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{{Short description|English historian, author and TV presenter}}{{Use British English|date=November 2023}}{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}

factoids

| image = Lucy Worsley 2019.jpg| caption = Worsley in 2019df=y12|18}}| birth_place = Reading, Berkshire, EnglandNew College, Oxford {{smallBachelor of Arts>BA, 1995)}}University of Sussex {{small>(DPhil, 2001)}}}}| occupation = Historian, author, curator, television presenter| website = lucyworsley.com}}Lucy Worsley {{postnominals|country=GBR|OBE|size=100%}} (born 18 December 1973) is a British historian, author, curator and television presenter.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120624070326weblink">weblink 24 June 2012, Woods, Judith, Dr Lucy Worsley: 'I'm just an historian who wandered into TV', The Daily Telegraph, London, 13 April 2011, 1 April 2013, She is joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television and Channel 5 series on historical topics.

Early life and education

Worsley was born in Reading, Berkshire, to Peter and Enid (née Kay) Worsley.WEB,weblink BBC Four – A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley – Dr Lucy Worsley, BBC, Her father taught geology at Reading University, while her mother was a consultant in educational policy and practice. Before going to university, Worsley attended The Abbey School, Reading, St Bartholomew's School, Newbury, and West Bridgford School, Nottingham. She studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, graduating in 1995 with a BA First-class honours degree. In 2001, she was awarded a DPhil degree from the University of Sussex.THESIS, D.Phil., The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593–1676,weblink Worsley a, Lucy, 2001, 1 April 2013, As a child Worsley played piano from the age of four, took lessons for 15 years and passed all of her piano grades. Of her teacher, Miss Beaumont, she later said: "At the time I was terrified of her but in retrospect she gave me a great gift of self-discipline and self-reliance. She made me strive for excellence and work hard. To help somebody to get better and really to challenge them, that's a rare and valuable thing."WEB,weblink an interview about classical music, in Gramophone magazine | Lucy Worsley, 21 January 2013, lucyworsley.com,

Career

Curator and academic

Worsley began her career as a historic house curator at Milton Manor,SPAB News, Vol. 18., no. 2, 1997 near Abingdon, in the summer of 1995,WEB,weblink Milton Manor – Lucy Worsley, LucyWorsley.com, 13 May 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140514140233weblink">weblink 14 May 2014, dead, before working for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. 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.THESIS, D.Phil., The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593–1676,weblink Worsley, Lucy, 2001, 1 April 2013, The thesis was later developed into Worsley's book Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses published in 2007.NEWS, Spencer, Charles, Cavalier: a tale of chivalry, passion and great houses, by Lucy Worsley,weblink 24 September 2013, The Independent on Sunday, 26 August 2007, During 2002–2003, she was the major projects and research manager for Glasgow MuseumsWEB,weblink BBC Four – A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley – Dr Lucy Worsley, BBC, WEB,weblink Lucy Worsley on her passion for the past, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Life, 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 completed in 2012.NEWS,weblink It is time for Princess Diana to take her place in history, Law, Katie, 27 April 2010, 1 April 2013, Evening Standard, London, NEWS, Owens, Mitchell, Kensington Palace's New Look,weblink 6 September 2020, Architectural Digest, 1 June 2012, 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 in west London.WEB,weblink Kingston University – Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, 1 April 2013,

