Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcast

Lady Carnarvon welcomes novelist Eve Chase to discuss her latest book, The Secret Thread, a dual-timeline story (1969 and today) shaped around an auction in which famed interior designer Mimi “Mo” sells her estate and reveals her life through meaningful objects; an idea sparked by seeing Joan Didion’s belongings auctioned at Christie’s in 2022. They talk about why country houses are such powerful “crucibles” for fiction, how Eve created the fictional Rush Wood to fit a chalk stream and proximity to Lyme Regis, and the novel’s central relationship between two sisters, daughters of a head gardener, whose lives diverge and are marked by a dark secret. Eve shares her 18-month writing process, her shift from 1990s magazine journalism (including travel and celebrity interviews) into fiction, and how author promotion has changed with social media, reader connection, and even her dog Harry. The conversation touches on Downton Abbey props sold at auction, the cultural value of memorabilia, archiving family papers, research choices in fiction, and Eve’s dream party guest: Dolly Parton.01:00 Secret Thread Origins02:46 Objects and Memory04:18 Sisters and Dark Secret04:52 Building the Country House07:40 Cornwall Settings and Past Books09:16 Writing Process and Planning11:42 From Journalism to Novels13:03 Magazine Era Adventures14:16 Childhood Without TV15:30 Writing as Active Art16:11 Learning Later in Life16:50 Marketing in Social Media18:06 Readers and Attention Spans19:45 Sisters and Shared Humanity21:41 Dogs and Downton Abbey23:48 Downton Props at Auction27:37 Archiving a Historic House28:55 Research and Hooking Readers30:32 Bookshops and Final FarewellYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

Lady Carnarvon reflects on Highclere Castle’s first Literary Festival by spotlighting visiting authors and the origins of their stories.Hugh Bonneville discusses his commissioned Rory Sparkes children’s trilogy, how book two drew on learning his mother worked for MI6, and how he “pillaged” schoolchildren’s ideas; he reads an excerpt from The Spy Who Loved Tea.Shrabani Basu explains how researching curries led her to Victoria & Abdul, the challenge of burned letters, and her use of archives and Victoria’s Hindustani journals, then reads from the book.Derrick Tuke-Hastings describes writing Happiness Is You Still Being You during COVID and after retirement, including navigating a cancer diagnosis, and reads a passage on rediscovery.Santa Montefiore shares how her son inspired The Royal Rabbits of London and reads a tense tunnel scene.Dr. Hilary Jones describes turning COVID parallels with WWI and the Spanish flu into a trilogy culminating in penicillin’s wartime story, then reads an excerpt.Authors Katie and Kevin Tsang introduce their Great Ormond Street Hospital–endorsed Neverland series. Egyptologist Joann Fletcher outlines her lifelong work and The Story of Egypt.Susie Dent explains moving into fiction with Death Writ Large, centered on lexicographers and Oxford history, and reads an opening scene.Chapters: 00:29 Speaker Highlights 02:15 Hugh Bonneville Interview 05:39 Rory Sparkes Reading 07:42 Shrabani Basu Interview 10:46 Victoria & Abdul Reading 11:54 Derrick Tuke-Hastings on Happiness 15:33 Rediscovery 16:21 Santa Montefiore Interview 19:15 Royal Rabbits Reading 20:17 Rabbit Pie Peril 20:55 Dr. Hilary Jones Trilogy Origins 24:32 Penicillin Miracle Excerpt 25:41 New Neverland Adventure 28:31 Joann Fletcher Egypt Story 33:46 Susie Dent Mystery Shift 36:22 Oxford Graffiti Clues 41:12 Festival Reflections FarewellYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

