It’s twenty years ago this week since Mel Gibson’s Braveheart was released. Which makes it twenty one years (yes, I am that old) since I interviewed him about it at the Cannes Film Festival, and then went on the set…
Braveheart
The story of Arbella Stuart
The story of Arbella Stuart, England’s Lost Queen on BBC
The Reburial of Richard III
I think it was the men on horseback that finally got to me. Two knights (or near offer) in shining armour, riding through the streets of Leicester ahead of Richard’s coffin, while the spectators threw white roses, and the officials…
Ice Widows
The white expanses at the ends of the earth have always had a special place in all our imaginations. Almost three years ago, in 1912 , the anniversary of Scott’s Antarctic expedition saw us all give ourselves up to the…
The bombshell in the car park
Most people in these islands, if asked, would probably say that the crown of England goes from father to son (or failing a son, daughter) by strict right of blood. In all the tales that we as a nation tell…
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Just occasionally my old life as a film journalist comes together with my work in history – as when, while writing Elizabeth and Leicester, I went onto the set of the second Elizabeth movie. It wasn’t the success the first…
Blood Sisters: Finding Richard
Blood Sisters came out at an exciting time. It wasn’t just the discovery of Richard III’s bones under a Leicester car park, but the role the women in his life played in confirming his identity. Here’s an article I wrote…
