Broadcast
Through my broadcast work, I’m deeply passionate about making historical research accessible and exciting to new audiences.
I've served as a historical consultant for several acclaimed, award-winning TV and radio series. I frequently appear as an expert on screen and on air, both in the UK and internationally, and I’m experienced in presenting my own work too.
PODCAST
History’s Greatest Scandals: The Victorians
History Extra
Poisoned sweets. Criminal misdeeds. And a sex scandal involving… the prime minister.
In the first series of History’s Greatest Scandals, the new podcast from HistoryExtra, we’re delving into the murky underworld of the Victorians. Join journalist Ellie Cawthorne and historian Professor Rosalind Crone, as they take a journey through the backstreets of 19th-century Britain.
They’ll sneaking into private parlours, descending into candlelit mines, frequenting grim workhouses and paying a visit to an unscrupulous confectioner, to uncover some of the biggest scandals of the day – and explore what they can reveal about Victorian age.
I proposed the idea of a series on historical scandals to History Extra after publishing an article in BBC History Magazine on Victorian Scandals (May 2024). In collaboration with History Extra journalist and producer, Ellie Cawthorne, I produced a format for the podcast and wrote scripts for the first series (five episodes) on the Victorians.
Historical scandals reveal hidden corners of life in the past and offer different perspectives. Through scandals, contemporaries were forced to question social policies, practices and commonly held values. But did anything really change as a result?
History’s Greatest Scandals: The Victorians is available ad-free at historyextra.com/podcast or search for 'History's Greatest Scandals' wherever you listen to podcasts.
TELEVISION
Lucy Worsley Investigates… Jack the Ripper
BBC Two/BBC Studios, 2025
How did the Jack the Ripper case shape the way true crime is covered today? Lucy Worsley investigates how these shocking killings created a world of entertainment based on murder.
I was historical consultant for the first episode of the second series of Lucy Worsley Investigates, which focuses on Jack the Ripper.
I worked closely with the production team at BBC Studios, helping them to construct a new narrative for popular audiences about Jack the Ripper which reflected the very latest historical research on the murders and late Victorian society.
I also appeared on screen as an expert contributor.
Lucy Worsley Investigates: Jack the Ripper was broadcast on BBC Two in January 2025.
RADIO/ PODCAST
Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley
BBC Radio 4 & BBC Sounds/StoryHunter
Lucy Worsley, Rosalind Crone and a crack team of female detectives investigate the crimes of women from the 19th and early 20th centuries from a contemporary, feminist perspective…
I am historical consultant for this award-winning BBC Radio 4/ BBC Sounds podcast. As ‘resident historian’, I frequently appear as an expert contributor and sometimes as co-presenter. I play a key role in selecting cases, coordinating research, and developing scripts alongside producers.
In 2024, we added a new series to our feed, Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley, switching our attention from killers to female con artists and hustlers.
I have produced episode guides to accompany each series for BBC Online, as well as articles showcasing cases for BBC History Magazine. For Series 3, I also developed a series of ‘interactives’ which take listeners behind the scenes, lifting the curtain on how we find and develop the cases. These can be found on the BBC-OU Connect website.
There are currently 4 series (40+ episodes) of Lady Killers and Lady Swindlers. The programme featured in the top 10 BBC Podcasts for 2022, 2023 and 2024. The podcast won 2 Lovie Awards in 2022 as well as a People’s Choice Award.
★★★★★ - Winner of a Gold Lovie Award for Podcasts - Best Limited Series
★★★★★ - Winner of a Bronze Lovie Award for Podcasts - Best Individual Episode
TELEVISION
Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History
Channel 4/Twenty Twenty, 2024
Rob Rinder uncovers a secret history of Britain going back centuries hidden behind our prison walls - from petty crooks to infamous gangsters, hangmen, extreme brutality and explosive riots…
I was historical consultant for this 3-part series on the history of punishment in Britain’s prisons. I worked closely with the producers to craft an overarching narrative for the series and to connect the history to current debates about prisons and punishment. I also ‘fact-checked’ the content, and advised the team on historical documents they were finding in the archives.
