Kate Williams

Kate appears regularly discussing history on television and radio.

She has appeared as a panellist on Newsnight Review and discussed history several times on BBC Breakfast, Newsnight, and Channel 4 News and More 4 News.

She is the historical expert on BBC2's Restoration Home, where she helps to unravel the extraordinary lives of some remarkable properties.

Kate made many television and radio appearances in the period around the Royal Wedding. On the wedding day she was part of the Radio 4 commentary team in the morning and was then a panellists in the BBC One afternoon programme with Huw Edwards. In the lead up to the wedding she also featured on When Royals Wed on BBC1 and Great British Wedding Cake on BBC2. Kate also gave many interviews to the foreign news media in relation to the wedding.

Her one-hour Timewatch special, 'Young Victoria' received 2.2 million viewers and is regularly repeated around the world. The Radio Times reviewed it as 'superb'. 

Her television contributions in 2010 included discussing George IV, Princess Charlotte and the Congress of Vienna for Glamour Puds on Channel 4 and the history of bread and sandwiches for The Great British Bake-Off on BBC2.

In 2009, she discussed the royal love affair with Scotland on Balmoral and the Royals on BBC2, Anna Scott and the Duke of Monmouth for Scotland's Clans: the Scotts of Buccleuch for BBC Scotland and Jack the Ripper and his crimes for Jack the Ripper: Newspaper Killer on Channel 5, and Charles Greville, Emma Hamilton and the founding of the Royal Horticultural Society for the Gardener's World Special on the founders of the RHS on BBC 2. She also explored Sherlock Holmes and Victorian England for the ITV Boxing Day special, In Search of Sherlock Holmes and Henry VIII's women for Henri VIII: un amour de tyran on France 2 with Stéphane Bern.

She presented Camilla's Family Secrets, about Edward VII and his mistresses on Channel 5, and wrote and presented The Grandfather of Self Help on Samuel Smiles on BBC Radio 4.

She has explored Nelson and Emma on Richard and Judy, Nelson’s Trafalgar with Michael Portillo on BBC1, and Rum, Sodomy and the Lash: the Realities of Nelson’s Navy on Channel 4.

Kate has also regularly reviews the newspapers on Radio 4’s Broadcasting House. On Woman's Hour, she explored the Mary Hamilton letters, hosted a 'History Girls' party for their Boxing Day Mistresses Special, discussed her book Becoming Queen and debated the question of the 'feminisation' of history.

Kate talked about Young Victoria on the Guestlist on Classic FM and with Simon Mayo on his Radio 5 programme, as well as reviewing other TV programmes as one of his panellists. She discussed Mendelssohn, salon culture and Queen Victoria with Iain Burnside live from the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Radio 3 Mendelssohn weekend.

She also talked about Christmas through the ages for the Radio 3 Christmas Sunday morning programme in December 2009. She also considered fictional detective Sexton Blake on Radio 2 for The Search for Sexton Blake. She has also talked about her work on various local radio stations, including BBC Radio Kent, Sheffield, Solent, Hereford and Worcester, Jersey, and Liverpool.

Her book England's Mistress is being developed for film by Picture Palace with Hayley Atwell in the lead role, www.picturepalace.com. The producer and director is Malcolm Craddock and the script has been written by Sarah Williams, writer of Becoming Jane. Kate is the historical consultant on the film. 

Kate's historical specialisation is in 17th to early 20th century history, and she has written books on Emma Hamilton and Queen Victoria.

Her historical novel about nineteenth century murder, The Pleasures of Men was published in January 2012 with excellent reviews and her next biography, of Josephine Bonaparte is due soon.

She has a BA from Oxford, an MA from London and a DPhil from Oxford.

Kate is also an experienced after dinner speaker and lecturer and she speaks regularly to historical societies, groups, conferences and commemorative dinners.

Her website is www.kate-williams.com

Article in the Guardian, January 2012 

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