Ruth Goodman

Ruth Goodman is a freelance historian specialising in social and domestic themes. She has presented several historical television programmes and provided talks and workshops in museums, theatres and schools.

She has presented various successful TV shows such as The Victorian Farm (2009) – nominated for a Royal Television Society award – and Inside the Factory (2015-2022).

Ruth’s main focus is on people’s daily lives – why we did things the way we did and how that affected the world around us; how our routines affect the environment; how our shopping habits impact global trade; and how our ancestors influenced how the world is today.

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More About Ruth Goodman

Following a poor school life as an academic record that ‘lacks lustre’, Ruth Goodman struggled to get a job after graduating from University, so she started working at Chester railway station as a ticket clerk before having a baby and offering her expertise as a consultant. She has since provided services to the Victoria and Albert Museum, worked on the film Shakespeare in Love (date), and assisted curator Hannah Tiplady and historical costumer Barbara Painter at the Weald and Download Living Museum’s Historic Clothing Project.

Ruth Goodman in the media

Ruth is best known for her presenting gigs on some of the most popular television programmes. These include Inside the Factory (2015-2022), Secrets of Great British Castles (2016), Full Steam Ahead (2016), 24 Hours in the Past (2015), and Victorian Pharmacy (2010), as well as her farming series Victorian Farm (2009), Edwardian Farm (2010-2011), Wartime Farm (2012), Tudor Monastery Farm (2013), and A Farm Through Time (2022).

Her farming series sees Ruth, alongside archaeologists Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands, re-enact what life would be like on a farm in that period. Initially worried that no one would be interested, Victorian Farm attracted over four million viewers and stemmed several offshoot series.

Ruth Goodman – Writing

Wanting to connect with as many people as possible, Ruth has published several historical books, many linked to her television shows. These include

– How to be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Everyday Life (2016), which ended up on Amazon’s bestsellers lists for ‘Historical Studies’ and ‘History of the Renaissance’.

– How to be a Victorian (2014) – appeared on ‘History of the Wars of the Roses’ bestseller list

– How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England: A Guide for Knaves, Fools, Harlots, Cuckolds, Drunkards, Liars, Thieves, and Braggarts (2018)

–How to Behave Badly in Renaissance Britain (2018)

– The Domestic Revolution: How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything (2020) – named on the ‘History of the Industrial Revolution’ bestsellers list

Ruth Goodman Speaking

As well as her work in television and as a writer, Ruth provides lectures, workshops, keynote speeches and advisory services up and down the UK. She often goes to colleges and universities to give talks to not only the history department but also to heritage and drama classes.

Ruth Goodman Speaking Topics

– History of Eating

– Victorian Cleaning

– The Cycle of Life

– Babies and Birth

– Medicine – A Consumer’s Guide

– A Good Death

– The Tudor Period

– The Edwardian Period

– The Victorian Period

CLIENTS: The Globe Theatre, The Hospital Club, The Manx Museum, The National Trust, Oxford Literary Festival, Shakespeare’s Birthplace, The Weald and Download Museum.