I also appeared on screen as an expert contributor in Episode 3.
Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History was broadcast on Channel 4 in July 2024.
YOUTUBE
Served
YouTube/Ministry of Justice, 2023
They have 12 weeks to open a new training restaurant behind bars. Follow the prisoners and staff of HMP Lincoln on a high-pressure journey of redemption…
‘Served’ is a film commissioned by the Ministry of Justice that shows how prisoners at HM Prison Lincoln learn new skills through training them for roles in the catering industry and features TV star and culinary expert Fred Sirieix.
I worked with the Probation and Reducing Reoffending Comms Team at the Ministry of Justice to provide a historical context to the rehabilitation programme at HMP Lincoln. I also appear in the film as an expert contributor. We were able to show that rehabilitation has long been an aim of the modern prison, and that it is essential for prisoners, victims and wider society.
★★★★★ - Winner of Best Use of Social Media and/or Influencers in a Campaign at the 2023 Public Relations and Communications Association’s Public Affairs Awards
Photo: BBC
TELEVISION
Who Do You Think You Are?
BBC 1/Wall to Wall, 2019
Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet follows a rumour of Scandinavian ancestry on her late mum Sally’s side of the family... On her dad’s side Kate finds a drummer boy in the Grenadier Guards and, this time, an unusually positive encounter with prison…
In 2019, I appeared on-screen as an expert contributor when Kate Winslet discovered that one of her ancestors was a prison warder, first at Millbank and then at Dartmoor.
SBS/Warner Bros, 2023
The late comedian Barry Humphries investigates a royal scandal from his father's ancestry, and unravels his mysterious maternal family history…
In 2023, I met Barry Humphries at Suffolk Archives to contextualise the experiences of his ancestor who was imprisoned for ‘an offensive against the Excise’ (illegal distilling) and ‘did time’ in Ipswich County Gaol’.
PODCAST
Everything you wanted to know about…
History Extra, 2021-24
I have been interviewed several times for this History Extra podcast series. As well as providing a detailed overview of the subject and key milestones, I answer questions sent in by members of the public.
‘Everything you wanted to know’ is available on the History Extra platform.
…Victorian schools
The 19th century witnessed a revolution in Britain's schools, with the rolling out of compulsory mass education, and thousands more children learning how to read and write. But how tough was the discipline? How widespread was truancy? And did teachers get any formal training? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, historian Rosalind Crone lifts the lid on Victorian schooling.
…British prisons
Just how bad was life in Victorian prisons? How hard was hard labour, and how revolting was the food? In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, Dr Rosalind Crone responds to listener queries on the history of British prisons.
A timeline on the history of British prisons, created to accompany the podcast, is available here.
Other broadcast work
Radio/podcasts
The Long View (on the Post Office scandal), BBC Radio 4, 2024 (expert contributor)
Killing Victoria, BBC Sounds/BBC Studios, 2023 (expert contributor, episodes 3 & 4)
Patented: History of Inventions (on the treadmill), History Hit, 2022 (expert contributor)
British Prisons: Everything You Wanted to Know, History Extra Podcast, 2021 (expert contributor)
The Forum: Elizabeth Fry, BBC World Service, 2020 (expert contributor)
Classified Britain, Radio 4/Loftus Media, 2018 (expert contributor)
Food: A Scandalous History, Radio 4/Just Radio, 2013 (originator and expert contributor)
I am often invited to talk about my research and projects on local radio (e.g. BBC Radio London, BBC Somerset, BBC Bristol, Three Counties Radio).
Television
Expert Witness, BBC 1, 2023 (expert contributor, on the history of forensics)
Jay Blades: No Place Like Home, Channel 5/Hungry Bear, 2022 (expert contributor)
Inside... The Old Bailey, Channel 5, 2017 (expert contributor)
A Very British Murder, BBC 4, September 2013 (expert contributor)
Great British Bake Off, BBC 1/ Love Productions, 2013 (expert contributor, on the history of the muffin)
Contact me
To talk about media, consultancy, broadcast and project opportunities, please get in touch - I’d love to chat.