Television

In 2011, Worsley 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,WEB,weblink Antiques Uncovered, BBC, 19 June 2012, 1 April 2013, 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.WEB,weblink Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls at BBC4.com, BBC, 28 May 2012, 1 April 2013, 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 (and the accompanying book, also released as The Art of the English 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.NEWS, Owen, Pamela, A Very British Murder: How we became hooked on morbid mysteries,weblink 24 September 2013, The Mirror, 22 September 2013, 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 and sought 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.WEB,weblink A Very British Romance, BBC, 23 October 2015, 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.WEB, Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley,weblink BBC, 16 September 2016, In September 2016, she was filming an upcoming series A Very British History for BBC Four.WEB, BBC crews filming new documentary today in Exeter,weblink Exeter Express and Echo, 16 September 2016, 14 September 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170206191405weblink">weblink 6 February 2017, dead, In December she presented and appeared in dramatised 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.WEB,weblink British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley, 10 April 2017, BBC Four, 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.During February and March 2020 the first series of Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley was shown on BBC Four; the three-part series discovers how the history of The Reformation, The Spanish Armada and Queen Anne and the Union have been manipulated and mythologised.WEB,weblink BBC, 21 November 2020, Royal History's Biggest Fibs With Lucy Worsley Series, In November 2020, the second series of Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley aired on BBC2, covering the myths behind The French Revolution, George IV and The Russian Revolution.WEB,weblink Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley, radiotimes.com, 21 November 2020, In 2022 Lucy Worsley Investigates began running. The one hour programme investigates major events in British History, including The Black Death, The Madness of King George, and The Princes in the Tower.WEB,weblink Lucy Worsley Investigates, PBS, 25 September 2022, On 22 June 2023, she presented the The Krypton Factor-style quiz show Puzzling, which made its debut on Channel 5 and there are 13 episodes.

Writing

Worsley has published a number of books, many guides to houses and the like. Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court (2011) is her most recent work on history. In 2014, BBC Books published her book, A Very British Murder, which was based on the series.WEB, A Very British Murder, Lucy Worsley, BBC Books,weblink The Independent, 7 September 2013, 9 October 2015, In April 2016, Worsley published her debut children's novel, Eliza Rose, about a young noble girl in a Tudor Court.NEWS, Carpani, Jessica, Historian Lucy Worsley: My life in eight objects,weblink 22 October 2016, The Daily Telegraph, London, 25 March 2016, NEWS, Wade, Francesca, Tales of lecherous Tudors,weblink 22 October 2016, The Daily Telegraph, London, 26 March 2016, lucyworsley.com, In 2017, Worsley published a biography of Jane Austen titled Jane Austen at Home: A Biography.WEB,weblink Nonfiction Book Review: Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley. St. Martin's, ({{ISBN|978-1-250-13160-7}})Worsley also wrote the young-adult book Lady Mary,{{ISBN|978-1408869444}} a history-based book that details the life of Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon; it follows her as a young Princess Mary during the time of the divorce of Mary's parents.

Personal life

Worsley lives in SouthwarkWEB,weblink Lucy Worsley's My London, Evening Standard, London, 5 July 2013, 23 August 2015, by the River Thames in south London with her husband, architect Mark Hines, whom she married in November 2011.WEB,weblink On being 2.5% famous, Lucy Worsley, 22 July 2012, 1 April 2013, With reference to having children, Worsley once said she has been "educated out of normal reproductive function",Times, 5/8/13 but she later said her statement had been "misinterpreted and sounded darker than I'd intended."NEWS, Wintle, Angela,weblink Lucy Worsley: My family values, The Guardian, London, 12 April 2013, 10 November 2016, As a television presenter, she is known for having a rhotacism, a minor speech impairment 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.WEB,weblink In which my speech impediment is criticised, but all ends happily, 7 April 2013, LucyWorsley.com, In her teens, Worsley represented Berkshire at cross country running and, as a pastime, is still a keen participant in the sport.NEWS, Wintle, Angela,weblink World of Dr Lucy Worsley, curator and broadcaster, The Daily Telegraph, London, 14 October 2011, 1 April 2013,

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.NEWS,weblink Claudia Winkleman nominated for RTS award for her new role as Strictly presenter, The Daily Telegraph, London, Siobhan Palmer, 25 February 2015, 17 March 2015,
• In July 2015, she was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Sussex (where she completed her doctorate).WEB, Wadsworth, Jo, TV historian given honorary Sussex Uni degree,weblink Brighton and Hove News, 13 July 2015, 20 July 2015,
• She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to history and heritage. The investiture by Charles, Prince of Wales, took place at Buckingham Palace on 16 November 2018.NEWS,weblink TV historian Lucy Worsley was appointed an OBE, BBC News, 16 November 2018,

