News

Andrew Lownie

Andrew Lownie was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was Dunster History Prizeman and President of the Union, before taking his master’s and doctorate at Edinburgh University. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he later returned to Cambridge as a visiting fellow at Churchill College.

He has been a bookseller, publisher, journalist, writing for the Times, Telegraph, Wall Street Journal, Spectator and Guardian, and since 1988 has run his own literary agency specialising in history and biography.

He is President of the Biographers Club, sits on the board of Biographers International Organisation and is a Trustee of the Campaign for Freedom of Information.

His books include biographies of the writer John Buchan, the spy Guy Burgess and the top ten Sunday Times bestsellers The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves and Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. His most recent book is the no 1 Sunday Times bestseller, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York.

He regularly appears on television and has lectured widely.

Sathnam Sanghera

Sathnam Sanghera is an author, broadcaster and journalist.

Sathnam was born to Punjabi parents in the West Midlands in 1976. He entered the education system unable to speak English but, after attending Wolverhampton Grammar School, graduated from Christ’s College, Cambridge with a first-class degree in English Language and Literature.

He has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards twice, for his memoir The Boy with the Topknot and his novel Marriage Material, the former being adapted by BBC Drama in 2017 and named Mind Book of the Year in 2009. His third book, Empireland: How Imperialism Has Been Shaped Modern Britain became an instant Sunday Times bestseller upon release in 2021. Empireland was named a Book of the Year at the 2022 British Books Awards and was later adapted for television, as Empire State of Mind. For his work on the programme, Sathnam was shortlisted for Best Documentary Presenter at the 2022 Grierson Awards.

The book inspired a sequel, Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe, which became an instant Sunday Times bestseller on release in 2024, and Stolen History: The Truth about the British Empire and How it Shaped Us, which went to No 1 on several children’s books charts when it was released in 2023, and was shortlisted for a British Book Award and Children’s Book of the Year by Foyles.

His work has been recognised with several honorary doctorates and journalism prizes, including Young Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2002, Media Commentator of the year at the 2015 Comment Awards, and the Edgar Wallace Trophy for Writing of the Highest Quality at the 2017 London Press Club Awards. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2016 and elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contribution to historical scholarship in 2023.

Before becoming a writer Sathnam worked at a variety of places – at a burger chain, a hospital laundry, a market research firm, a sewing factory and a literacy project in New York. Between 1998 and 2006 he was at the Financial Times, where he worked (variously) as a news reporter in the UK and the US, specialised in writing about the media industries, worked across the paper as Chief Feature Writer, and wrote an award-winning weekly business column. Sathnam joined The Times as a columnist and feature writer in 2007. He is also a regular contributor on national radio and TV, having appeared on programmes including Have I Got News For You and Front Row Late and presented a range of television documentaries. These include: The Massacre That Shook The Empire on Channel 4, (shortlisted for best Factual TV show at the 2019 Asian Media Awards), and Empire State of Mind, described by The Daily Telegraph as “necessary”, The Mail on Sunday as “riveting and moving”, and The Sun as “personable, funny, measured and… extremely powerful”.

Sathnam has presented many programmes for BBC Radio 4 including Empire of Tea, Open Book, and Mercury (An Archive on Freddie Mercury). He was a studio guest for ITV’s coverage of the Coronation of King Charles III. During the COVID-19 lockdown period he presented a film for Channel 4 News about the effect of the virus on diverse communities.

Sathnam’s first book, The Boy with the Topknot: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton, was shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Biography Award, the 2009 PEN/Ackerley Prize and named 2009 Mind Book of the Year. It was adapted for BBC2 and became the channel’s highest-rated single drama of the year, featured Bafta-nominated and EEACTA-winning performances, won a Mipcom Diversify TV Excellence Award, was named Best TV Programme at the 2018 Asian Media Awards and Best Single Drama at the RTS Midlands Awards, and was described by The Radio Times as a “smash hit”.

His novel, Marriage Material, was shortlisted for a 2014 South Bank Sky Arts Award and a 2013 Costa Book Award, longlisted for the 2014 Desmond Elliot Prize, picked by The Sunday Times, The Observer and Metro as one of the novels of 2013, and cited as one of the Guardian Readers’ Books of the Year in 2014. Marriage Material was also adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti.

Amongst other awards, Empireland was named Non-Fiction Book of the Year in Eastern Eye’s 2022 Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs), longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize and shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje and Parliamentary Book Awards. It was also named History Book of the Year by The Independent (“10/10”) and one of the Books of the Year by the Financial Times, The Times, The New Statesman, The Observer, The Daily Express, The Sunday Express and The Week.

