Suzannah Lipscomb looks at more historic royal scandals

Channel 4 has commissioned Brighton-based production company Hello Mary to produce an extended second series of The Royals: A History of Scandals.

Suzannah Lipscomb:

“It’s a joy to be working with a brilliant team on series two. The stories are even more deliciously scandalous and our locations are just spectacular. Above all, it’s just so much fun and my hope is that sense of fun will make it equally enjoyable for our audience.”

In a year when speculation about the private lives of the current Royal Family has reached fever pitch, Suzannah Lipscomb is returning to remind us that intrigue and fascination about what goes on behind palace gates is certainly no modern phenomenon.

The six-part series – due to air later this year on MORE 4– will once again see Suzannah delve deep into Britain’s extensive regal history to reveal more about the scandals we think we already know, and perhaps uncover some shocking new ones along the way.

The historian and presenter will travel the country, visiting some of the UK’s most extraordinary palaces and historic houses, to talk to experts about the role the press, parliament and public have played in generating outrage and spreading gossip across the centuries.

The show’s first series covered everything from George IV’s insatiable appetite for spending, to the Cleveland Street gay brothel rumours that engulfed Prince Albert Victor, to the question of whether or not Queen Victoria’s uncle really did murder his valet.

But with a monarchy spanning approximately 1200 years, and countless royal scandals to dissect, series one merely scratched the surface. Some of the stories explored in the upcoming series include the sex chair that was specially designed for Prince Bertie by an exclusive Paris brothel; the mysterious disappearance of two child princes in the Tower of London; and the relationship between Prince George, Duke of Kent and the controversial American socialite whose drug addiction earned her the nickname, “the girl with the silver syringe”.

Channel 4’s Jayne Stanger, Commissioning Editor for Lifestyle:

“We’re looking forward to bringing More4 viewers even more revelations from the history of the nation’s monarchy with Suzannah once again uncovering centuries of scandals at the heart of the British royalty.”