Lucy Worsley

Lucy Worsley (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, television presenter, and podcaster. She was the joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces from 2003 to 2024, but is best known amongst UK television viewers as a presenter of BBC Television and Channel 5 series on historical topics.

Early life and education Worsley was born on 18 December 1973 in Reading, Berkshire, to Peter and Enid (née Kay) Worsley. Her father taught Geology at Reading University, while her mother was a consultant in educational policy and practice.

Worsley attended The Abbey School, Reading; St Bartholomew's School, Newbury; and West Bridgford School, Nottingham. A history teacher 'fired up her brain' by teaching about the Industrial Revolution through a political lens.

She studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford,

Worsley played piano from the age of four, took lessons for 15 years and passed all the piano grades. Of her teacher, Miss Beaumont, she 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."

Career Curator and academic Worsley began her career as a historic house curator at Milton Manor, near Abingdon, in the summer of 1995, 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 Derbyshire. 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. The thesis was later developed into Worsley's book Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses, published in 2007.

During 2002–2003, she was the major projects and research manager for Glasgow Museums 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.

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.

In October 2024, Worsley announced that she would be stepping down from her role at Historic Royal Palaces at the end of the year to focus on her Lady Killers podcast.

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, 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. 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.

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 the very British idea of 'happily ever after' and how Britons' feelings have been affected by social, political and cultural ideas.

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. In September 2016, she was filming an upcoming series A Very British History for BBC Four. 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 titled 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.

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.

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.

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.

On 22 June 2023, she presented The Krypton Factor-style quiz show Puzzling, which made its debut on Channel 5, and of which 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. In April 2016, Worsley published her debut children's novel, Eliza Rose, about a young noble girl in a Tudor Court. In 2017, Worsley published a biography of Jane Austen titled Jane Austen at Home: A Biography.

Worsley also wrote the young-adult book Lady Mary, 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 Southwark by the River Thames in south London with her husband, architect Mark Hines, Their home is "a minimalist loft-style flat". but she later said that statement had been "misinterpreted and sounded darker than I'd intended." She has said that she is "childless-by-choice".

In her teens, Worsley represented Berkshire at cross country running, and is still a runner.

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. In July 2015, she was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Sussex (where she completed her doctorate). 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. Worsley is an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS).

Credits Television programmes Year Title Channel Notes 2009 Inside the Body of Henry VIII History Channel 2010 King Alfred the Great? BBC South 17 May 2010 The Curse of the Hope Diamond Channel 4 24 May 2010 2011 When God Spoke English BBC Four Guest interview as Chief Curator of Hampton Court (21 February 2011) If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home BBC Four Four-part series (April 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, Alex Langlands & Alys Fowler Antiques Uncovered BBC Two Three-part series (May 2012) Inside the World of Henry VIII History Channel Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls BBC Four Three-part series (May 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 2013) Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History BBC Two Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Tales from the Royal Bedchamber BBC Four 5 August 2013 A Very British Murder BBC Four Three-part series (23 September 2013) 2014 The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain BBC Four Three-part series (1 May 2014) Masterchef BBC One 8 May 2014. Guest judge Tales from the Royal Wardrobes BBC Four 7 July 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 Cake Bakers and Trouble Makers: Lucy Worsley's 100 Years of the WI BBC Two 20 July 2015 Dancing Through the Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story BBC Two 25 July 2015. Co-presented with Len Goodman and Jools Holland When Lucy Met Roy: Sir Roy Strong at 80 BBC Four 23 August 2015 Lucy Worsley's Reins of Power: The Art of Horse Dancing BBC Four 15 September 2015 A Very British Romance BBC Four Three-part series (8 October 2015) The Great History Quiz: The Tudors BBC Two 24 December 2015. Quiz team captain 2016 Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley BBC Four 6, 13 & 20 January 2016 The Real Versailles BBC Two 30 May 2016. Co-presented with Helen Castor Lucy Worsley: Mozart's London Odyssey BBC Four 21 June 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) Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors BBC Two 27 May 2017 Lucy Worsley's Nights at the Opera BBC Two Two-part series (14 October 2017, 21 October 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 Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley BBC One 4 June 2018 Victoria & Albert: The Royal Wedding BBC Two 21 December 2018 2019 American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley BBC Four Three-part series (January 2019) Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain BBC Two 11 May 2019 Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey BBC Four 10 December 2019 A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley BBC Two 20 December 2019 2020 Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley BBC Four Series 1; 18 & 25 February, 3 March 2020. Series 2; 6, 13 & 20 November 2020 Lucy Worsley's Royal Photo Album BBC Four The story of the royal photograph (14 May 2020) 2020–2021 Lucy Worsley's Royal Myths & Secrets PBS Series 1; 21 & 28 June, 5 July 2020. Series 2; 29 August 2021, 5 & 12 September 2021 2021 Lucy Worsley's Royal Palace Secrets BBC Four January 2021 Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley BBC One 90-minute documentary (23 February 2021) 2022 Rebuilding Notre-Dame BBC Two Documentary (28 April 2022) Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen BBC Two Three-part series 2022, 2025 Lucy Worsley Investigates BBC Two & PBS Two four-part series. 2023 Puzzling Channel 5 Thirteen-part quiz show Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer BBC Four Narrator Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle BBC Two Three-part series 2026 Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club BBC Two Three-part series Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution BBC Two & PBS Two-part series. TBA Lucy Worsley’s Keys to the Castle (w/t) BBC Two & PBS Upcoming four-part series.

Podcasts Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (2022–present) Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley (2024–2025)