, Worsley published a biography of Jane Austen titled Jane Austen at Home: A Biography.[22] Lucy Worsley also wrote Lady Mary, a historical teen book that details the life of Lady Mary.

Commentary on Prince Albert

In May 2019, Worsley's speech about Queen Victoria, subsequent to her 2018 book Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow (St. Martin's Press, 1 August 2018), included comments indicating that Albert, Prince Consort did not deserve all of the accolades he had received.[23]

"I sense that some of you are thinking, 'No, I just don’t believe this. Albert is a great man. He’s brilliant, he's a polymath, he organised the Great Exhibition, he supported science and art and industry.' Well that is true. But I don’t think he should necessarily have been doing those things. ... I think he should have been fulfilling the more traditional role of a Queen or a princess in this relationship, which was single-mindedly to support his spouse, which he didn't do."

Awards and honours
  • In February 2015, the Royal Television Society nominated Worsley (best presenter) and The First Georgians (best history programme) in its annual awards.[24]
  • In July 2015, she was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Sussex (where she completed her doctorate).[25]
  • In the 2018 Birthday Honours, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to History and to Heritage. The investiture by Charles, Prince of Wales took place at Buckingham Palace on 16 November 2018.[26]

Personal life

Worsley lives in Southwark[27] by the River Thames in south London with her husband, the architect Mark Hines,[1] whom she married in November 2011.[28] With reference to having children, Worsley says she has been "educated out of normal reproductive function".[29] She later said her statement had been "misinterpreted and sounded darker than I'd intended."[30]

As a TV presenter, she is known for having a rhotacism, a minor speech impediment[1] which affects her pronunciation of "r". When she made the move from BBC Four to BBC Two for the series Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History, she worked with a speech and language therapist to help with her pronunciation, but to no avail.[31]

In her teens, Worsley represented Berkshire at cross country running and, as a pastime, is still a keen participant in the sport.[32]

Credits

Television programmes
Year Title Channel Notes
2009Inside the Body of Henry VIIIHistory Channel
2010King Alfred the Great?BBC South17 May 2010
2010The Curse of the Hope DiamondChannel 424 May 2010
2011When God Spoke EnglishBBC Four21 February 2011 Guest interview as Chief Curator of Hampton Court
2011If Walls Could Talk: The History of the HomeBBC FourFour-part series (April 2011)
2011Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the RegencyBBC FourThree-part series (August–September 2011)
2012Our FoodBBC TwoFour-part series (April 2012). Hosted by Giles Coren, co-presented with James Wong, Alex Langlands & Alys Fowler.[33]
2012Antiques UncoveredBBC TwoMay 2012. Three-part series.
2012Inside the World of Henry VIIIHistory Channel
2012Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for GirlsBBC FourThree-part series (May 2012)
2012Food in England: The Lost World of Dorothy HartleyBBC Four6 November 2012
2013Secret Knowledge, Episode 3BBC FourBolsover Castle; 27 March 2013[34]
2013Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed HistoryBBC TwoPart 1,[35] Part 2, Part 3.[36]
2013Tales from the Royal BedchamberBBC Four5 August 2013[37]
2013A Very British MurderBBC Four23 September 2013. Three-part series.[38]
2014The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made BritainBBC Four1 May 2014. Three-part series.
2014 MasterchefBBC One8 May 2014. Guest judge
2014Tales from the Royal WardrobesBBC Four7 July 2014
2014Dancing Cheek To Cheek: An Intimate History Of DanceBBC Four17 November 2014. Co-presented with Len Goodman.
2015Britain's Tudor Treasure: A Night at Hampton CourtBBC Two7 February 2015. Co-presented with David Starkey.
2015Cake Bakers and Trouble Makers: Lucy Worsley's 100 years of the WIBBC Two20 July 2015
2015A Very British RomanceBBC Four8 October 2015. Three-part series.
2015Dancing Through The Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band StoryBBC Two25 July 2015. Co-presented with Len Goodman and Jools Holland.[39]
2015When Lucy met Roy: Sir Roy Strong at 80BBC Four23 August 2015[40]
2015Lucy Worsley's Reins of Power: The Art of Horse DancingBBC Four15 September 2015[41]
2015The Great History Quiz: The TudorsBBC Two24 December 2015.[42] Quiz team captain.
2016Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy WorsleyBBC Four6, 13 & 20 January 2016
2016 The Real Versailles BBC Two 30 May 2016[43] Co-presented with Helen Castor.
2016 Lucy Worsley: Mozart's London Odyssey BBC Four 21 June 2016[44]
2016 Six Wives with Lucy Worsley BBC One Three-part series December 2016
2017 British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley BBC Four Three-part series (January–February 2017)[45]
2017 Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors BBC Two 27 May 2017
2017 Lucy Worsley's Nights at the Opera BBC Two Two-part series; 14 October 2017, 21 October 2017
2017 Lucy Worsley: Elizabeth I's Battle for God's Music BBC Four 17 October 2017
2018 Lucy Worsley's Fireworks for a Tudor Queen BBC Four 7 March 2018
2018 Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley BBC One 4 June 2018
2018 Victoria & Albert: The Royal Wedding BBC Two 21 December 2018[46]. Two-part series.
2019 American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley BBC Four Three-part series (January 2019)[47]
2019 Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain BBC Two 11 May 2019[48]
2019 Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey BBC Four 10 December 2019[49]
2019 A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley BBC Two 20 December 2019[50]
2019 Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley BBC Four Three-part series; 18 February 2020, 25 February 2020, 3 March 2020[51]