It seems a fitting tribute to share this podcast which reflects on the last fifty years of Jeffrey's fabulous story telling. We recorded this on the 29th September and had such a joyful morning together.Fifty years after fourteen publishers turned down Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, Jeffrey Archer joins Lady Carnarvon at Highclere to talk about Adam and Eve, the novel he says will be his last.He explains why he still writes every word by hand on a thirty-two-line Oxford pad in Majorca, and gives a masterclass in what separates a sixteenth draft from a seventeenth, changing four words in a single sentence to show it. He describes the two real men behind Kane and Abel, the nine-day auction that cleared his debts, and why the boy selling pirated copies through a car window in Bombay has his blessing.Along the way: why the Americans blocked his favourite title, what happened when his Indian publishers told him not to mention cricket, Maggie Smith's gift for throwing a line away, and the peers who mistook a title for an achievement.And a revelation from the other chair. After seven works of non-fiction, Lady Carnarvon is planning her first novel, and Jeffrey Archer has firm views about the name on the cover.02:10 First Novels & Book Titles04:34 India & International Sales12:14 The Writing Process15:26 Adam and Eve20:45 Maggie Smith & Downton Abbey23:13 From Nonfiction to FictionYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

I welcomed one of my hero authors, Michael Morpurgo, and his wife Clare, to Highclere Castle to talk about storytelling, history, the magic of reading, and the extraordinary charity they founded together — Farms for City Children.Michael shared how War Horse came to life and why understanding the First World War matters more than ever today. We recalled the unforgettable day Joey, the National Theatre's War Horse puppet, came to Highclere in 2014 — walking through the very library where Almina, my predecessor, had nursed soldiers back from the trenches a century before.Michael told the wonderful story behind Farms for City Children — how Clare, a childhood afternoon let loose near a Devon farm, courtesy of her father Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books, sparked a lifetime's passion for the countryside, and how that passion became a charity that has given over 120,000 inner-city children a week of real farm life.We explored the importance of books and reading, handwriting, the friendship with Ted Hughes, the honest editorial partnership between Michael and Clare, and my own plans for a Highclere Literary Festival this October.We ended with Michael's dream summer evening guest: the radiant Audrey Hepburn.00:00 Welcome & Introduction02:10 War Horse & Joey Comes to Highclere06:30 History, World War I & Why It Still Matters13:15 The Origins of Farms for City Children21:45 A Real Farm — Not a Pretend Farm28:00 Highclere: Farm, History & the Fifth Earl33:20 The Power of Reading & the Literary Festival38:10 Writing by Hand, Ted Hughes & the iPad44:00 Editing, Marriage & Telling the Truth49:30 Dream Party Guest: Audrey HepburnTopics CoveredWar Horse & HighclereThe origins of War Horse and why Michael believes we must understand history to navigate the presentLady Carnarvon recalls the day Joey, the War Horse puppet from the National Theatre, came to Highclere in 2014 to mark the centenary of World War IHighclere Castle served as a real military hospital during World War I — Lady Carnarvon's predecessor, Almina, nursed soldiers back from the trenchesThe contrast with the fictional Downton Abbey and the very real human stories preserved in letters at HighclereHistory, War & ResponsibilityMichael reflects on why the First World War is so important — and how it directly caused the SecondThe role of individuals and political movements in triggering conflict, from Sarajevo to the rise of HitlerWhy Michael feels it is "timely" to revisit these lessons today, given the state of the worldSeeing War Horse in the theatre the night before recording — and what it still means to himFarms for City ChildrenClare's childhood inspiration: sent outside to