News - Suzannah Lipscomb

Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, and the Ashbourne Charter of 1585

September 23, 2017September 23, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

On 17 July 1585, the people of Ashbourne in Derbyshire were granted a charter by Queen Elizabeth I for the founding of a Free Grammar School. The Queen, via Sir Francis Walsingham, had been petitioned two years earlier for the founding of a school, noting that ‘for wante of…

Moving on up

August 30, 2017August 30, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

I'm delighted to announce some big and exciting news. As from 1 September 2017, I will join the University of Roehampton as a Reader in Early Modern History. For those unfamiliar with the British system, there are four rungs of the academic ladder in the UK - Lecturer, Senior Lecturer,…

University of London: Senate House Keynote Address

August 27, 2017August 28, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

On 26th August I gave the Keynote Address on the Senate House Library's four key themes for their latest exhibition entitled Reformation - Shattered World, New Beginnings. Below is a short film detailing some of themes I discussed.

Public History

June 21, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

I was kindly invited to give the keynote lecture at the University of Reading's recent Public History day and, afterwards, I discussed authenticity, heritage, and the potential tensions with academia, with Prof. Kate Williams: https://youtu.be/EgfK6Myn3m8

The Great Fire: Behind the Scenes

May 29, 2017May 30, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

The Great Fire - a three-part series - airs this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8pm on Channel Five. I'm really proud of it, and was delighted to work with Rob Bell and (again) with Dan Jones. Do tune in!

The Great Fire

May 28, 2017May 30, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

In this new stripped three-part special Dan Jones, Suzannah Lipscomb and Rob Bell take a fresh look at the Great Fire of London by walking the actual route the fire took across London, hour-by-hour, street-by-street and in the process uncover what really happened in Britain’s worst inferno. In this revelatory…

Elizabeth I

May 27, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

In May 2017, Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Jones presented their new three-part docudrama on Elizabeth I. Co-written by the presenters and director Christopher Holt, the show starred Lily Cole and Felicity Dean as Elizabeth I. It reached 2.2m viewers in its first week It was Pick of the Week in…

Remembrance of Things Past

April 22, 2017March 22, 2018 by Suzannah Lipscomb

'Making History' for History Today The maxim ‘show don’t tell’ is often forgotten when film-makers confront historical horrors, argues Suzannah Lipscomb, as two recent cinema releases demonstrate. David Lowenthal’s review of David Rieff’s book, In Praise of Forgetting, in the March edition of History Today is rightly scornful of the practicality…

Jaipur Literature Festival

February 14, 2017May 30, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

It was such a delight to attend and speak at the Jaipur Literature Festival, JLF, in January 2017. It is a joyous tumult of people, ideas, and music. I learnt so much at the sessions, and I laughed so much at the parties. For those who don't know JLF, it is…

Insert Name Here

January 16, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

... is on tonight, at 10pm on BBC Two. There's something about MARY...

Insert Name Here

January 12, 2017January 16, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

Comedy panel show Insert Name Here returns in 2017 for a second series, and Suzannah was delighted to appear in two episodes, which air on Monday 16th January and Monday 30th January, both at 10pm on BBC Two.

Great Lives – C.S. Lewis

January 9, 2017January 9, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

On 3 January 2017, Great Lives aired on BBC Radio 4, with presenter Matthew Parris being joined by Suzannah and priest-poet Malcolm Guite, to discuss Suzannah's choice for a Great Life - C.S. Lewis. The programme received a very positive critical response, and was featured in the BBC Radio 4 Pick…

History Masterclass

December 16, 2016January 1, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

Historian Sam Willis and I have just set up a new little venture, called History Masterclass. The idea behind it is our desire to offer the public an opportunity to engage with history in a way that isn't just didactic, but is interactive. Rather than just been spoken at in…

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip

December 14, 2016January 9, 2017 by Suzannah Lipscomb

Kate Williams and Suzannah went a-travelling for Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, which aired on BBC 2 on 13 December 2016. It was tremendous amounts of fun, even if Suzannah bought some really dodgy things. Suzannah was paired with antiques expert David Harper, of the colourful trousers and even brighter personality. It…

On and Off Script

November 22, 2016March 22, 2018 by Suzannah Lipscomb

'Making History' column for History Today The challenges of writing history for television are formidable. But if historians don’t get involved, they will cede ground to those less qualified, warns Suzannah Lipscomb. It is scripting time again, the time of the year when, as well as my regular teaching and…

Winchester History Weekend

October 9, 2016 by Suzannah Lipscomb

I had lots of fun at BBC History Magazine's History Weekend in Winchester. I was talking about Leadership Lessons from the Tudors to a great audience, and took a lot of pleasure in meeting people afterwards to sign books and chat. Thank you to all who took the time to…

A Case of Double Standards

September 26, 2016 by Suzannah Lipscomb

Keith Thomas's article about double standards in the sixteenth century unfortunately applies today to the historical profession itself. In my latest column for History Today, I examine how female historians are still treated unfairly both inside and outside the academy, and argue that things must change.

A Case of Double Standards

September 22, 2016March 22, 2018 by Suzannah Lipscomb

'Making History' column for History Today Despite progress since the 1970s, female historians are still treated unfairly both inside and outside the academy. Things must change, says Suzannah Lipscomb. We need to talk about sex. I do not mean the physical act, or gender as a category of historical analysis. Historians…

In Praise of the Go-Between

September 18, 2016March 22, 2018 by Suzannah Lipscomb

Archives are one thing, the public another and connecting the two is one of a historian’s hardest challenges, as Suzannah Lipscomb knows from experience. Suzannah's bimonthly column for History Today: In recent weeks I have gone from reading 16th-century manuscripts in a French provincial archive to speaking at two literary…

Great Fire of London

September 3, 2016September 3, 2016 by Suzannah Lipscomb

Have you seen the 120-metre model of London's seventeenth-century skyline that's on the Thames? This gorgeous piece of art is going to be burnt tomorrow night to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. If you can't be in London to watch it go up in smoke,…

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