For his journalism work, Sathnam has been awarded Article of the Year at the 2005 Management Today Writing Awards, Newspaper Feature of the Year at the 2005 Workworld Media Awards, and HR Journalist of the Year at the 2006 and 2009 Watson Wyatt Awards for Excellence. He was awarded honorary Doctor of Letters for services to journalism by The University of Wolverhampton in 2009 and received an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in 2023 in recognition of his “distinguished contribution to the social sciences” through his “writing on race, identity and shared British history”. In 2010, he was given a President’s Medal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and in 2018 the Pride of Pothohar Award for his contribution to the Sikh community. In 2013, Jonathan Coe, writing for GQ, named him one of “The Men of Next 25 years”, writing that “whether he’s writing autobiography or fiction, Sathnam is busy carving out his own literary niche – in the multicultural British Midlands – which he explores with incredible grace, generosity and humour”.

The Boy with the Topknot was originally published by Penguin in hardback as If You Don’t Know Me by Now. In the USA, Marriage Material is published by Europa Editions, Empireland by Pantheon and Empireworld by PublicAffairs. He has been a judge for The Wellcome Book Prize and The Costa Book Awards, was formerly a trustee for mental health charity Rethink and chair of media charity Creative Access and is a patron for Writing West Midlands. He lives in London.

Sathnam’s new books, Tonight the Music Seems So Loud: The Meaning of George Michael was published in June 2026 and Journeys of Empire: British Voyages that Changed the World was published in September 2025.

Sathnam is an experienced public speaker and frequently delivers keynote speeches and fireside chats, at variety of places from history festivals to schools and universities to corporate events.

 

Simon Vigar

As one of the longest-serving Royal correspondents on British TV, Simon Vigar has interviewed and/or met most members of the Royal Family. He was one of the privileged few journalists to receive an invitation to the State funeral of Elizabeth II. His new book, The Four Wives of Windsor: Rivalries, Influence and the Real Power Behind the Crown was released in July 2026. The book explores the lives and influence of Diana, Camilla, Meghan and Catherine, drawing on decades of experience as a trusted royal correspondent.

Simon has covered Royal tours from South Africa to the Solomon Islands, Barbados to Bhutan and had a front row seat at all the major Royal events in recent years. He has covered births, marriages, deaths and three jubilees and interviewed Princes Philip and Harry, Princess Anne and the then Duchess of Cornwall. Simon’s association with 5 News goes back to its launch in 1997 and he is the only remaining reporter from the original line-up. He has covered other major events including the Paris attacks, the 7/7 bombings, the Grenfell tragedy and the 2012 Olympics.

Simon regularly contributes to documentaries on Channel 5, including Kate & The Queen: A Special Relationship, Princess Kate: Our Future Queen and Prince George: Our Future King. He has also worked for some of the biggest players in radio including Capital, Heart and LBC and been a voiceover artist for Discovery, Sky Sports and Formula 1. He is passionate about improving diversity within journalism and, for many years, has been involved with the John Schofield Trust. Away from work, Simon is an authority on flags and is a question-setter for the top charity event in broadcast news, the fiendish Ultimate News Quiz.

Nicholas Owen

Nicholas Owen is one of news broadcasting’s best-known faces. He re-joined BBC News in 2007 as a presenter for the News Channel and BBC One bulletins. For well over a decade before that he hosted all ITN’s major bulletins, including Channel Four News and News at Ten. He has appeared on a wide range of other TV and radio programmes, including BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2006. On radio, he presented shows on Classic FM for many years. He regularly appears on the Camilla Tominey Show on GB News.

From 1994 to 2000 he was Royal Correspondent for ITV News. In that capacity he played a major role in reporting on the death and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, for which ITN won an RTS Award. He published a book on her life, Diana: The People’s Princess, in 1997.

He was a regular contributor to ITN’s Budget programmes, having joined ITN originally as Channel Four News Business and Economics Correspondent. During the first Gulf War, Nicholas presented the highly acclaimed Midnight Special Programmes on Channel Four. He also anchored The Parliament Programme, Channel Four’s first daytime political series.

Nicholas began his journalistic career on the Surrey Mirror in 1964, moving to national newspapers in 1968. He worked for the Evening Standard and the Daily Telegraph before spending seven years with the Financial Times.

In 1981 Nicholas switched to television reporting, joining the BBC in the North of England, covering general and industrial stories for both regional and national news and current affairs programmes. He moved to ITN in 1984.

Nicholas was born in 1947. He has a close interest in transport matters, especially railways and light rail schemes. His publications include a history of the British trolleybus. His memoir, Days Like This, was published in 2012. He is married to a newspaper journalist, lives in Surrey, has four children – and a dozen grandchildren.

Patrick Jephson

Best-selling author Patrick Jephson is a consultant, broadcaster and award-winning journalist based in Washington DC. He writes, presents and advises on factual and drama programmes, appearing on every major US network as well as cable and international platforms worldwide.

