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Lucy Worsley

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Lucy Worsley
OBE
Worsley in 2019
Born (1973-12-18) 18 December 1973 (age 51)
Reading, Berkshire, England
Education
Occupation(s)Historian, author, curator, television presenterTG
Websitelucyworsley.com

Lucy Worsley OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.[1][2] She is joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television and Channel 5 series on historical topics.

Early life and education

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Worsley was born on 18 December 1973 in Reading, Berkshire, to Peter and Enid (née Kay) Worsley.[3] Her father taught Geology at Reading University, while her mother was a consultant in educational policy and practice. Before going to university, Worsley attended The Abbey School, Reading, St Bartholomew's School, Newbury, and West Bridgford School, Nottingham. She studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford,[3] graduating in 1995 with a BA First-class honours degree. In 2001, she was awarded a DPhil degree from the University of Sussex.[4]

As a child, Worsley played piano from the age of four, took lessons for 15 years and passed all of her piano grades. Of her teacher, Miss Beaumont, she later 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."[5]

Career

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Curator and academic

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Worsley began her career as a historic house curator at Milton Manor,[6] near Abingdon, in the summer of 1995,[7] 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 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.[8] The thesis was later developed into Worsley's book Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses published in 2007.[9]

During 2002–2003, she was the major projects and research manager for Glasgow Museums[10][11] 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.[12][13]

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.[14]

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.[15]

Television

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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,[16] 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.[17] 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.[18]

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 our very British idea of 'happily ever after' and how our feelings have been affected by social, political and cultural ideas.[19]

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.[20] In September 2016, she was filming an upcoming series A Very British History for BBC Four.[21] 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 entitled 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.[22]

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.[23]

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.[24]

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.[25]

On 22 June 2023, she presented The Krypton Factor-style quiz show Puzzling, which made its debut on Channel 5 and there are 13 episodes.

Writing

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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.[26] In April 2016, Worsley published her debut children's novel, Eliza Rose, about a young noble girl in a Tudor Court.[27][28] In 2017, Worsley published a biography of Jane Austen titled Jane Austen at Home: A Biography.[29]

Worsley also wrote the young-adult book Lady Mary,[30] 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

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Worsley lives in Southwark[31] by the River Thames in south London with her husband, architect Mark Hines,[2] whom she married in November 2011.[32] With reference to having children, Worsley once said she has been "educated out of normal reproductive function";[33] however, she later said her statement had been "misinterpreted and sounded darker than I'd intended."[34]

As a television presenter, she is known for having a rhotacism, a minor speech impairment[2] which affects her pronunciation of "r". When she made the move from BBC Four to BBC Two for the series Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History, she worked with a speech and language therapist to help with her pronunciation, but to no avail.[35]

In her teens, Worsley represented Berkshire at cross country running and, as a pastime, is still a keen participant in the sport.[36]

Awards and honours

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Credits

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Television programmes

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Year Title Channel Notes
2009 Inside the Body of Henry VIII History Channel
2010 King Alfred the Great? BBC South 17 May 2010
2010 The Curse of the Hope Diamond Channel 4 24 May 2010
2011 When God Spoke English BBC Four 21 February 2011 Guest interview as Chief Curator of Hampton Court
2011 If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home BBC Four Four-part series (April 2011)
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.[40]
2012 Antiques Uncovered BBC Two May 2012. Three-part series.
2012 Inside the World of Henry VIII History Channel
2012 Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls BBC Four Three-part series (May 2012)
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[41]
2013 Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History BBC Two Part 1,[42] Part 2, Part 3.[43]
2013 Tales from the Royal Bedchamber BBC Four 5 August 2013[44]
2013 A Very British Murder BBC Four 23 September 2013. Three-part series.[45]
2014 The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain BBC Four 1 May 2014. Three-part series.
2014 Masterchef BBC One 8 May 2014. Guest judge
2014 Tales from the Royal Wardrobes BBC Four 7 July 2014
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.
2015 Cake Bakers and Trouble Makers: Lucy Worsley's 100 years of the WI BBC Two 20 July 2015
2015 A Very British Romance BBC Four 8 October 2015. Three-part series.
2015 Dancing Through The Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story BBC Two 25 July 2015. Co-presented with Len Goodman and Jools Holland.[46]
2015 When Lucy met Roy: Sir Roy Strong at 80 BBC Four 23 August 2015[47]
2015 Lucy Worsley's Reins of Power: The Art of Horse Dancing BBC Four 15 September 2015[48]
2015 The Great History Quiz: The Tudors BBC Two 24 December 2015.[49] Quiz team captain.
2016 Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley BBC Four 6, 13 & 20 January 2016
2016 The Real Versailles BBC Two 30 May 2016[50] Co-presented with Helen Castor.
2016 Lucy Worsley: Mozart's London Odyssey BBC Four 21 June 2016[51]
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)[52]
2017 Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors BBC Two 27 May 2017
2017 Lucy Worsley's Nights at the Opera BBC Two Two-part series; 14 October 2017, 21 October 2017
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
2018 Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley BBC One 4 June 2018
2018 Victoria & Albert: The Royal Wedding BBC Two 21 December 2018.[53]
2019 American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley BBC Four Three-part series (January 2019)[54]
2019 Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain BBC Two 11 May 2019[55]
2019 Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey BBC Four 10 December 2019[56]
2019 A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley BBC Two 20 December 2019[57]
2019–2020 Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley BBC Four Series 1; 18 and 25 February 3 March 2020. Series 2; 6, 13 & 20 November 2020[58]
2020–2021 Lucy Worsley's Royal Myths & Secrets PBS Series 1; 21 and 28 June 5 July 2020. Series 2; 29 August 2021, 5, & 12 September 2021
2020 Lucy Worsley's Royal Photo Album BBC Four The story of the royal photograph 14 May 2020
2021 Lucy Worsley's Royal Palace Secrets BBC Four January 2021[59]
2021 Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley BBC One 90-minute documentary; 23 February 2021[60]
2022 Rebuilding Notre-Dame BBC Two Documentary; 28 April 2022[61]
2022, 2025 Lucy Worsley Investigates BBC Two & PBS Four-part series[62] Second series commissioned.[63]
2022 Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen BBC Two Three-part series[64]
2023 Puzzling Channel 5 Thirteen-part quiz show[65]
2023 Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer BBC Four Narrator[66]
2023 Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle BBC Two Three-part series[67]

