The Life and Lies of Augustus 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 …
A Very Country Christmas
I was also lucky enough to meet the fab Ellie Harrison and film in Malton in Yorkshire for the BBC’s ‘A Very Country Christmas’. It’s …
Paul O’Grady’s Broadstairs
In between lockdowns, I managed to do some filming, including working with the lovely Paul O’Grady on his Great British Escapes programme, for ITV. It’s …
For the love of writing festival
I’m so pleased to have been asked to take part in this writing festival in Melbourne – even if it’s only possible via the power …
Black Friday Remembered
18 November 1910: “The date is now remembered in history as ‘Black Friday’, a day on which the police and any anti-suffrage men who cared …
1 December: Dickens’s Lost Portrait
This portrait of Charles Dickens was painted at the exact time he was writing A Christmas Carol, in 1843 – and then lost for almost …
Secrets and Surprises…
My next event in the #InConversationWith series is ‘Secrets and Surprises in Biography’, with fellow author Julie Summers, on 22 September. This is an online …
In Conversation With series
Last night was the first in my new series of online talks, #InConversationWith. It started with Dickens and Film with fellow #author, lecturer and #screenwriter …
My new online course in Life Writing
Have you ever wanted to write your memoirs, or are you yearning to write the story of someone else’s life? Why not turn the surreal …