In a notable recent assignment, he advised on several seasons of the acclaimed Netflix drama The Crown. His byline has appeared in every major UK newspaper and international titles as varied as TIME magazine, Vanity Fair, People, The Spectator, Paris Match, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the National Catholic Reporter. He is also a published authority on corporate and personal branding, addressing conferences on all six continents as well as events at the US State Department, the American University and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Patrick owes much of his practical communications experience to Princess Diana, who chose him to be her equerry and only private secretary/chief of staff. He served the Princess for eight years (1988-96), responsible for every aspect of her public life, worldwide humanitarian initiatives, and private organization. Under relentless media scrutiny, his tenure covered the period of Princess Diana’s greatest popularity as well as the constitutional controversy of her divorce from Prince Charles.

In 2022 he received an unreserved apology and substantial damages from the BBC when it was revealed that Panorama journalist Martin Bashir falsified documents to deceive Princess Diana that Patrick had betrayed her. He donated all the damages to the Ty Hafan Children’s hospice, the final patronage he arranged for Diana.

Patrick was born and raised in Ireland and holds a master’s degree in political science from The University of Cambridge. A keen amateur historian, his ancestors include notable courtiers to Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and William III. As an officer in the Royal Navy, he served all over the world before being selected for royal duty. In March 2015 he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Patrick is currently working on a variety of publishing and television projects in the UK, USA and Australia. A qualified private pilot, he has recently added travel writing to his portfolio.

He is married to Mary Jo Jacobi, formerly special assistant to President Ronald Reagan and Assistant Secretary of Commerce to President George H W Bush.

Sally Osman

Sally is the former Director of Royal Communications for Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Household. She directed communications at the BBC and has significant experience in understanding the practicalities and impact of soft power to help address modern leadership challenges.

Sally also led communications for SONY Europe, Sky television and UK broadcaster Channel 5, all during periods of market transformations, commercial challenges, innovation and crisis, learning valuable lessons under intense reputational and political pressures and public/media scrutiny.

Now a Senior Advisor at global CEO strategic advisory firm, Teneo, and a Meyler Campbell-accredited leadership coach, Sally is a board director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, of the English National Opera and a trustee of Our Future Health, the UK’s largest ever health research programme, developing new ways to prevent, detect and treat diseases.

Sally participated in the television coverage of the deaths of the Duke of Edinburgh and HM The Queen for the BBC, CNN and CTV in Canada.

Sally is a frequent and experienced public speaker, at both corporate and public interest events.

Having started her career in newspaper and magazine journalism after studying law at Exeter University, Sally is an alumnus of the Wharton Business School, a Fellow and former Vice Chair of the Royal Television Society and member of The Marketing Group of Great Britain.

Angela Rippon

Angela Rippon has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for 60 years. She is an award-winning journalist who has embraced an impressive variety of programmes on both radio and television for commercial and BBC channels in Britain, America and Australia.

The scope and quality of her work have been recognised by the Royal Television Society who entered her into their Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2002 she was voted European Woman of Achievement and at the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 2004 she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to Broadcasting, Charity and the Arts. Angela was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at the 2017 New Year Honours for services to dementia care in her role as development lead with Dementia Friendly Communities.

Trained as a journalist in her hometown of Plymouth, Angela worked for both BBC Plymouth and the ITV station Westward Television before joining BBC National News in 1973. She was appointed the first woman journalist newsreader in 1975 and made two memorable appearances in the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Shows. She was a founding member of the commercial breakfast service TV-am in 1982; in 1984 she moved to America to work for CBS in Boston.

Angela co-presented BBC One’s flagship consumer programme Rip-Off Britain for 15 years before stepping down in 2024. She also regularly contributes to The One Show and Morning Live, both BBC One, and various programmes on GB News. In May 2026, Angela presented the four-part Channel 5 documentary series Angela Rippon’s River Cruises, which followed her travels along the Danube and Mekong rivers in partnership with Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours. She appeared in the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing, making it to Blackpool and winning the admiration of viewers with her high kicks!

She has presented a vast range of programmes from hard news and current affairs to quiz shows and magazine programmes for both BBC and commercial radio and television. Titles include Come Dancing; Top Gear, Antiques Roadshow, Masterteam, Crufts Championship, Holiday Hit Squad, The Holiday Programme, How to Stay Young, The Truth About Dementia, Britain’s Greatest Invention and HealthCheck UK Live, BBC One’s series offering health advice and tips, as well as companionship during the COVID-19 lockdown. Angela was also the voice of the question master on the hit BBC One game show The Wall, with Danny Dyer. In 2025, Angela joined Alexander Armstrong in presenting 10 episodes of Pointless.

Angela is committed to several charities, including the British Red Cross of which she is Vice President and The Alzheimer’s Society. In February 2025, Angela launched her Let’s Dance campaign, encouraging the public to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of dance.

Angela has written 14 books including Fabulous at Fifty and Beyond.

