IAN MORTIMER


Past Talks and Lectures (complete since 1999)

Monday 16 January 2012 (first broadcast)

Illuminations: the Private Lives of Medieval Kings, BBC4

In the summer of 2011 I was filmed talking to Dr Janina Ramirez about Edward III at Portchester Castle. The interview appears in the second episode of the three-part BBC4 Illuminations series.


Saturday 14 January 2012

Winchelsea Archaeological Society, Sussex

Talk in Winchelsea Church entitled 'Edward II and Edward III: the nadir and zenith of medieval royalty'.


Tuesday 6 December 2011

Library Lecture Theatre, University College Plymouth, Marjon

Two talks: one on using openings and endings to good effect in historical writing (a class to creative writing students) and another on the purposes of history, in fiction and creative non-fiction. See here for the poster.


Friday 18 November 2011

Institute of Historical Research, London

Panel discussion on the differences of academic history and historical fiction as part of the 'Novel Approaches' conference.


Wednesday 9 November 2011

Portsmouth Bookfest

Appearance as James Forrester. A sensory ride through Elizabethan England.


Thursday 27 October 2011

U3A, Totnes

Talk on 'Living Through History'.


Friday 14 October 2011

Friends of St Andrews Church, Moretonhampstead

Talk on the Church in Moreton.


Tuesday 11 October 2011

Cheltenham Literature Festival

Appearance as James Forrester. A sensory ride through Elizabethan England.


Monday 19 September 2011

The Queen's Palaces, BBC One

Back in the spring the BBC came down to Moretonhampstead and filmed me in the parish church saying a few things about Edward III for the Windsor Castle episode of this three-part series. The finished programme, presented by Fiona Bruce, is aired tonight on BBC One.


Thursday 15 September 2011

University of Exeter & Wordquest

Appearance as a guest writer as part of the Imagine there's a Future project. My theme will be 'A short history of the future of Dartmoor'.


Saturday 23 July 2011

Crime Writers Association, Harrogate

Appearance as James Forrester. Talking about my first two novels at the CWA dinner.


Saturday 16 July 2011

Ways With Words, Dartington, Devon

'Reliving the Past'. When would you have liked to have lived in the past? It is a question we all have considered. Ian reflects on some of the biggest surprises of historical experience, drawing from his bestselling The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England and also his work-in-progress, The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England.


Friday 15 July 2011

Watermill Book Club, Newbury, Berkshire

Appearance as James Forrester. Drawing partly on scenes in the novels and partly on my non-fiction work in progress, The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England.


Wednesday 15 June 2011

Dartmoor National Park Authority

Talk on historical literature and the landscape, explaining how Dartmoor is not just inspiring for its natural beauty but, as a historic landscape, acts as a real-world reference library for the historical writer.


Thursday 26 May 2011

Kingston Readers Festival

Appearance as James Forrester.


Saturday 21 May 2011

Mortimer History Society Conference, Ludlow

The Mortimers and the Royal Family, 1200-1600.


Wednesday 27 April 2011

Ugborough History Society, Ugborough Church, Devon

'Rewriting History'


Tuesday 5 April 2011

Filthy Cities

A couple of brief appearances on the medieval London episode of the BBC 2 series, fronted by Dan Snow and first broadcast today.


Wednesday 9 March 2011

University of Nottingham

'Accessing the medieval' - a panel discussion and writing workshop


Tuesday 1 February 2011

Festival to celebrate the life and times of the surgeon Dr Richard Stucley (1730-1811), Chulmleigh

Panel discussion on life and medicine in the 18th century


Saturday 29 January 2011

BBC Radio Devon

Informal chat on John Govier's Saturday morning radio programme


Tuesday 7 December 2010

Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds

'Rewriting history: royal conspiracies in late medieval England' (Open Lecture Series).


Sat/Sun 6-7 November 2010

Writers at the Castle, Taunton

A Friday afternoon to Sunday morning weekend, for Martin Randall Travel. I attended sessions on the Saturday and Sunday and gave a talk on 'The Fake Death of Edward II'.


Sunday 31 October 2010

Talking History, Newstalk, Ireland

'Medieval Intrigue: decoding royal conspiracies'.


Friday 29 October 2010

Topping Bookshop, Bath

'Medieval Intrigue: decoding royal conspiracies'.


