Philippa Langley
MBE
Phillipa Langley John Ashdown-Hill.jpg
Philippa Langley in March 2015
Born (1962-06-29) 29 June 1962 (age 61)
British Kenya
NationalityBritish
EducationHummersknott School, Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College
Occupation(s)Writer and producer
OrganizationRichard III Society
Known forDiscovery and exhumation of Richard III
Notable work
  • The Lost King: The Search for Richard III (2022)
  • Finding Richard III: The Official Account of Research by the Retrieval & Reburial Project (2014)
  • The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III (2013)
Television
  • Richard III: The Unseen Story (2014)
  • Richard III: The King in the Car Park (2013)
SpouseJohn Langley (separated)[1]
Children2[2]
Awards
HonoursMBE[5]
Websitewww.philippalangley.co.uk

Philippa Jayne Langley MBE (born 29 June 1962)[6] is a British writer, producer, and Ricardian, who is best known for her role in the discovery and 2012 exhumation of Richard III, as part of the Looking for Richard project, for which she was awarded an MBE. Langley has written books and appeared in film-length documentaries on the search for Richard III and was portrayed in the 2022 film The Lost King.

Early life

Langley was born in British Kenya and at the age of two moved with her parents to Blackwell,[7] in Darlington, England.[8] In Darlington, she attended Hummersknott School,[9] and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College,[10] and embarked on a career in marketing, eventually settling in Edinburgh.[11]

Looking for Richard project

See also: Exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England

Langley's interest in Richard III began in 1998, when she read American historian Paul Murray Kendall's biography of the king, saying: "... it just blew me away. I thought, this is a man whose real story has never been told on screen, never".[12][13][14] Langley had been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and had abandoned her job in marketing to write a screenplay about Richard III more aligned with historians such as Kendall.[2][15] Langley formed the Scottish branch of the Richard III Society.[15] In May 2004, she visited various sites in Leicester associated with Richard III, including the three car-parks identified in 1975 as possible burial locations.[a][15] Langley entered the Social Services car park, and at the northern end felt a "strange sensation" come over her, saying "I knew in my innermost being that Richard's body lay there".[15][2] In 2005, on completing her first draft, she returned to the car park and experienced the same feeling; when she looked down, someone had painted a reserved "R" over the space;[2] she recounted "it told me all I needed to know".[15][19]

In 2005, Langley engaged with Dr. John Ashdown-Hill, who had traced Richard's mitochondrial DNA to a living descendant in Canada, thus enabling the identification of any remains.[20][13] A 2007 dig that failed to find Greyfriars, a possible burial site, prompted further research by Langley, Ashdown-Hill, and independently by Annette Carson, which narrowed the location of Greyfriars to the Social Services car park.[20][21] In February 2009, at the Cramond Inn in Edinburgh, Langley formed the Looking for Richard project to get the car park excavated, with Dr. David and Wendy Johnson, and later Ashdown-Hill and Carson, and chair of the Richard III Society, Dr. Phil Stone.[20][22]

In late 2010, Langley won the backing of Leicester City Council (LCC) CEO Sheila Lock for a dig and television documentary to promote Leicester's association with Richard III; if any remains were found, they were to be buried in Leicester Cathedral.[20][14] LCC would not provide direct funding, but as owners of the car park, they were able to approve and license the excavations, and introduce Langley to local state sponsors, particularly Leicester Promotions. Langley contracted the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) to do the excavations.[23] In August 2011, inconclusive ground penetrating radar results led to withdrawals of sponsorship.[13] Langley led an online crowdfunding appeal to worldwide Richard III Society members, who filled the gap and provided £17,367 of the £32,867 cost for the 2-week excavation.[b][20] On 25 August 2012, three days after the 527th anniversary of Richard III's death,[24] ULAS commenced the excavation and dug the first trench over the "R" mark, and after a few hours, discovered a skeleton that was later confirmed to be the remains of Richard III.[25]

Fall-out with the University of Leicester

On 4 February 2013, the University of Leicester presented their results to the world's press (they had funded a 3rd week of excavations, and led the DNA confirmation using Ashdown-Hill's work).[26][27] Langley felt "sidelined" at the presentation,[2][27][28] while the University presented itself as "leading" the search (despite their earlier scepticism).[26][29] ULAS kept Langley's name off the exhumation licence, even though she was their client;[2] this also gave the University of Leicester control of the remains but inadvertently enabled a legal action by the Plantagenet Alliance that lasted several years.[14]

In late 2022, the situation flared up with the release of The Lost King, a dramatisation of Langley's search.[2][26] At the film's release, director Stephen Frears said: "They [the University] put a poster on the side of a bus saying 'We found the king!'", and "Well, Leicester University is a corporation and this is really about corporatism".[29] The University issued statements rebutting aspects of the dramatisation in the film,[26] while Langley,[2][28][18][30] and the film's producers,[29][27] issued their own rebuttals,[26] with Frears saying: "nothing has turned up yet which makes me think we got something wrong".[31]

The Richard III Society released a statement in support of the film, including the recognition of Langley and Ashdown-Hill's roles in the discovery, and the recognition of the importance of the financial commitment that worldwide members of the Society made to the success of the project.[21]

