Born in Kenya in 1954, Philippa Gregory moved to England with her family and was educated in Bristol and at the National Council for the Training of Journalists course in Cardiff.

She worked as a senior reporter on the Portsmouth News, and as a journalist and producer for BBC radio.

Philippa obtained a BA degree in history at the University of Sussex in Brighton and a PhD at Edinburgh University in 18th-century literature. Her first novel, Wideacre, was written as she completed her PhD and became an instant world wide bestseller.

Want to know which book Philippa would take to a desert island, who she'd love to invite to dinner or what her first job was?

What would her perfect day entail? Does she have any bad habits?

Find out more about Philippa in our interview...