Wolf Hall | Fact and Fiction
Times: Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start
Venue: Southwark Cathedral Nave
Tickets: £15 via Eventbrite
Come join us for a captivating evening exploring the world of Wolf Hall!
Immerse yourself in the world of Henry VIII's court as we bring to life the drama and politics of the Tudor era and dive into the fact and fiction behind the renowned historical novel by Hilary Mantel and the BBC drama series.
Chaired by Dr Nicola Tallis, join historians Dr Alison Weir, Dr Owen Emmerson and Sarah Gristwood and discover the secrets of Tudor England and the intriguing characters that bring this story to life.
Dr Nicola Tallis
Dr Nicola Tallis is an independent author and historian, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has worked as a curator, researcher, and lecturer, and specialises in the use of jewels in late medieval and Tudor England. Nicola has spoken at many prestigious events and venues including the Emirates Festival of Literature, the Tower of London, Hampton Court, and the National Archives. She has made numerous television and radio appearances, including on BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?, Channel 5’s The Vikings and The Gunpowder Plot, and Channel 4’s Frankie Boyle’s Farewell to the Monarchy. Nicola is the author of five books, and her latest, Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen. was Book of the Week in The Times.
Dr Alison Weir
Alison Weir is a bestselling historical novelist of Tudor fiction, and the leading female historian in the United Kingdom. She has published more than thirty books, including many leading works of non-fiction, and has sold over three million copies worldwide. Her novels include the Tudor Rose trilogy, which spans three generations of history's most iconic family - the Tudors, and the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series about the wives of Henry VIII, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.
Sarah Gristwood
Sarah Gristwood is a biographer, journalist and commentator on royal affairs. Her previous books include the bestselling Arbella: England's Lost Queen, The Tudors in Love: The Courtly Code Behind the Last Medieval Dynasty, and biographies of Beatrix Potter, Winston Churchill, Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf, and HM Queen Elizabeth II. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Honorary Patron of Historic Royal Palaces, and regularly contributes to TV documentary series and coverage of royal events.
Dr Owen Emmerson
Dr Owen Emmerson is a social and cultural historian, author, and consultant. He works as an Assistant Curator at Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn's childhood home. In 2024, he was a historical consultant for the BBC adaptation of Dame Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Emmerson was part of the research teams that identified the Book of Hours captured in Hans Holbein the Younger’s famous portrait of Thomas Cromwell (2023) and a miniature portrait of Princess Mary (later Queen Mary I) by Suzannah Horenbout (2024). The co-author of five books, he has also contributed to numerous television documentaries, such as The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family (BBC2).