Philippa Gregory on Rewriting History’s Most Famous Villains

David Headley sits down with Philippa Gregory, the undisputed queen of historical fiction, to discuss The Berlin Traitor and the woman history loves to hate: Jane Boleyn. Drawing on new scholarship and decades of obsession, she reframes Jane not as a salacious villain, but as a brilliant survivor navigating the lethal politics of Henry VIII’s court. Philippa reflects on revisionist history, feminism, and why women in the past have been flattened into stereotypes by male historians. She reveals the extraordinary moment that reshaped her novel and explores how early reading and libraries shaped her own life from childhood.Send Me Your Book Confessions — share your favourite books, collecting stories, questions and reactions to episodes.