Thursday 14 October 2010

Cheltenham Literary Festival

'Rewriting History'.


Wednesday 29 September 2010

Appledore Book Festival

'Interviewing Myself: history and historical fiction'. Probably the world's first stand-up historiography event. James Forrester, historical novelist, interviews Ian Mortimer, historian, about the limits of history - and Ian Mortimer interviews James Forrester about the limits of historical fiction. Confrontational, excoriatingly critical - and likely to end up in blows. Except that both Ian and James are one person.


Friday 24 Sept 2010

Budleigh Salterton Literature Festival

'Rewriting History'.


Sunday 19 Sept 2010

Reading Festival of Crime Writing

'Digging up the Past: Historical Crime'. Appearing as James Forrester in a panel event with several successful crime-fiction writers.


Thursday 16 Sept 2010

Waterstones Bookshop, Exeter High Street Branch

A book signing and informal introduction to my non-fiction work (as ian Mortimer) and my fiction (as James Forrester).


Thursday 4 August 2010

Front Row (BBC Radio Four)

Interview with Kirsty Lang about writing historical fiction (as James Forrester).


Sunday 18 July 2010

Ways with Words, Dartington, Devon

'Rewriting History'.


Friday 16 July 2010

Ways with Words, Dartington, Devon

A speaker was unable to turn up at Dartington due to ill-health, so I stepped in to speak about Medieval political murders.


Saturday 3 July 2010

The Early Music Show (BBC Radio Three)

A recent edition of the Early Music Show on Radio Three was devoted to Edward III. I was interviewed about the king and his reign by the presenter, Lucy Skeaping. The Independent commented on it, calling it 'wonderfully atmospheric' - though I suspect that was directed more at the music than me.


Thursday 24 June 2010

The Late Show (Link 92.2FM)

Interview with Jason McCrossan about 1415.


Sunday 6 June 2010

Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival

'Rewriting HIstory' (not '1415' is in the programme).


Friday 5 March 2010

Words by the Water, Cumbria

'Rewriting History'.


Weds 20 January 2010

Moretonhampstead History Society

'Rewriting History'.


Sunday 1 November 2009

BBC Radio Lincolnshire

Talking about 1415: Henry V's Year of Glory.


Saturday 24 October 2009

Mortimer History Society

Inaugural presidential address for the newly formed society: 'What did the medieval Mortimers do for us?'.


Monday 12 October 2009

Exeter FM Radio

Talking about my past books and new work, especially 1415.


Saturday 3 October 2009

Excess Baggage (BBC Radio Four)

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.


Wednesday 30 September 2009

Appledore Books Festival, Appledore, North Devon

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.


Saturday 19 September 2009

Richard III Society, Plymouth Branch

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.


Tuesday 15 September 2009

Lympstone History Society

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.


Saturday 11 July 2009

Ways with Words, Dartington

A talk on The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England. A note appeared in a local paper - The Herald Express


Thursday 11 June 2009

St Andrews Church, Moretonhampstead, Devon

Centuries of Change: a talk to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of the establishment of the diocese of Exeter, formerly the diocese of Crediton, in 909 A.D.


Wednesday 6 May 2009

Widecombe History Society, Church House, Widecombe, Devon

A talk on The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.


Tuesday 10 March 2009

University of Plymouth/Peninsula Arts in conjunction with the Historical Association

Public lecture entitled 'Sex and Death in the Fourteenth-Century Royal Family'.


Tuesday 17 February 2009 (broadcast date)

The Book Show (ABC Radio National, Australia)

An interview about visiting medieval England. You can download a version from the ABC website here.


Thursday 29 January 2009

Endecott House, The Square, Chagford

Talk on The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England for the Chagford Local History Society.


Friday 19 December 2008 (recording date)

Sunday Sequence (BBC Radio Ulster)

An interview about The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England with the presenter, William Crawley. Aired on a Sunday in January 2009, I seem to recall.


Monday 17 November 2008

The Church of the Holy Cross, Crediton

Public talk on The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.


Wednesday 22 October 2008

Toppings Bookshop, Bath

Talk on The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.


Sunday 19 October 2008

Cheltenham Literary Festival

Discussion on the battle of Agincourt with Professor Richard Holmes and the historical novelist, Bernard Cornwell.