explore as a young girl near a Devon farm, she fell in love with the countryside, animals, and the rhythm of rural lifeHer father, Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books, instilled a love of the natural worldWhy Clare and Michael left teaching after realising they weren't reaching the children who needed them mostHow the charity started with one Victorian farmhouse in Devon and has since grown to multiple working farmsOver 120,000 children have now spent a week on a real farm — milking cows, feeding lambs, grooming horses, doing genuine workMeeting former "farm children" now aged 45 with families of their own, who say the experience never left themHighclere Today — A Living EstateFarming records at Highclere dating back to the 16th century; earliest written records from 749 ADLady Carnarvon's rare breed Cornish pigs, Belted Galloway cattle, 1,400 ewes, and 2,500 lambsThe Iron Age Fort and Bronze Age Tumuli on the estateWilliam of Wykeham (1324–1404) — bishop and founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford — lived at Highclere; it was his palaceThe fifth Earl of Carnarvon, who discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamun, was a voracious reader; his will, written at 21, listed his books as among his most prized possessionsThe Power of Reading & WritingWhy books matter: they let children ask questions, explore mortality, understand the world, and feel less aloneMichael's beach anecdote — watching his granddaughter's husband read to their one-year-old, with the baby turning the pages back — as a perfect image of how the love of books is passed onThe importance of parents reading aloud, good libraries, and physical booksLady Carnarvon's Highclere Literary Festival — launching this October, with:A children's trail through the gardens (including a wardrobe inspired by Narnia and an entrance to fairyland)The Curious Tent and Speaker's CornerWriting and reading competitions with cash prizesFree entry for under-16s who have read a book or written somethingLady Carnarvon's campaign for handwriting — the link between brain, hand, and penTed Hughes, Writing by Hand & TechnologyMichael's lifelong habit of writing by hand — and how arthritis in his finger has forced a reluctant move to an iPadNeighbour and friend Ted Hughes on why handwriting matters: it keeps the mind and the process in syncMichael's delight at discovering he can dictate to his iPad ("It prints it out magically")Editing, Marriage & HonestyClare as Michael's first editor — "quite unfairly truthful" — and why he always takes her notes even when he doesn't want toThe ongoing verdict: nothing he's written in the 65 books since War Horse has matched itLady Carnarvon's husband editing her first book and his well-meaning but devastating comment: "Don't worry if nobody reads it — you've still tried very hard"A Summer Evening QuestionIf you could take anyone to Lady Carnarvon's summer jazz evening, who would it be?Clare: Gregory PeckMichael: Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday)A discussion of Audrey Hepburn's extraordinary grace — and how grace itself is something both Michael and Lady Carnarvon seek in their work and livesMentioned in This EpisodeWar Horse — Michael Morpurgo (novel, stage production, Steven Spielberg film)Waiting for Anya — Michael MorpurgoThe History Boys — Alan BennettFarms for City Children — farmsforcitvchildren.orgHighclere Literary Festival — October 2025, Highclere CastleAllen Lane — founder of Penguin BooksAlmina, Countess of Carnarvon — WWI hospital at HighclereWilliam of Wykeham — founder of Winchester College and New College, OxfordThe fifth Earl of Carnarvon — discoverer of Tutankhamun's tombTed Hughes — poet, neighbour of the MorpurgosRoman Holiday (1953) — dir. William Wyler, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory PeckAbout Lady Carnarvon's PodcastLady Carnarvon records her podcast from Highclere Castle, home of the real family whose story inspired Downton Abbey. Episodes explore history, heritage, literature, and the people and ideas that have shaped Highclere and the wider world.You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