Podcasts

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  • Lady Killers With Lucy Worsley (2022)[68]
  • Lady Killers With Lucy Worsley (2023)[69]
  • Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley (2024)[70]

Bibliography

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Guidebooks

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  • —— (1998). Hardwick Old Hall. English Heritage Guidebooks. ISBN 9781850746959.
  • ——; Wilson, Louise (2001). Bolsover Castle. English Heritage Guidebooks. ISBN 9781850747628.
  • —— (2001). Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire. English Heritage Guidebooks. ISBN 9781850747475.
  • ——; Souden, David (2005). Hampton Court Palace: The Official Illustrated History. Merrell Publishers. ISBN 9781858942827.
  • ——; Dolman, Brett; Souden, David (2008). The Royal Palaces of London. Merrell. ISBN 9781858944234. Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales

Other non-fiction

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Young adult fiction

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Forewords and introductions

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  • Hartley, Dorothy (2012). Lost World: England 1933–1936. Introduction by Lucy Worsley. Prospect Books. ISBN 9781903018972.
  • —— (2014). "Introduction". In Corbett, Sue (ed.). The Times – Great Women's Lives: A Celebration in Obituaries. The History Press. ISBN 9780750962346.
  • —— (2015). "Introduction". In Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises (ed.). Chocolate Fit for a Queen. Ebury Press. ISBN 9781785031243.
  • Austen, Jane (2017). Mansfield Park. Introduction by Lucy Worsley. Illustrated by Darya Shnykina. Folio Society. OCLC 1107990187.
  • Wilding, Valerie (2020). Fabulously Feisty Queens. Introduction by Lucy Worsley. Illustrated by Pauline Reeves. London: Wren & Rook. ISBN 9781526361905.

Tours

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  • Lucy Worsley: A Very British Murder (2021)[71]
  • An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Agatha Christie (2022–2024)[72]
  • An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Jane Austen (2024–2025)[73]

