Bridgnorth welcomes historic royal visitor for special performance event

It’s fair to say that Lesley Smith looks familiar - and that's not just because of her various TV appearances - as away from the screen, the historian also hosts regular sell-out appearances in the guise of over a dozen historical figures.

An entertaining mix of history talk and performance, Lesley currently has 14 different characters in her extensive armoury, ranging from legendary warrior queen Boudicca and Royal mistress Nell Gwynne to World War II SOE operative Peggy Knight and former PM Margaret Thatcher.

"I first started costumed performances 26 years ago," says Lesley, in the run-up to her visit to Bridgnorth. "At the time, I was running a Norman castle [Tutbury Castle near Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire] and wanted a unique selling point to attract more visitors to the site.

"The first character [I did] was Mary Queen of Scots. It felt incredibly fitting because she was held as a prisoner at Tutbury Castle four times, including one stint that lasted 11 months.

"A huge amount of emotional investment went into that character, and the historical research was extensive, but it was well worth it – it was an immediate hit."

For her forthcoming visit to Bridgnorth, the Lichfield-based historian will be joining Birmingham Bach Choir for A Date With Shakespeare (4 July, St Mary Magdalene Church), where she’ll be providing deft observations and comment dressed as Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth I alongside a century-spanning selection of Bard-inspired music – amongst them pieces by Vaughan Williams, George Shearing and Herbert Murrill.

"[Elizabeth I] was a brilliant woman who surrounded herself with some of the greatest minds in the country, such as the Cecils," says Lesley of 'Good Queen Bess' and her trusted advisors, who included Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer William Cecil.

"She chose her circle incredibly well. She was tremendously politically and internationally aware. She rose from a childhood peppered with fear to become, in my opinion, the greatest stateswoman this country has ever known (and she had Welsh roots, as the Tudors did!)."

When embracing a particular character, in addition to in-depth academic research, Lesley also goes to great lengths to recreate historically accurate attire.

"My costumes are made by absolute experts at the top of their field, including specialists who have done work for the RSC and the V&A. My shoes, wigs, and jewellery are almost exclusively recreated from historical portraiture by a specialist maker. I even have a silk mistress and another specialist who sews on the jewels.

"I always credit my costume makers - they are extraordinary artists."

While it would be simple to sneak in a few zips or strips of Velcro to make such costumes as Elizabeth I's impressive and hefty garb easier to wear, Lesley is keen maintain as much authenticity as possible. As a result she too - like the Queen herself - requires assistance in getting dressed before stepping out into public view.

"I do actually have dressers - usually one, and often two," she confesses. "The gowns are immensely heavy, so there isn't a bit of Velcro in sight. Instead, there are ropes aplenty and metal-lined underwear - yes, metal, as whalebone wasn't used.

"The gowns are valued between £8,000 and £10,000, so they truly are spectacular and authentic."

In addition to giving in-character talks and appearing in such programmes as Unsolved Mysteries, Most Haunted and The Worst Jobs In History, Lesley - who holds an MPhil in Tudor medicine, and an Honorary Masters Degree from University of Derby for Services to History in the Community - is also an actress (soon to appear as Elizabeth I in a to-be-announced new film project), and a novelist too.

"I have just finished and published my third Elizabethan Tudor novel, which completes a trilogy based on real, shocking events that took place in Lichfield at the time," she says.

"The latest is Death Is Close, about a murder based on a true story in the Cathedral Close in Lichfield in the Tudor period. Wolf Moon and Wicked Thames are the first two, all set in the Tudor period and dark espionage."

Birmingham Bach Choir: A Date With Shakespeare, with Lesley Smith as Queen Elizabeth I, is at St Mary Magdalene Church, Bridgnorth, on Saturday 4 July 2026 at 3.30pm. For more information, see: birmingham.bachchoir.com.