Bettany Hughes
Historian, author and broadcaster
*Fees are a guide only. Exact cost will be dependent on requirements and are subject to change.
About Bettany Hughes
A distinguished scholar, Bettany has taught at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and lectured at leading institutions including Cornell, Bristol, UCL, Maastricht, Utrecht, Manchester, and Swansea. She is a Tutor at Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education, a Research Fellow at King’s College London, and a Professor of History at New College of the Humanities.
She is the author of several critically acclaimed and bestselling books, including:
- Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore (translated into ten languages)
- The Hemlock Cup (New York Times bestseller)
- Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities (Sunday Times bestseller)
- Venus & Aphrodite
- The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Sunday Times bestseller)
Her writing has been translated into multiple languages and shortlisted for major international awards, including the Runciman Award and Writer’s Guild Award.
Bettany has written and presented over 50 television and radio documentaries for major broadcasters including the BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, Discovery, PBS, National Geographic, and ITV. Her programmes have reached more than 250 million viewers worldwide, establishing her as one of the most influential public historians of her generation.
Her exceptional contribution to history and broadcasting has been recognised through numerous honours, including:
- Naomi Sargent Education Prize for Broadcast Excellence
- Norton Medlicott Medal for Services to History
- European Helena Vaz de Silva Prize (first woman recipient)
- OBE for Services to History
- Golden Cross of Beneficence from the Hellenic Republic
She has also served as Chair of the Orange Prize for Fiction and Chair of the Man Booker International Prize, and holds multiple honorary fellowships and doctorates.
Bettany is a leading advocate for women’s representation in history and public life. She was named among the BBC’s 100 Global Women, helped launch the UK’s Inspiring Women mentoring scheme, and writes regularly for major national and international publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Times.
Her public service and cultural leadership roles include judging for the English Heritage Angel Awards, Art Fund Museum of the Year, RTS Awards, and Grierson Awards, and serving on the Women of the World Committee.
She is also deeply committed to education and heritage. Bettany is a founding patron of Classics for All, a long-standing supporter of The Iris Project, Vice President of the Churches Conservation Trust and National Churches Trust, and a former President of JACT. She has advised NESTA and the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation, promoting global collaboration between East and West.
Her major broadcast projects include the UNESCO-premiered documentary series on shared Eastern and Western cultural roots, the BBC Radio 4 series Ideas That Make Us, and landmark BBC/Open University programmes exploring Socrates, the Buddha, Confucius, Freud, Nietzsche, and Marx.
Bettany is also the co-founder of SandStone Global, a London-based TV, film, and audio production company dedicated to producing values-driven, internationally focused content.
As a speaker, Bettany brings extraordinary scholarship, clarity, and passion to every presentation. Her talks inspire audiences through deep historical insight, contemporary relevance, and a powerful belief in the enduring importance of culture, ideas, and education.
To book History Speaker Bettany Hughes, contact The Speakers Agency on +44(0)1332 810481 or email enquiries@thespeakersagency.com
Client Feedback
"Bettany is an absolutely magnetic speaker. Our all-female audience were entranced and inspired by her wit and scholarship. She brought ancient civilizations alive and made the enigmatic and unknown Helen of Troy feel real, immediate and relevant to us."
Kit-Kat
"Our audience was impressed not only by Bettany’s passionate, lively and engaging presentation style, but also by the intellectual depth of the lecture and the fresh perspective, which Bettany so eloquently brought to life. The feedback I received includes comments such as 'wonderful', 'amazing lecture', “charming speaker”, 'I learned so much', and my favorite: 'I want to buy all her books!'"
University of Missouri - St. Louis
"The lecture was received with great enthusiasm both by myself and the audience. Bettany's style is clear and accessible and her enthusiasm is infectious. She has a natural talent for communication and a confident command of her subject matter. I highly recommended her."
The British Museum
"Bettany is brilliant at communicating her passion for, and knowledge of, the subject. She chaired our discussion at the Lyttelton Theatre with great ease, charm and warmth, skilfully encouraging him to examine the surprising relationship between Greek tragedy and Greek vase-paintings to the uninitiated but enthralled audience."
The National Theatre
"Bettany's talk about the challenges of making history work on television was hugely stimulating (as well as great fun!). She helped us to think about how we might communicate our own research beyond the academic world, as well as offering a perceptive insight into the broader relationship between history, media and the public."
Institute of Historical Research