Credits

Television programmes{| class"wikitable sortable"

! scope="col" style="width:80px;"| Year! class="unsortable" scope="col" style="width:450px;"| Title! class="unsortable" scope="col" style="width:150px;"| Channel! class="unsortable" scope="col" style="width:400px;"| Notes 2009 Inside the Body of Henry VIII History Channel >| weblink 2010 King Alfred the Great? BBC South 17 May 2010 2010 The Curse of the Hope Diamond Channel 4 24 May 2010 2011 When God Spoke English BBC Four 21 February 2011 Guest interview as Chief Curator of Hampton Court 2011 If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home BBC Four Four-part series (April 2011) 2011 Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency BBC Four Three-part series (August–September 2011) 2012 Our Food BBC Two Four-part series (April 2012). Hosted by Giles Coren, co-presented with James Wong (ethnobotanist), Alex Langlands & Alys Fowler.HTTPS://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/PROGRAMMES/B01FLRFLPUBLISHER=BBC, 2017-01-17, 2012 Antiques Uncovered BBC Two May 2012. Three-part series. 2012 Inside the World of Henry VIII History Channel 2012 Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls BBC Four Three-part series (May 2012) 2012 Food in England: The Lost World of Dorothy Hartley BBC Four 6 November 2012 2013 Secret Knowledge, Episode 3 BBC Four Bolsover Castle; 27 March 2013HTTP://WWW.RADIOTIMES.COM/EPISODE/VWZYB/SECRET-KNOWLEDGE--BOLSOVER-CASTLE-WITH-LUCY-WORSLEY-SECRET-KNOWLEDGE>TITLE=SECRET KNOWLEDGEDATE=5 JUNE 2023, 2013 Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History BBC Two Part 1,The Telegraph Reviews Part 1 Part 2, Part 3.The Telegraph Reviews Part 3 2013 Tales from the Royal Bedchamber BBC Four 5 August 2013HTTP://WWW.RADIOTIMES.COM/EPISODE/CMK6NM/TALES-FROM-THE-ROYAL-BEDCHAMBER>TITLE=RADIO TIMESDATE=5 JUNE 2023, 2013 A Very British Murder BBC Four 23 September 2013. Three-part series.HTTP://WWW.RADIOTIMES.COM/PROGRAMME/CNSJ4T/A-VERY-BRITISH-MURDER-WITH-LUCY-WORSLEY>TITLE=A VERY BRITISH MURDER WITH LUCY WORSLEYDATE=5 JUNE 2023, 2014 The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain BBC Four 1 May 2014. Three-part series. 2014 Masterchef BBC One 8 May 2014. Guest judge 2014 Tales from the Royal Wardrobes BBC Four 7 July 2014 2014 Dancing Cheek To Cheek: An Intimate History of Dance BBC Four 17 November 2014. Co-presented with Len Goodman. 2015 Britain's Tudor Treasure: A Night at Hampton Court BBC Two 7 February 2015. Co-presented with David Starkey. 2015 Cake Bakers and Trouble Makers: Lucy Worsley's 100 years of the WI BBC Two 20 July 2015 2015 A Very British Romance BBC Four 8 October 2015. Three-part series. 