Julia Somerville

Julia Somerville is a consumer affairs journalist. She currently co-presents the successful flagship consumer series Rip Off Britain on BBC One. She also presented Rip Off Britain’s spin off series Food, Holidays and Rip Off Britain: LIVE.

Julia Somerville began her career in broadcasting when she joined the BBC in 1972 as a sub-editor in the Radio Newsroom. She became a chief-sub and then a reporter and was made Labour Affairs Correspondent in 1981. In 1983 she was recruited by BBC Television News to present the Nine O’clock News.

In 1987 Julia joined ITN. During the next 14 years she presented News at Ten, the Lunchtime News and was part of the launch of the ITN News Channel. She left ITN in 2001.

In 2010, Julia re-joined the BBC and began working on Rip Off Britain in 2011. In 2017, she was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef (BBC One).

Julia has had a has a lifelong passion for painting. She is currently Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Government Art Collection. She has served on several judging panels for art and architecture awards, such as the Royal Institute of British Architects Annual Architecture Award Panels.

In 2013, she was appointed OBE for services to art.

Camilla Tominey

Camilla Tominey is Associate Editor covering Politics and Royals at The Daily Telegraph in London.

She is also the resident royal expert on ITV’s This Morning and appears frequently on royal documentaries on BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. She currently presents her own Sunday morning political programme on GB News, The Camilla Tominey Show and co-hosts The Daily T podcast for The Daily Telegraph.

Camilla often takes part in the BBC’s Question Time and Politics Live in her capacity as a member of the Westminster Lobby. Camilla often contributes to documentary films and television programmes in her capacity as Royal expert.

Camilla was formerly Political Editor, Royal Editor and columnist for the Sunday Express. She first started reporting on the British Royal Family in 2005, when she covered the King’s marriage to Camilla Parker-Bowles at the Windsor Guildhall.

Since then, she has reported on all the major Royal stories, including Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton, their subsequent marriage and the births of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Her world exclusive scoops include breaking the news of Prince Harry’s relationship with Meghan Markle, which was nominated for Scoop of the Year at the 2016 British Press Awards.

Camilla co-anchored both recent Royal Weddings for NBC’s Today Show, contributing to programming across the network that was watched by 55 million viewers.

An authority on Royalty, Camilla has spent the past decade shadowing the Royals at home and on tour. A seasoned interviewer, Camilla has been granted exclusive access to interview many members of the Royal Family including Prince Harry, Zara Phillips, the Duchess of York and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Internationally, as well as NBC she has worked with CBC, CTV and Global in Canada, Nine Network Australia, Germany’s ZDF and ARD, RTL in France and countless more broadcasters.

In 2019, she was awarded Journalist of the Year by the McLean-DB Recovery+ Awards, the ‘Oscars’ in the field of recovery from addiction, for her work highlighting the plight of children of alcoholics.

She was nominated Multimedia Journalist of the Year at the 2021 London Press Club Awards, and Journalist of the Year at the Digital Publishing Awards 2023.

Camilla lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and three children.

Professor Kate Williams

Kate Williams is a historian, author and broadcaster. She is Professor of Modern History at Reading University and an expert in Royal and constitutional affairs. Kate co-presents the hit podcast Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things for The Daily Mail, in which she reveals and explains the more scandalous side of royal history alongside Mail columnist Robert Hardman. Kate has contributed to several Channel 5 documentaries, including The Secrets of the Royal Palaces and the Royal Residence series. Kate is the in-house historical analyst for CNN, providing expert commentary for news and events such as the Queen’s funeral, the King’s coronation, and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

Kate often appears on Radio 4, Sky News, BBC Breakfast, Channel 4 News, ITV News, Channel 5 News and Good Morning Britain to discuss the historical aspect of royal news. The Radio 4 Today programme called her ‘Historian Extraordinaire’.

She recently performed the first in a series of live shows with Suzannah Lipscomb – To Kill a Queen: Two queens. One crown. The show explores the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, and why Elizabeth signed her cousin’s death warrant. The show has proved so successful that the pair added five new tour dates across the UK.

Kate has worked with BBC Politics and BBC Events on numerous occasions including the Scottish referendum, the anniversary of the outbreak of World War I and the RTS award winning 70th anniversary coverage of VE Day.

She co-presented BBC Two’s RTS-nominated Restoration Home as well as The Stuarts for UKTV and Netflix. To accompany the major BBC Two Drama Versailles, Kate co-presented two series of Inside Versailles, delving deeper into the history of the French court. She has presented two BBC Inside Out films on Derbyshire’s Belper Mill and how the nation’s transport system resumed after WWII.

On Radio, Kate has presented radio documentaries about the history of the smile (Smile) and about the author of Self Help, Samuel Smiles (The Grandfather of Self Help). She was the historian on Frank Skinner’s Radio 4 series The Rest is History – called ‘Professor search engine’!