Today, I welcomed author Alex Norman to the podcast to talk about his book on De Havilland’s Moth and the thrilling world of aviation in the 1920s and 30s, a period with such wonderful links to Highclere. Alex shared his own family’s connections to early flying, including his grandfather’s aircraft and involvement in the London Aeroplane Club and explained how Geoffrey de Havilland’s ingenuity helped by Frank Halford’s lightweight Cirrus engine made the DH60 Moth a breakthrough for private pilots. We explored how government-subsidised flying clubs, adventurous women and men and the freedom of the skies fuelled record-breaking journeys, from Lady Bailey and Amy Johnson to the Aga Khan Trophy winner Aspy Engineer. We ended with Alex’s dream dance partner: the remarkable aviator Beryl Markham.00:56 The de Havilland Family Connection04:33 Building the First Aeroplane05:05 Post-War Aviation & The Birth of the Moth11:35 The Private Flying Movement & Aeroplane Clubs14:47 Women in Aviation & Record-Breaking Adventures16:47 The Aga Khan Trophy & Aspi Engineer21:03 The de Havilland Legacy & The Mosquito21:59 Dream Party Guest: Beryl MarkhamYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

I’m delighted to welcome author and explorer Levison Wood to Highclere, where we talk about my great love; trees and his book, The Great Tree Story: how forests have shaped our world. Levison shares how studying the Grand Tour at university inspired his lifelong passion for travel and storytelling, from hitchhiking across Europe and Central Asia to serving as an officer in the Parachute Regiment and deploying to Afghanistan. He recalls founding a production company and undertaking extraordinary long-distance walks, including nine months walking the White Nile from its farthest source to the Mediterranean, followed by the length of the Himalayas and other epic routes. We explore what drew him to write about trees, especially an experience with the Asháninka in the Amazon and we discuss ancient yews, cedars, redwoods, Highclere’s planting of 22,000 trees and his plans to adapt The Great Tree Story into a feature documentary.01:05 Grand Tour Roots03:26 Modern Travel Risks04:56 Army Years and Afghanistan05:49 From Soldier to Storyteller07:31 Walking the Nile09:06 More Epic Expeditions10:33 Planning and Logistics12:31 Highclere Explorer Heritage14:30 Why Trees Matter17:32 Ancient Trees and Estate Planting19:42 Redwoods and Tree Lore23:29 Trees in Culture and Craft24:33 Green Man and Next FilmYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

I welcome Dutch historian Rutger Bregman to the podcast after first messaging him on Instagram and we talk about what I took from his book Humankind and my own wish to bring people together to remember friendship and kindness. Rutger reflects on Dutch directness and equality shaped by living with water, from the 1953 flood to the Delta Works, and shares why he writes for a general audience about big questions of human nature. We discuss his challenge to the “veneer theory” and his belief in “survival of the friendlies,” alongside a real shipwreck story near Tonga where six boys survived 15 months through cooperation. Our conversation turns to bullying, family and attachment, the Second World War and Rutger’s research for Moral Ambition on how resistance spreads simply by asking others to help.01:10 Dutch Culture and Directness04:01 Water Engineering and Delta Works05:41 Early Civilizations and Conflict06:58 Why Bregman Writes Big History08:12 Debunking Human Nature Myths10:07 Cooperation at Highclere Today12:49 Tempest and Amoral People13:55 Real Lord of the Flies Story19:00 Bullying Attachment and Family21:41 Victorian Fathers Revisited22:40 Reform Politics And Women23:28 Why Study War24:04 Resistance Myth Debunked25:24 Heroes Are Asked27:29 Unconventional Organizers30:25 Kindness After Loss32:19 Kindness Is Contagious35:03 Lessons From Animals36:18 Veneer Theory And Dickens37:59 British IndirectnessYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

I’m delighted to welcome historical novelist Caroline Montague to the castle, where we talk about how writing offers a refuge from everyday life and how she protects her creative time in her office with her dogs. Caroline shares the remarkable history of Burnt Norton, its links to T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets,” and the dramatic tale of Sir William Kite, whose scandal, bankruptcy, and death by fire helped give the house its name, alongside stories of the “white lady” said to haunt the top floor. We discuss her path from law and interior design to writing, her planning process shaped by a firm agent, shifting titles and covers, and her current rewrite of a book about a famous royal swap. We also chat about spaniels, horses and the comfort animals bring.00:49 Writing Routine and Space01:35 Career Path to Author02:41 Burnt Norton and TS Eliot04:42 William Kite House Tragedy07:02 Ghost Stories White Lady09:51 House History and Hauntings11:25 Plotting Process and Ideas13:16 Deadlines Output and Titles15:18 Rewriting The Hook16:08 Jigsaw Writing Method17:17 Past Healing Present18:17 Woods And Creativity18:35 Spaniel Life And Social Media19:59 Dressage Highs And Loss21:09 New Horse Gio22:33 Italy And Spanish Stallions25:08 Books Animals And ImaginationYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