Publications
  • —— (2018). Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1473651388.
    • —— (2019). Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life (U.S. ed.). St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781250201423.
  • —— (2018). Lady Mary. Bloomsbury Childrens. ISBN 978-1408869444., young adult
  • —— (2017). Jane Austen at Home. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1473632189.
  • —— (2017). Maid of the King's Court. Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0763688066., young adult
  • —— (2017). My Name is Victoria. Bloomsbury Childrens. ISBN 978-1408882016., fiction for children
  • —— (2016). Eliza Rose. Bloomsbury Childrens. ISBN 978-1408869437., fiction for children
  • —— (2014). A Very British Murder: The Story of a National Obsession. BBC Books. ISBN 978-1849906517.
    • —— (2017). The Art of the English Murder (reprint ed.). Pegasus.
  • —— (2012). If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0571259540.
  • —— (2011). Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0571238903.
  • ——; Dolman, Brett; Lipscomb, Suzannah; Prosser, Lee (2009). Henry VIII: 500 Facts. Historic Royal Palaces. ISBN 978-1873993125.
  • —— (2008). Cavalier: The Story of a 17th Century Playboy. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0571227044.
  • ——; Souden, David; Dolman, Brett; foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales (2008). The Royal Palaces of London. Merrell Publishers. ISBN 978-1858944234.
  • ——; Souden, David (2005). Hampton Court Palace: The Official Illustrated History. ISBN 978-1858942827.
  • —— (2001). Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire. English Heritage Guidebooks. ISBN 978-1850747475.
  • ——; Wilson, Louise (2001). Bolsover Castle. English Heritage Guidebooks. ISBN 978-1850747628.
  • —— (1998). Hardwick Old Hall. English Heritage Guidebooks. ISBN 978-1850746959.
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References
  1. Woods, Judith (13 April 2011). "Dr Lucy Worsley: 'I'm just an historian who wandered into TV'". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/589z5my60mYb1L9bMWllzp8/dr-lucy-worsley
  3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/589z5my60mYb1L9bMWllzp8/dr-lucy-worsley
  4. SPAB News, Vol. 18., no. 2, 1997
  5. "Milton Manor – Lucy Worsley". LucyWorsley.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  6. Worsley, Lucy (2001). The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593–1676 (D.Phil. thesis). Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  7. Spencer, Charles (26 August 2007). "Cavalier: a tale of chivalry, passion and great houses, by Lucy Worsley". The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  8. "BBC Four – A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley – Dr Lucy Worsley". BBC.
  9. "Lucy Worsley on her passion for the past". Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Life.
  10. Law, Katie (27 April 2010). "It is time for Princess Diana to take her place in history". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  11. "Kingston University – Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture". Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  12. "Antiques Uncovered". Bbc.co.uk. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  13. "Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls at BBC4.com". Bbc.co.uk. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  14. Owen, Pamela (22 September 2013). "A Very British Murder: How we became hooked on morbid mysteries". The Mirror. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  15. "A Very British Romance". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  16. "Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley". BBC. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  17. "BBC crews filming new documentary today in Exeter". Exeter Express and Echo. 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  18. "British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley". BBC Four. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  19. Lucy Worsley. "A Very British Murder". The Independent. BBC Books. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  20. Carpani, Jessica (25 March 2016). "Historian Lucy Worsley: My life in eight objects". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  21. Wade, Francesca (26 March 2016). "Tales of lecherous Tudors". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 October 2016 – via lucyworsley.com.
  22. "Nonfiction Book Review: Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley. St. Martin's, $29.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-250-13160-7".
  23. "We're too nice to Albert – he was no perfect prince, claims historian". The Guardian. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019. Albert kept those babies coming,” said Worsley. “And that’s because he could see that while she was busy with that, he could get on with making himself king in all but name – taking over some of her duties, taking over some of her power.
  24. Siobhan Palmer (25 February 2015). "Claudia Winkleman nominated for RTS award for her new role as Strictly presenter". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  25. Wadsworth, Jo. "TV historian given honorary Sussex Uni degree". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  26. "TV historian Lucy Worsley was appointed an OBE". BBC News Online. 16 November 2018.
  27. "Lucy Worsley's My London". Evening Standard. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  28. "On being 2.5% famous". Lucy Worsley. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  29. Times, 5/8/13
  30. Wintle, Angela (12 April 2013). "Lucy Worsley: My family values". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  31. "In which my speech impediment is criticised, but all ends happily". LucyWorsley.com.
  32. Wintle, Angela (14 October 2011). "World of Dr Lucy Worsley, curator and broadcaster". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  33. "BBC Two – Our Food". BBC. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  34. "Secret Knowledge". RadioTimes.
  35. The Telegraph Reviews Part 1
  36. The Telegraph Reviews Part 3
  37. "Radio Times". RadioTimes.
  38. "A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley". RadioTimes.
  39. "Dancing Through The Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story". BBC.
  40. "When Lucy met Roy: Sir Roy Strong at 80". BBC.
  41. "Lucy Worsley's Reins of Power: The Art of Horse Dancing". BBC.
  42. "The Great History Quiz: The Tudors". BBC.
  43. "The Real Versailles – BBC Two". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  44. "Lucy Worsley: Mozart's London Odyssey – BBC Four". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  45. "BBC Four – British History's Biggest Fibs With Lucy Worsley". BBC. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  46. "BBC Two – Victoria & Albert: The Royal Wedding". BBC. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  47. "BBC Four – American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley". BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  48. "BBC Two – Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain". BBC. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  49. "BBC Four – Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey". BBC. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  50. "BBC Two – A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley". BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  51. "Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley". Retrieved 23 February 2020.

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