Kate loves quiz shows and was a regular on the BBC Four show, The Quizeum, hosted by Griff Rhys Jones – dubbed the ‘human encyclopaedia’! Kate won Celebrity Mastermind, with Emily Bronté as her specialist subject. She also took part in BBC Two’s The Great History Quiz: The Tudors, regularly appeared on the BBC Two quiz show, Insert Name Here, and has been a guest on BBC One’s Would I Lie to You.

Kate is a NYT bestselling author of six historical books. Her 2014 biography of Josephine Bonaparte, Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte, was cited as a primary influence by writer David Scarpa for his screenplay of Napoleon (directed by Ridley Scott). Her biography of Emma Hamilton, England’s Mistress, has been optioned for film adaptation. Her most recent book, Regina: A New History of Women and Power, is an epic history of royal women from Cleopatra to Grace Kelly; upon release in the summer of 2026, it was met with rave reviews.

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

Sarah Hewson

Sarah Hewson is a journalist and broadcaster with more than 20 years’ experience covering some of the biggest national and international news stories.

Sarah was Royal Editor at Talk TV for two years and regularly presented the Breakfast programme and the YouTube series, The Royal Tea. She has also co-presented the Washington Post’s coverage of the death of HM The Queen and the Coronation of King Charles. She also frequently comments on royal news for Times Radio.

Sarah regularly appears as a guest or host on The Royal Beat and The Royal Beat: Book Club for True Royalty.

Sarah has spent most of her career at Sky News where she has presented every programme from Breakfast through to the flagship News at Ten, and hosted her own weekly programme, Sky News with Sarah Hewson.

For many years, Sarah was the channel’s Royal Correspondent and anchored Sky’s coverage of two royal weddings, royal births and the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh. She has interviewed six senior members of the royal family, five UK prime ministers and high-profile figures from the worlds of business, sport and entertainment.

She has reported from Westminster to the White House, the Amazon, Africa and Australia.

Sarah has covered major breaking stories including the 7/7 bombings, the London Bridge terror attack, the death of Osama Bin Laden as well as Britain’s Brexit negotiations and the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is mother to three children and Patron of OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour charity.

 

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is an award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster. She is Professor Emerita of History at the University of Roehampton, Senior Member at St Cross College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Antiquaries. Suzannah has written and edited seven books, and received a double First, MSt and DPhil in History from Lincoln and Balliol Colleges, Oxford – where she was a Jowett Senior Scholar. She was formerly Research Curator at Hampton Court Palace and a columnist for History Today. She was Chair of Judges for the Costa Book Awards in 2020 and is a Trustee of the Mary Rose Trust.

Suzannah is an established television presenter. She has presented history series on BBC 4, ITV, Channel 4, Channel Five, Five Select, PBS, UKTV, National Geographic, History Channel, Yesterday, and History Hit. She also hosts the hugely successful Not Just the Tudors podcast from History Hit. Launched in 2021, there are now more than 200 episodes. She co-hosted the award-winning podcast, Irreplaceable: A History of England in 100 Places and presented Audible’s podcast series, History’s Lost Speeches. She is presenting 8 episodes of Key Changes: Radio 3’s essential history of classical music. She has appeared on a range of other radio programmes, including BBC Radio 4’s A Good Read, Great Lives, Woman’s Hour, Front Row, Today, and You’re Dead to Me.

Suzannah is also an experienced and engaging public speaker and has delivered numerous keynote speeches and lectures at cultural institutions, literary festivals, and to businesses, universities, and schools, both across the UK and internationally.

Suzannah has written and presented several history documentary series on television, as well as featuring as an expert contributor, panellist, and royal commentator.

Recently, Suzannah’s led the series Ancient Autopsy on Channel 4. She also previously presented The Royals: A History of Scandals (also Channel 4). Radio Times wrote ‘Suzannah Lipscomb fascinates us’ – the show was ‘fun and insightful’. The Times wrote, ‘our presenter’s enthusiasm carries this along nicely’. The Daily Mail thought ‘Suzannah […] presents a complex, shocking story, with enough twists to fill a novel, without losing any of the threads’.

Suzannah was also a key contributor to BBC Two’s The Titanic Sinks Tonight series, which prompted The Guardian to comment that ‘Central to its success is the presence of experts such as Suzannah Lipscomb…to sharpen the corners of the story that Hollywood has sanded down’.

Suzannah has also recently made a number of films for History Hit, including A Tudor Discovery: Thomas Cromwell’s Prayer Book with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb.

Her other series include Walking Tudor England (three episodes) for Five Select (‘riveting stuff’, The Guardian), and Nicholas & Alexandra: The Letters with Suzannah Lipscomb (two episodes) for UKTV (‘fascinating’, TV Times).