Saturday 27 September 2008

Lichfield Festival (Lichfield Literature Weekend)

Talk on The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England


14 July 2008

Ways with Words, Dartington, Devon

'The Fears of Henry IV'. (See blog entry by Oxford Reader on this talk.)


10 May 2008

The Richard III Society, Devon and Cornwall Branch

'The Deaths of Kings'


25 February 2008 (broadcast date)

A Time Team Special (Channel Four)

'The Real Knights of the Round Table'


16 January 2008

Moretonhampstead History Society

'The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England' (Chairman's Address)


13 October 2007

Ilkley Literary Festival

'King Henry IV'. (See blog entry by daemonwolf on this talk.)


10 October 2007

Cheltenham Literary Festival

'King Henry IV'. Referring back to this talk in 2008, the festival's Artistic Director Sarah Smyth said: 'Last year, the medieval historian Ian Mortimer talked about Henry IV at 10am on a Wednesday morning and had an audience of 400.'


18 August 2007

Tiverton Literary Festival

'The Fears of Henry IV'


8 August 2007

Waterstones, Exeter

'The Fears of Henry IV'


21 July 2007

Chagford Arts Festival

'The Fears of Henry IV'


21 October 2006

Leintwardine History Group

'Edward III, the Mortimers, and the Leintwardine Chantry'


18 September 2006

University of Exeter, Department of History

'The Rural Medical Marketplace in Early Modern England'


19 April 2006

Moretonhampstead History Society

'Edward III, the Perfect King'


17 April 2006

Start the Week (BBC Radio Four)

'Edward III, the Perfect King'


17 March 2006

Sky News (live, half-hour discussion)

'Why do we celebrate St Patrick's day more than St George's day?'


18 January 2006

Moretonhampstead History Society

'Medieval Moretonhampstead' (Chairman's Address)


2 July 2005

Ludlow Literary Festival

'Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March'


25 April 2005

University of Oxford, Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine

'The Importance of Towns to the Seriously Ill and Dying in 17th-Century Kent'


16 October 2004

Friends of Devon's Archives

'Census Records for 17th-Century Devon'


21 May 2004

The Royal Historical Society

'The Triumph of the Doctors' (The Alexander Prize Essay)


9 March 2004

Oundle Literary Festival

'The Age of Treason'


8 March 2004

The Devonshire Association

'The Mystery of the Death of Edward II'


6 March 2004

Friends of Usk Castle

'The Rise of the Mortimers, 1086-1360'


12 November 2003

University of Reading, Department of History

'The Triumph of the Doctors'


14 October 2003

Cheltenham Literary Festival

'The Death of Edward II' and 'A Historical Tour of Berkeley Castle'


March 2003

Today (BBC Radio Four)

'Traitors'


19 November 2002

Friends of Devon Archives

'Archives and the Internet'


5 October 2002

The Henry Williamson Society

'The Henry Williamson Archive at Exeter University Library'


4 October 2002

The Devon and Exeter Institution, Exeter

'The Poetry of History'


16 September 2002

Silverton History Society

'Literary Papers at Exeter University Library'


2001

University of Exeter, School of English, and SW Arts

'The Papers of Daphne DuMaurier'


2001

Friends of Devon Archives

'The Literary Collections of Exeter University Library'


24 May 2001

University of Exeter, Postgraduate Conference

'The diocesan licensing of medical practitioners in early modern England: a case study of the diocese of Exeter 1660-1760'


17 January 2001

Moretonhampstead History Society

'Doctors, dirt and disease in early modern England'


8-10 September 2000

University of Exeter, Centre for Medical History

'Anthrax and the State 1895-1945'


December 1999

Friends of Devon Archives

'Devon Manors'


3 December 1999

University of Exeter, Centre for Medical History

'When does health matter? New approaches to the study of early twentieth century occupational health'


1998

Berkshire Family History Society

'Life and Death in Berkshire, 1590-1720: the evidence of the Berkshire Probate Accounts'


16 September 1997

The Society of Archivists, Annual Conference

'Wide Area Networks Unlocked'


5 December 1994

Berkshire Record Society AGM

'The Glebe Terriers of Berkshire, 1634'

   

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