References

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  1. ^ "Meet Lucy Worsley: Historian, Author, Icon". PBS.
  2. ^ a b c Woods, Judith (13 April 2011). "Dr Lucy Worsley: 'I'm just an historian who wandered into TV'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b "BBC Four – A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley – Dr Lucy Worsley". BBC.
  4. ^ Worsley a, Lucy (2001). The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593–1676 (D.Phil. thesis). Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  5. ^ "an interview about classical music, in Gramophone magazine | Lucy Worsley". lucyworsley.com. 21 January 2013.
  6. ^ SPAB News, Vol. 18., no. 2, 1997
  7. ^ "Milton Manor – Lucy Worsley". LucyWorsley.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  8. ^ Worsley, Lucy (2001). The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593–1676 (D.Phil. thesis). Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  9. ^ Spencer, Charles (26 August 2007). "Cavalier: a tale of chivalry, passion and great houses, by Lucy Worsley". The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  10. ^ "BBC Four – A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley – Dr Lucy Worsley". BBC.
  11. ^ "Lucy Worsley on her passion for the past". Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Life.
  12. ^ Law, Katie (27 April 2010). "It is time for Princess Diana to take her place in history". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  13. ^ Owens, Mitchell (1 June 2012). "Kensington Palace's New Look". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Kingston University – Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture". Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  15. ^ Adams, Geraldine Kendall (21 October 2024). "Moves | Clare Barlow to lead People's History Museum; Lucy Worsley leaving Historic Royal Palaces". Museums Association. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Antiques Uncovered". BBC. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  17. ^ "Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls at BBC4.com". BBC. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  18. ^ Owen, Pamela (22 September 2013). "A Very British Murder: How we became hooked on morbid mysteries". The Mirror. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  19. ^ "A Very British Romance". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley". BBC. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  21. ^ "BBC crews filming new documentary today in Exeter". Exeter Express and Echo. 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  22. ^ "British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley". BBC Four. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  23. ^ "Royal History's Biggest Fibs With Lucy Worsley Series". BBC. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  24. ^ "Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  25. ^ "Lucy Worsley Investigates". PBS. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  26. ^ Lucy Worsley (7 September 2013). "A Very British Murder". The Independent. BBC Books. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  27. ^ Carpani, Jessica (25 March 2016). "Historian Lucy Worsley: My life in eight objects". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  28. ^ Wade, Francesca (26 March 2016). "Tales of lecherous Tudors". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 October 2016 – via lucyworsley.com.
  29. ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley. St. Martin's". (ISBN 978-1-250-13160-7)
  30. ^ ISBN 978-1408869444
  31. ^ "Lucy Worsley's My London". Evening Standard. London. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  32. ^ "On being 2.5% famous". Lucy Worsley. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  33. ^ Times, 5/8/13
  34. ^ Wintle, Angela (12 April 2013). "Lucy Worsley: My family values". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  35. ^ "In which my speech impediment is criticised, but all ends happily". LucyWorsley.com. 7 April 2013.
  36. ^ Wintle, Angela (14 October 2011). "World of Dr Lucy Worsley, curator and broadcaster". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  37. ^ Siobhan Palmer (25 February 2015). "Claudia Winkleman nominated for RTS award for her new role as Strictly presenter". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  38. ^ Wadsworth, Jo (13 July 2015). "TV historian given honorary Sussex Uni degree". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  39. ^ "TV historian Lucy Worsley was appointed an OBE". BBC News. 16 November 2018.
  40. ^ "BBC Two – Our Food". BBC. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  41. ^ "Secret Knowledge". RadioTimes. 5 June 2023.
  42. ^ The Telegraph Reviews Part 1
  43. ^ The Telegraph Reviews Part 3
  44. ^ "Radio Times". RadioTimes. 5 June 2023.
  45. ^ "A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley". RadioTimes. 5 June 2023.
  46. ^ "Dancing Through The Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story". BBC.
  47. ^ "When Lucy met Roy: Sir Roy Strong at 80". BBC.
  48. ^ "Lucy Worsley's Reins of Power: The Art of Horse Dancing". BBC.
  49. ^ "The Great History Quiz: The Tudors". BBC.
  50. ^ "The Real Versailles – BBC Two". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  51. ^ "Lucy Worsley: Mozart's London Odyssey – BBC Four". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  52. ^ "BBC Four – British History's Biggest Fibs With Lucy Worsley". BBC. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  53. ^ "BBC Two – Victoria & Albert: The Royal Wedding". BBC. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  54. ^ "BBC Four – American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley". BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  55. ^ "BBC Two – Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain". BBC. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  56. ^ "BBC Four – Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey". BBC. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  57. ^ "BBC Two – A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley". BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  58. ^ "Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  59. ^ "Lucy Worsley's Royal Palace Secrets". BBC. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  60. ^ "Lucy Worsley to uncover real-life stories of the Blitz in new film for BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  61. ^ "Rebuilding Notre-Dame". Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  62. ^ "Lucy Worsley Investigates". BBC. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  63. ^ "Lucy Worsley Investigates returns to BBC Two and iPlayer". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  64. ^ "Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  65. ^ "Puzzling". itvstudios.com. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  66. ^ "Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer". BBC. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  67. ^ "Lucy Worsley turns her powers of investigation to the curious case of Sherlock and Arthur Conan Doyle". BBC/mediacentre. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  68. ^ "Lucy Worsley uncovers the true stories of Victorian women accused of murder in a new podcast and series". BBC/mediacentre. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  69. ^ "Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley to return for second season". BBC/mediacentre. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  70. ^ "This is Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley". BBC/mediacentre. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  71. ^ "Lucy Worsley: A Very British Murder". octagon-theatre.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  72. ^ "An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Agatha Christie". fane.co.uk. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  73. ^ "An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Jane Austen". fane.co.uk. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
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