For Channel Five, she teamed up with Dan Jones to co-present four episodes of London: 2000 Years of History (also with Rob Bell); three episodes of Elizabeth I (‘a lively take … the two presenters … bring gravitas’, Radio Times); three episodes of The Great Fire of London, which The Sunday Times called ‘vibrant’ (also with Rob Bell); and three episodes Henry VIII and His Six Wives. The Daily Mail described Lipscomb and Jones as ‘rapidly becoming the Ant and Dec of what used to be a rather stuffy world’; The Times called them ‘engaging and knowledgeable’.

On BBC 4, Suzannah also wrote and presented Hidden Killers of the … Home. The Daily Telegraph called her ‘an engaging historian’, Radio Times said she had ‘a captivating style’, The Daily Express said the show was ‘hugely watchable’, and The Mail on Sunday concluded ‘Lipscomb … combines a clipped elegance with a matter-of-fact approach and a plucky willingness to get involved’.

For Channel Five, she wrote and presented Witch-Hunt: A Century of Murder and Henry and Anne: The Lovers Who Changed History (‘Lipscomb… gets right to the heart of her subjects and their seven-year courtship through shared personal possessions and scraps of impassioned writing’, Daily Telegraph). For ITV, she co-presented eight episodes of I Never Knew That About Britain. She also made two series, Bloody Tales of Europe and Bloody Tales of the Tower for National Geographic.

Suzannah has also featured as an expert contributor on shows for BBC 2, Channel 4, and Netflix, including Blood, Sex & Royalty, Time Team, and The Last Days of Anne Boleyn. The Daily Telegraph said she was ‘fascinating and lucid’. She was one of two resident historians on BBC 2’s comedy panel show, Insert Name Here, which ran for four years. And she has been a panellist on Richard Osman’s House of Games, Pointless Celebrities, and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, and appeared several times in Dictionary Corner with Susie Dent on Countdown.

As a historian of monarchy, Suzannah has covered many royal events for television. For CTV (Canada), Suzannah commentated live on the funeral of HM the Duke of Edinburgh in April 2021, the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Duchess of Sussex in May 2018, and the wedding of HM Prince William to Catherine Princess of Wales in 2011. For NBC (USA) on MSNBC and NBC News, she commentated live on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, and the coronation of HM King Charles III in May 2023.

In 2026, Suzannah paired up with Professor Kate Williams to present a touring show – To Kill a Queen – which explores the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, and why Elizabeth signed her cousin’s death warrant. The show has proved so successful that the pair added five new tour dates across the UK.

Alice Loxton

Alice Loxton is a historian, writer and presenter. She has been described by Dan Snow as “the star of her generation” and “the next big thing in history”.

She has worked with many organisations to bring history to mainstream audiences. Alice shares her love of history via her social media channels, particularly via Instagram, where she has over 1.8 million followers (@history_alice). She has worked with many heritage groups and corporate clients to create social media history content including The National Trust, Trainline, Xbox, Sky, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Christie’s and The National Portrait Gallery.

Alice co-presents BBC’s Here for the History podcast, which delves into the history of the stereotypes, social norms and traditions of everyday life. She has appeared on several history documentaries including Inside Buckingham Palace for Channel 5, Decoding Turner for Sky Arts and Queens That Changed the World for Channel 4. She also commented on the death and funeral of the late Queen and the coronation of King Charles II for BBC News, NBC News and Sunrise on Channel 7 Australia.

She is a columnist for Country Living magazine.

Alice is experienced at live events – hosting conversations, speaking on panels and giving talks. She has interviewed historians such as Peter Frankopan and Dan Jones, hosted at venues such as 10 Downing Street, The Victoria and Albert Museum and Chalke Valley History Festival.

Her debut bestselling history book, UPROAR!, focussed on satirical printmakers of the late Georgian period. UPROAR! has enjoyed critical acclaim for combining scholarship with an engaging and accessible writing style (which in turn has introduced this subject to a much wider audience).

Alice’s second book, Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives, explored Britain’s past through the lives of eighteen notable figures at the age of eighteen, offering a unique and witty perspective on history. The book was named Blackwell’s Book of the Year & Non-Fiction Book of the Year and is a Times Bestseller.

Alice’s third book, Eleanor: A 200 Mile Walk in Search of England’s Lost Queen, was published in 2025. Part travelogue, part history, Eleanor charts Alice’s 200-mile walk across the country following the Eleanor Crosses, revealing a powerful love story and capturing the rich tapestry of English heritage.

Her next book, A History of Britain in 21 Paintings, is released late 2026.

Alice also often writes articles and book reviews, including for The Spectator, The Times, The Telegraph and Tatler.

Daisy McAndrew

Daisy McAndrew is a freelance radio and TV presenter, reporter and writer. She has 30 years’ experience reporting on UK politics, economics and business, and the British Royal Family.