 I’m delighted to welcome the novelist Emily Howes to the castle to talk about her book The Painter’s Daughters, inspired by Gainsborough’s portraits of his two girls and the striking shift from their lively childhood images to a stiffer, unhappier adulthood. Emily shares how she researched 18th-century Bath, its muddy, smelly, party-like medical culture, through visits and sources such as James Hamilton’s biography, Letters from Bath, and books on travel, while noting how little survives from the daughters’ own voices. We discuss Molly’s documented illness and Emily’s discovery of a possible porphyria link to the Prince of Wales, as well as Gainsborough’s finances, his wife’s hidden savings, and the sisters’ relationship, which Emily likens to Downton Abbey’s sister dynamics. Emily also previews her next novel, Mrs Dickens, exploring Catherine Dickens’s erasure after Dickens left her for Ellen Turner and the fate of their children.00:46 Why the Daughters03:20 Bath After Covid05:57 Money and Marriage08:18 Research and Sources09:27 Molly Illness Mystery12:21 Sisters and Downton16:05 Blue Boy and Imagination17:25 Gainsborough at Highclere22:23 Next Book Mrs Dickens24:35 Dickens Family Fallout27:53 Catherine After SeparationYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

In this episode from Highclere Castle, I sit down with Nick Hopton to talk about his book, "Marma Mia," which begins as the story of buying and restoring a holiday house in an unspoiled part of Tuscany, the Maremma and becomes a wider family and personal journey. Nick shares how reading "A Year in Provence" during COVID while he was British Ambassador to Libya helped inspire him to write a feel-good book that encourages readers to discover lesser-known regions. We discuss his Foreign Office career and his approach to languages, including learning Arabic across postings such as Morocco, Yemen, Qatar and Libya, along with French, Italian, Spanish, some German, and some Farsi ahead of becoming ambassador to Iran after the 2015 nuclear deal and the reopening of the British embassy. Nick explains how a friend’s suggestion to look beyond Chianti led serendipitously to the first house they viewed and ultimately boughtalongside the realities of renovating abroad: high costs, practical challenges, and the highs and lows of making a place work for family life. We also talk about his unexpected love of landscaping and working with a skilled digger operator he calls “Michelangelo,” the region’s food, wine, local olive oil and its strong Tuscan accent. Nick recounts a memorable moment when a friend arrived with an armed escort and the town’s mayor turned out to greet them, and he updates me on ongoing projects, including drilling a 97-meter well to reach a fresh aquifer. Looking ahead, Nick describes writing best in the relative isolation of the Italian house and shares his interest in writing more broadly about the Mediterranean, linked to his role creating a new program at the University of Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics. We touch on the Napoleonic history of the area, including the principality of Piombino and Lucca and Napoleon’s sister Elisa and end with a playful question about a dream dance guest Nick chooses Dante’s Beatrice, reflecting his early love of Dante’s poetry and its lifelong influence.00:00 Meet Nick Hopton & the book ‘Marma Mia’ (restoring a house in Italy)00:50 Inspired by ‘A Year in Provence’: writing a feel-good travel memoir during COVID01:59 Diplomatic life & learning languages: Arabic, French, Italian (and more)04:26 Why you should speak the local language (even with bad grammar)05:17 Falling for Tuscany’s Maremma: the serendipitous house-buying story07:42 Renovation reality: highs, lows, and why the Maremma stays authentic08:44 Landscaping obsession: diggers, Kubotas, and ‘Michelangelo’ the operator11:05 Food, wine & dialect: tomatoes, olive oil, and the Tuscan accent12:49 Small-town surprises: the ambassador friend visit and the mayor’s welcome13:43 The work never ends: is the villa project ever really finished?14:01 Digging a 97m Well & the Never-Ending House Project14:27 What’s Next After the Book: A Wider Mediterranean Focus14:58 Seeing the Mediterranean Holistically (Cambridge Geopolitics & Trade Routes)16:26 Duff Cooper, John Julius Norwich & Highclere’s Colorful Guests17:20 Writing Habits: Tuscany, Isolation, Rhythm & Beating Procrastination18:37 Italy, Maremma & Napoleonic History: Elisa and the Principality of Piombino and Lucca20:30 Diplomatic Postings & Reopening the UK Embassy in Iran (2015)23:09 Iran Today: Regime Weakness, Protests, and a Hope to Visit the Cradle of Civilization24:21 Highclere’s Library, the Book Club, and a Shared Love of Italy25:27 Finale: The Summer Dance Fantasy Guest—Dante, Beatrice & Vita NovaYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.