2015 Dancing Through The Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story BBC Two 25 July 2015. Co-presented with Len Goodman and Jools Holland.HTTPS://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/PROGRAMMES/B0645478>TITLE=DANCING THROUGH THE BLITZ: BLACKPOOL'S BIG BAND STORY, BBC, 2015 When Lucy met Roy: Sir Roy Strong at 80 BBC Four 23 August 2015HTTPS://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/PROGRAMMES/B067FM60>TITLE=WHEN LUCY MET ROY: SIR ROY STRONG AT 80, BBC, 2015 Lucy Worsley's Reins of Power: The Art of Horse Dancing BBC Four 15 September 2015HTTPS://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/PROGRAMMES/B06CCPZZ?NS_MCHANNEL=YT&NS_SOURCE=BBC_FOUR&NS_LINKNAME=DESCRIPTION_LINK >TITLE=LUCY WORSLEY'S REINS OF POWER: THE ART OF HORSE DANCING, BBC, 2015 The Great History Quiz: The Tudors BBC Two 24 December 2015.HTTPS://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/PROGRAMMES/B06T3MH8 >TITLE=THE GREAT HISTORY QUIZ: THE TUDORS, BBC, Quiz team captain. 2016 Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley BBC Four 6, 13 & 20 January 20162016 |The Real Versailles |BBC TwoPUBLISHER=BBC, 2016-06-25, Co-presented with Helen Castor. 2016|Lucy Worsley: Mozart's London Odyssey|BBC FourPUBLISHER=BBC, 2016-06-25, 2016|Six Wives with Lucy Worsley|BBC One|Three-part series December 20162017|British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley|BBC FourPUBLISHER=BBC, 2017-01-17, 2017|Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors|BBC Two|27 May 20172017|Lucy Worsley's Nights at the Opera|BBC Two|Two-part series; 14 October 2017, 21 October 20172017|Lucy Worsley: Elizabeth I's Battle for God's Music|BBC Four|17 October 20172018|Lucy Worsley's Fireworks for a Tudor Queen|BBC Four|7 March 20182018|Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley|BBC One|4 June 20182018|Victoria & Albert: The Royal Wedding|BBC TwoPUBLISHER=BBC, 2018-12-28, 2019|American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley|BBC FourPUBLISHER=BBC, 2019-01-18, 2019|Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain|BBC TwoPUBLISHER=BBC, 2019-05-17, 2019|Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey|BBC FourPUBLISHER=BBC, 2019-12-10, 2019|A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley|BBC TwoPUBLISHER=BBC, 2019-12-21, 2019–2020|Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley |BBC FourTITLE=ROYAL HISTORY'S BIGGEST FIBS WITH LUCY WORSLEY, 2020–2021|Lucy Worsley's Royal Myths & Secrets |PBS|Series 1; 21 and 28 June 5 July 2020. Series 2; 29 August 2021, 5, & 12 September 20212020|Lucy Worsley's Royal Photo Album |BBC Four|The story of the royal photograph 14 May 20202021|Lucy Worsley's Royal Palace Secrets |BBC FourPUBLISHER=BBC, 24 December 2020, 2021|Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley |BBC OnePUBLISHER=BBC, 1 January 2021, 2022|Rebuilding Notre-Dame |BBC TwoACCESS-DATE=23 APRIL 2022, 2022|Lucy Worsley Investigates |BBC Two & PBSPUBLISHER=BBC, 24 May 2022, 2022|Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen |BBC Two PUBLISHER=BBC, 13 November 2022, 2023|Puzzling Channel 5 (British TV channel)>Channel 5WEBSITE=ITVSTUDIOS.COM, 11 June 2023, 2023|Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer |BBC FourPUBLISHER=BBC, 11 July 2023, 2023|Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle |BBC TwoPUBLISHER=BBC/MEDIACENTREACCESS-DATE=11 DECEMBER 2023,

