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Episode: Feminist Historian Philippa Gregory on Reclaiming the Women History Forgot
Date: March 17, 2026
Host: Danielle Robay
Guest: Philippa Gregory

Overview

In this inspiring and engaging episode, host Danielle Robay sits down with Philippa Gregory—prolific author, renowned historian, and champion of forgotten women’s history. Together, they discuss the art of bringing complex, little-known women to the center of historical fiction, the process of reading between the lines of male-authored records, and the ongoing importance of reclaiming women's stories. Gregory shares candid insights into her research methods, the challenges of portraying women beyond the "good" vs. "bad" binary, and how history is as much about the questions we ask as it is about the answers we find.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Write About "Unlikable" Women?

• Philippa Gregory challenges the notion of "good" women:
  • “Because I don't believe women who are likable or good, to be honest with you. I mean, I myself lead a life of blameless purity. Of course, let's establish that.” – Gregory (03:46 and 32:04)
  • Gregory emphasizes that historical women, like contemporary women, were complex, flawed, ambitious, and sometimes subversive—qualities usually omitted from traditional accounts.
  • She refutes the idea that women must fit into the restrictive mold of purity rooted in Victorian and Puritan values.
    • “If you look at women who are generally described as good women, I think you often see women who are repressed or ground down or performing a role, that they might be better off doing something else.” (32:15)

2. Reconstructing Women from Historical Footnotes

• Gregory’s Research Process:
  • She turns obscure, overlooked mentions in archives into rich, personal narratives.
    • “She'll take a character mentioned maybe twice in a history book and deep dive into research to build out her entire world, her inner life, her motivations, her complications.” (04:31)
  • Gregory advises reading through—not just on the surface of—historical records, always aware of bias.
    • “Everybody is always an unreliable witness. You never, never trust anybody's word as a historian. It's almost like being a detective.” (10:05)
    • She notes that women often appear in public records as "troublemakers" or “witches,” reflecting male fears and biases: “Their report is always going to be on the side of rich men, which is always going to be against poor women.” (11:28)

3. The Fiction-History Boundary

• When does fact end and imagination begin?
  • “The difference between a historical fiction and a straight history is that as a novelist, I am allowed, indeed, it is my job to talk about the inner life and to talk about the psychology of people and the feelings of people.” (14:55)
  • Gregory remains committed to facts where possible, only imagining a character’s inner life when the record falls short.

4. Recovering Lost Stories and Shifting the Narrative

• Feminist history as life's work:
  • Gregory describes her book Normal Women as her most important contribution:
    • “To write a genuine history of England without any fiction in it which restores women to the record is the most important thing I've ever done, I think.” (26:42)
• Correcting the biggest lie:
  • “I think the biggest lie is that you're not in history—and it's clearly not true, because if you look at the published histories, we are there. Not described fairly or accurately at all, but we are there.” (57:52)

5. Reading and Interpreting Biased Sources

• Critical Questions for Historians:
  • Borrowing from journalism, she references the three questions:
    1. Who wrote the story?
    2. Who’s missing from the story?
    3. Who benefits from the story? (13:21)
  • On skepticism:
    • “I never believe anything anybody tells me anymore. And at the same time, I am naturally an optimist and I’m always hopeful.” (12:02)
    • “When someone writes something down, it's for a reason.” (13:38)

6. On "Bad Women" and Female Agency

• Personal freedom as revolutionary:
  • “I think personal freedom, especially for women, is a revolutionary choice, and I think every woman should make it her priority.” (34:30)
• Gregory is inspired by women who actively pursue their ambitions, however controversial.

7. The Trap of Modern Bias & Writing Historical Voices

• Challenges of voice and language:
  • Gregory describes the meticulous attention needed to avoid anachronisms:
    • “You don't realize until you start trying to write believable, say, 16th century dialogue, how much your own thinking and how much your own metaphors are modern.” (39:55)
    • “Nobody's touch is electric, because they haven’t got electricity yet. There's nothing about the blood rushing through your heart except how you feel it, because they haven't discovered the circulation of the heart yet.” (40:41)
• On historical consciousness:
  • “You can't think your way out of your own time.” (38:48)

8. Daily Life & Discipline

• Gregory’s writing routine is deeply embedded with research, comfort, and care for her mental health.
  • “If I start dreaming about the characters or I start dreaming that I am one of the characters, then I know I’ve been working too hard.” (48:01)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On why women are so often invisible in historical records:
  • “The biggest lie is that you're not in history.”
• On the importance of restoring women to history:
  • “I am giving women back their stories.” (56:47)
• On handling modern judgment of the past:
  • Describing her next subject, Catherine Willoughby, Gregory reflects:
    • “I'm interested in writing that and trying to withhold my modern judgment about that and trying to write it with a medieval view, but at the same time knowing that she thought that a very great discrepancy between a husband and wife and early marriage was bad for young women. So the management of my own feelings, that that's tantamount to abuse and Catherine Willoughby's absolute acceptance of it… that's a very delicate balance.” (58:52)
• Chills-provoking affirmation of women's agency:
  • “Personal freedom, especially for women, is a revolutionary choice.” (34:30)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Origins of Gregory's focus on women's private lives — 05:27–07:03
• How to read through historical records and detect bias — 10:00–11:41
• Balancing fiction and history — 14:32–17:15
• On being inspired by ‘bad women’ — 34:25–34:39
• Language authenticity in historical fiction — 39:54–41:00
• Gregory’s daily writing process — 48:01–49:40
• Restoring women to the heart of history — 56:47–57:52
• Rapid-fire “Speed Read” Q&A — 64:18–65:22

Speed Read: Philippa Gregory’s Literary Quick-Fire (64:18–65:22)

• Trope to ban:
  • “Somebody starting a novel by saying, the baby's cry echoed through the cold corridors of the castle.”
• Trope to defend:
  • “Starting in the middle of a conversation.”
• Book she wishes she had written:
  • A history play by Rodney Bolt.
• Book to re-read for the first time:
  • Rudyard Kipling.
• Book that shaped her worldview:
  • Germaine Greer, The Female Eunuch.
• Wish-list audiobook narrator:
  • “Oh, Meryl Streep, please.”
• Book she couldn't finish:
  • Ulysses, James Joyce.
• Book she gifts most often:
  • My Own Executioner, Nigel Balchin.

Final Thoughts

In this episode, Philippa Gregory shares her passion for rescuing women from history’s margins and presenting them as complicated, real, and relatable figures. The conversation is rich with wisdom about the nature of historical research, the craft of historical fiction, and the enduring, revolutionary importance of women’s personal freedom. Gregory’s sharp humor, humility, and scholarly rigor bring new meaning to how we see women in both the past and present.

Recommended for Listeners Who Want To:

• Reconsider the role of women in history
• Understand how fiction and history can interact
• Learn tips for reading historical records critically
• Gain creative inspiration for writing or research

For more discussion and book recommendations, follow Reese’s Book Club and the host Danielle Robay on socials!