Daisy has had senior reporting roles at BBC and ITV News including Chief Political Correspondent, Economics Editor and Special Correspondent. She is a well-known face on American TV screens as NBC News’ Royal Commentator.

She has presented Daily Politics, Weekend News, The Heaven and Earth Show, and The World Tonight (Radio 4) for the BBC, Driving Miss Daisy and the O2 Business Show for LBC, The Lunchtime News and Moral of the Story for ITV, Powerhouse for Channel 4, and a number of programmes for TalkRadio & Talk TV.

Daisy is a regular paper reviewer on the BBC News Channel, BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House, and on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips. She also appears regularly as a panellist on Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge.

Daisy has appeared as a guest on Have I Got News for You?, The Wright Stuff, Jeremy Vine, Loose Women and Despatch Box, among more, and is a familiar face on ITV’s This Morning, Good Morning Britain and Euronews.

Daisy launched her broadcast career in 2001. She had previously spent a decade working in Westminster, beginning, aged nineteen, as an MP’s researcher. During her time in politics, Daisy wrote for many newspapers from the Press Gallery, profiled MPs in The House Magazine (which she ultimately edited), and worked for Lib Dem Leader Charles Kennedy as his Press Secretary. She was a consultant on the BBC’s A-Z of Politics and edited The Politics Companion, published by Chrysalis books.

Daisy is also an accomplished and experienced keynote speaker and corporate facilitator and host, having compered countless awards and conferences for a wide variety of clients – including many large multinationals, banks, trade bodies and charities. Accolades include ‘Daisy is easy to work with and an amazing professional’ and ‘she kept the audience captivated.’ Credits include hosting the AIC UK and MiP Capital Group Conferences, and speaking at the Propertymark One Conference.

 

Ailsa Anderson

Ailsa Anderson LVO is a former newspaper journalist now commentating on the Royal Family, the British Monarchy and The Church of England. Ailsa was Communications and Press Secretary to The Queen from 2001 until the end of 2013, which saw her involved her in many high profile and globally recognised events, including two Jubilees, the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the wedding of Prince William and Catherine, and subsequent birth of Prince George. She led the communications work for The Queen and Prince Philip’s historic State visit to the Republic of Ireland as well as the late Monarch’s last visit to Australia. She was also involved in many high-profile state visits to the United Kingdom including both Presidents Bush and Obama. Ailsa was awarded with the Royal Victorian Medal by The Queen in 2009.

Ailsa also led on media relations for Princess Anne the Princess Royal, Prince Edward and The Countess of Wessex and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. She was based at Buckingham Palace in London.

Ailsa previously worked in Government Communications until 2001, where she was Chief Press Officer at the Cabinet Office. After leaving the Royal Household she was appointed Director of Communications for Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, where she spent the next eight years. Since 2023, Ailsa has served as Director of Communications and Marketing for Eastern City BID.

Ailsa has extensive broadcasting experience including ABC News America, NBC, LBC, Sky and GB News.

Fiona Armstrong

Award winning broadcaster and writer Fiona Armstrong has been a familiar face on national and regional news for over 40 years. Her work ranges from news to features to sport. She is currently presenting ITV’s Border Life in Scotland. The programme received an ITV award for Best Current Affairs programme for her report on the Lockerbie air disaster.

Fiona has been a national newscaster and reporter for ITV and the BBC. She has covered the plight of Aids orphans in Africa, the removal of landmines in Cambodia, and the work of the Mercy Ships in West Africa. Closer to home, she fronted a series looking at domestic abuse. Other lighter projects include the countryside series, River Journeys, and Reivers, which featured clan history. Under the Hammer saw her filming in Scottish auction houses, whilst Fantastic Facts took her around Europe. She has also produced more than 20 films and videos on Scottish clans. As one of the UK’s best-known female anglers, Sky TV’s Tight Lines saw her fishing at home and abroad.

Fiona started her broadcasting career with Radio 210 in Reading and the BBC in Manchester. She has since worked for ITV Border, ITN, GMTV, BBC World News, the BBC News Channel, Sky TV and the Carlton Food Network, where she presented the series Easy as Pie. For American network NBC, she fronted several series of the business programme, Executive Lifestyles. She has also contributed to programmes for Radios 2 and 4.

Away from work, Fiona likes to swim, fish, cook, and garden. She is kept busy as the Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfries, the King’s personal representative in her area. Married to a Scottish clan chief, she writes about her tartan life in columns for magazines and newspapers. She has also written books on fishing and quirky cookbooks.

Fiona was given an Outstanding Contribution Award at the Royal Television Society North-East and Border Awards. She has a Doctorate in history from the University of Strathclyde and is a Fellow of the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Cumbria. She also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glasgow.

Jennie Bond

Broadcaster and journalist Jennie Bond appears regularly on a wide range of television and radio programmes – from news reports and documentaries to light entertainment. Her expertise and long experience of reporting on the Royal Family over the past 35 years is internationally recognised.