Podcasts

• Lady Killers With Lucy Worsley (2022)WEB,weblink Lucy Worsley uncovers the true stories of Victorian women accused of murder in a new podcast and series, BBC/mediacentre, 13 March 2022,
• Lady Killers With Lucy Worsley (2023)WEB,weblink Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley to return for second season, BBC/mediacentre, 14 March 2023,

Bibliography

Guidebooks

• Hardwick Old Hall (English Heritage Guidebooks, 1998, {{isbn|9781850746959}})
• Bolsover Castle, with Louise Wilson (English Heritage Guidebooks, 2001, {{isbn|9781850747628}})BOOK, Worsley, Lucy, Bolsover Castle, Louise, Wilson, 2001, English Heritage Guidebooks, 978-1-85074-762-8, registration,weblink
• Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire (English Heritage Guidebooks, 2001,{{isbn|9781850747475}})BOOK, Worsley, Lucy, Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire, 2001, English Heritage Guidebooks, 978-1-85074-747-5, registration,weblink
• Hampton Court Palace: The Official Illustrated History, with David Souden (Merrell Publishers, {{isbn|9781858942827}})
• The Royal Palaces of London, with David Souden and Brett Dolman; foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales (Merrell, 2008, {{isbn|9781858944234}})

Other nonfiction

• Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses (Faber & Faber, 2007, {{isbn|9780571227037}})
  • Cavalier: The Story of a 17th Century Playboy (paperback edition, Faber & Faber, 2008, {{isbn|9780571227044}})
• Henry VIII: 500 Facts, with Brett Dolman, Suzannah Lipscomb and Lee Prosser (Historic Royal Palaces, 2009, {{isbn|9781873993125}})
• Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court (Faber & Faber, 2011, {{isbn|9780571238903}})
  • The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace (US edition, Walker Books, 2010, {{isbn|9780802719874}})
• If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home (Faber & Faber, 2012, {{isbn|9780571259540}})
• A Very British Murder: The Story of a National Obsession (BBC Books, 2013, {{isbn|9781849906340}})
  • The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock (US edition, Pegasus Books, 2015, {{isbn|9781605989099}})
• Jane Austen at Home (Hodder & Stoughton, 2017, {{isbn|9781473632189}})
• Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow (Hodder & Stoughton, 2018, {{isbn|9781473651388}})
  • Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life (US edition, St. Martin's Press, 2019, {{isbn|9781250201423}})
• Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman (Hodder & Stoughton, 2022, {{isbn|9781529303872}})

Young adult fiction

• Eliza Rose (Bloomsbury Children's, 2016, {{isbn|9781408869437}})
  • Maid of the King's Court (US edition, Candlewick Press, 2017, {{isbn|9780763688066}})
• My Name Is Victoria (Bloomsbury Children's, 2017, {{isbn|9781408882016}})
• Lady Mary (Bloomsbury Children's, 2018, {{isbn|9781408869444}})
• The Austen Girls (Bloomsbury Children's, 2020, {{isbn|9781526605450}})

Forewords and introductions

• Lost World: England 1933-1936, by Dorothy Hartley (Prospect Books, 2012, {{isbn|9781903018972}})
• The Times – Great Women's Lives: A Celebration in Obituaries, edited by Sue Corbett (The History Press, 2014, {{isbn|9780750962346}})
• Chocolate Fit for a Queen (Ebury Press, 2015, {{isbn|9781785031243}})
• Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen (Folio Society, 2017, {{oclc|1107990187}})
• Fabulously Feisty Queens, by Valerie Wilding, illustrated by Pauline Reeves (Wren & Rook, 2020, {{isbn|9781526361905}})

Tours

• Lucy Worsley: A Very British Murder (2021)WEB,weblink Lucy Worsley: A Very British Murder, octagon-theatre.co.uk, 30 April 2023,
• An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Agatha Christie (2022–2024)WEB,weblink An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Agatha Christie, fane.co.uk, 9 September 2019, 11 June 2023,

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{commons category}}

• BBC Historian Lucy Worsley explores her own past
• {{Twitter}}
• Historic Royal Palaces Official Website
• Lucy Worsley BBC Blog Page
• {{IMDb name|3917687}}
• 'Lots of historians are sniffy about re-enactors' The Guardian 27 March 2011.

{{Authority control}}