On 24 March, I’ll be doing a virtual ‘walking tour’ about William Morris in West London, starting at 6pm UK time, joinable from anywhere. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/william-morris-in-west-london-virtual-walk-tickets-145287289193
I’m very excited to announce this special event with the wonderful Miriam Margolyes, in aid of The Charles Dickens Museum. Join us on Sunday 7 February, at 7pm UK time (joinable from anywhere) for Happy Birthday Mr Dickens! Tickets are on sale now https://dickensmuseum.com/blogs/all-events/happy-birthday-mr-dickens
In the 1850s, Augustus, the youngest brother of Charles Dickens, abandoned his wife in London and ran away to America with his pregnant girlfriend. He was barely spoken about in the family again. A few years ago, I travelled to Chicago to research what had happened to my great x4 uncle and Bertha, the woman … Read more
Tomorrow I was supposed to be taking alumni from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, on a tour of the National Portrait Gallery in London. Now, we’ll be doing this online tour of the gallery instead, via Zoom. If you know anyone else who might be interested in an online lecture / gallery tour please get in touch. … Read more
If you’re looking for something to listen to during this strange time of lockdown, here’s a link to the podcast I made with Philip Mould, Emma Rutherford and others about the Lost Portrait of Charles Dickens. It’s in 3 episodes. https://browse.entale.co/show/790c94fe-cc89-45b5-90f3-b0defc7c7e24
My new podcast, ‘The Real Sherlock’, is available to download from Audible. Discover the man behind the creation of Sherlock Holmes. The life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was as adventurous and exciting as that of his fictional detective. https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Real-Sherlock-Audiobook/B07NVNMCD9
If you’re planning a trip to London – or if you live there! – my downloadable walking tour works with your smartphone and takes you on a journey from Dickens’s first adult home, to the Charles Dickens Museum via many of the London streets and sites from which he took inspiration. It is available to … Read more
It’s taken until early January for me to be able to update about the amazing response to the 175th anniversary of the publication of ‘A Christmas Carol’ – December was an incredible month and the outpouring of affection for Dickens’s “ghost story of Christmas” was really moving. As several people observed, perhaps it was because … Read more
On 19 December, the 175th anniversary of ‘A Christmas Carol’, I’m going to be leading two special Dickens and Christmas walking tours of London, the first at 10am (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dickens-christmas-tickets-52174894514) & the second at 2pm (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dickens-christmas-tickets-52174903541). Both are on Eventbrite and bookable now!