She’s also known to young and old for her exploits in the jungle of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here when she was buried in a coffin full of rats and had to eat a variety of live insects.

Since then, she has presented two of the BBC’s most popular shows: Cash in the Attic and Rip Off Britain. She also presented the highly successful BBC2 series Great British Menu. She has appeared on Richard Osman’s House of Games and The Weakest Link, and contributed to numerous documentaries including The Day I Met the Queen. Other projects include Channel 4’s Drugs Live, Royals at War, Masterchef, Too Many Cooks, Stars in their Eyes, Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman, Christmas of My Lifetime with Len Goodman, The Big Call and her personal account of her time as a royal correspondent, the three-part documentary series for Channel Five, Jennie Bond’s Royals.

As the BBC’s Royal Correspondent during 14 of the most turbulent years the monarchy has endured, Jennie was at the heart of events that made headlines around the world: from the fairytale marriages to the adultery, the divorces and the deaths. Most recently Jennie has reported on the death of Queen Elizabeth and the Coronation of King Charles.

Jennie still enjoys commentating and writing about royalty today and likes to share her often hilarious experiences and adventures with audiences at home and abroad. She loves to make people laugh and to show them that she is quite different from how people imagined her when she stood outside the Palace.

For many years Jennie was also a regular news presenter on BBC Television and presented the main bulletins as well as Breakfast.

She began her career in journalism after graduating from Warwick University in 1972. She worked on local papers for five years before joining BBC Radio News. During the next few years, she gained a thorough grounding in radio news, editing the main bulletins. She also worked as a producer on current affairs shows, including the very popular Woman’s Hour, and in light entertainment with Noel Edmonds.

She returned to full-time reporting in 1986 with BBC Radio, covering major news stories, for example in Northern Ireland. She also began her career as a presenter, anchoring — among other programmes – the top current affairs show in the UK, Today, on Radio 4.

Jennie has written several books on the Royal Family. Her first, Reporting Royalty: Behind the scenes with the BBC’s Royal Correspondent, was published in 2001, and is a detailed account of her years of keeping tabs on the Royals. In the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Year, Carlton Books published her Elizabeth: 50 Glorious Years, a commemoration of the Queen’s reign. She updated this book for the Queen’s 80th birthday. Today, Jennie frequently contributes opinion pieces to various newspapers, as well as making regular appearances on television and radio.

Married with a daughter, she lives in Devon and thoroughly enjoys getting away from it all at her seaside home.

Jennie also chairs conferences and seminars and is a highly skilled conference facilitator and after dinner speaker. She has a wealth of experience hosting events and award ceremonies, both at home and abroad.

Helen Carr

Helen Carr is an historian, writer and presenter specialising in medieval history.

Helen’s best-selling book, The Red Prince: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, was listed in the Times and Sunday Times top five best books of 2021. She is also the co-author and editor of What is History, Now? a follow up to What is History? (1961) by her great-grandfather, the historian and diplomat, E.H Carr. Helen’s most recent book, Sceptred Isle: A new history of the fourteenth century featured on The Times’s ‘Books to look out for in 2025’ and hit the top ten Times bestseller list upon publication in May 2025.

Helen has presented several documentaries for History Hit TV including: Edward II – Worst King of England?, Bannockburn: The Battle for Scotland, Captain Cook’s Endeavour and The Trail of Guy Fawkes. Helen has also appeared as an expert on Richard II as part of the Medieval Kings series and presented a documentary for Cambridge University on its history, shared globally.

Helen has been a royal historian for Global News Canada, and during major royal events such as the death of HM The Queen and the Coronation of King Charles she has co-presented special programmes for City TV Canada and worked with CNN, NBC and Sky News on British Royal Family news.

On the radio, Helen is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4. She has presented and contributed to Great Lives, and appeared on Loose Ends and In Our Time.

Helen previously hosted the chart-topping podcast, Hidden Histories and has hosted podcasts for Intelligence Squared, both live and online.

Helen is passionate about sharing how we study and interpret the past and has been praised for her ability to enthuse and engage the public for various historical subjects. A comfortable public speaker, she has conducted several interviews and delivered various talks at history festivals, schools, and more.

‘Helen Carr is one of the most exciting and talented young historians out there. She has a passion for medieval history which is infectious and is always energetic and engaging, whether on the printed page or the screen.’ — Dan Snow

Helen writes for The Spectator, The Telegraph, the New Statesman, Unherd, the TLS and BBC History. She holds an undergraduate degree in history and history of art from the University of York and a masters in medieval history from the University of Reading. She is currently working on a doctorate in medieval history at Queen Mary, University of London. Helen is an elected fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

In late 2026, when the Bayeux Tapestry arrived in London, Helen wrote a pull-out spread for The Telegraph, which the paper then turned into an interactive digital guide to the tapestry. View it here.