Other projects

In 2014, Langley started a project to locate the remains of Henry I of England, who was buried at Reading Abbey, but which later fell into ruin,[32] which became the "Hidden Abbey Project".[33][34][35] In 2020, Langley said that she believed that the grave of Henry I was beneath the western car park of the former Reading gaol.[36] In 2021, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer joined the crowdfunding programme to begin excavating the site.[37][38] In 2023, Langley was raising the estimated £55,000 needed for an excavation of the car park, which ironically contained a space marked with a "K".[39]

In 2022, Langley led a "Missing Princes Project" to discover the fate of the Princes in the Tower.[11][40][41][42] In 2023 she claimed to have discovered new evidence that disproved the theory that Richard III was responsible for the deaths of the princes. Along with Rob Rinder, she hosted a Channel 4 programme called Princes in the Tower: The New Evidence, in which she revealed her own theories.[43] Although praising Langley's discoveries, The Spectator's reviewer called the programme "a calculated insult to the viewer".[44]

As writer and producer

From August 2011 to February 2013, Langley acted as associate producer of the Channel 4 documentary film, Richard III: The King in the Car Park.[26][45] It won the 2013 Royal Television Society award for History,[4] and was nominated for the 2014 BAFTA award for Specialist Factual.[46] The film was the highest rated specialist factual documentary in Channel 4's history,[47] and led to the follow-up short-documentary film, Richard III: The Unseen Story.[26]

In 2013, Langley co-authored with military historian Michael K. Jones, The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III (the first edition was published in New York with the title The King’s Grave: The Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds[48]).[49][19][50]

In 2013, it was reported that Langley hoped her completed screenplay on Richard III would become a film, with Richard portrayed by English actor Richard Armitage.[49] She had titled her screenplay, Blood Royal, and based it on Bosworth 1485: Psychology of a Battle, by Michael K. Jones.[8][51]

In 2014, Langley detailed the years of research behind the Looking For Richard project that took her to the northern end of the car park in Leicester in search of the church and grave in Finding Richard III: The Official Account of Research by the Retrieval & Reburial Project. The co-authored work includes chapters from Looking For Richard project members, John Ashdown-Hill and David and Wendy Johnson, and was edited by Annette Carson.[52]

In 2022, Langley and Jones re-wrote and expanded their 2013 book under the new title, The Lost King: The Search for Richard III. It was released alongside the film, The Lost King, with Stephen Frears, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope writing the screenplay, and Sally Hawkins playing Langley.[26][29]

Personal life

Prior to the discovery, Langley was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which meant that she had to spend days building up her "sleep-bank" before making excursions to Leicester while researching locations for Richard III's remains.[2]

She was married but later separated from her husband, John Langley; they have two sons.[2] In 2022, Steve Coogan, who plays John Langley in The Lost King said "... they've got a very interesting relationship because they're not married anymore, but they both still love each other, and they're still in each other's lives", and "I've never seen that depicted on screen before ... and I wanted to just show that."[1]

Awards and honours

In film

Bibliography

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In 1975, Ricardian Audrey Strange in an article published by the Richard III Society journal, listed three car parks near Leicester County Council's offices as the most likely sites for Richard's remains.[16][17][18]
  2. ^ The 2-week excavation commissioned by Langley and the Looking for Richard project, cost £32,867, and was funded by the Richard III Society members (£17,367), Leicester University (£10,000), Leicestershire Promotions (now LPL Tourism Services) (£5,000), and Leicester Adult Schools (£500).[18][23]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Lost King: Steve Coogan on why he wanted to depict 'irresistible story' of Richard III's discovery". Virgin Radio. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Williams, Zoe (24 August 2022). "'I had goosebumps!' – the finder of Richard III's remains in a car park is celebrated in a Steve Coogan film". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Top honour for writer who tracked down Richard III". The Herald. 30 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b "RTS Awards: winners in full". BBC News. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Queen's birthday honours list 2015: MBE". The Guardian. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  6. ^ Langley, Philippa; Jones, Michael (2013). The Lost King (previously titled: The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III). St. Martin's Press. p. xi. ASIN B011T7KE4Y.
  7. ^ Douglas, Andrew (26 March 2015). "Queen praises Richard III reburial". Northern Echo. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  8. ^ a b Whiteworth, Damien (6 February 2013). "Philippa Langley's love affair with King Richard III". The Times. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  9. ^ Lewis, Chris (8 January 2022). "Can new evidence clear the name of Richard III?". Darlington & Stockton Times. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  10. ^ Abruzzese, Phoebe (16 October 2022). "Philippa "King Finder" Langley returns to Darlington College". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  11. ^ a b "The Lost King: The amateur historian who inspired new Richard III film and her Darlington roots". ITV News. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  12. ^ Kennedy, Maev (5 February 2013). "'It's like Richard III wanted to be found'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b c Holden, Michael (8 February 2013). "One woman's quest to redeem the king under the car park". Reuters News. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d Treble, Patricia (6 June 2014). "An interview with the woman who found Richard III". Maclean's. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b c d e Langley, Philippa; Jones, Michael K. (2013). "Introduction: The Inspiration". The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III (London ed.). John Murray. ISBN 978-1-84854-893-0.
  16. ^ Strange, Audrey (September 1975). "The Grey Friars, Leicester". The Ricardian. 3 (50). Richard III Society: 3–7.
  17. ^ "The Looking for Richard Project". Scottish Richard III Society. 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  18. ^ a b c "Looking Back". Philippa Langley. 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Penn, Thomas (30 October 2013). "The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  20. ^ a b c d e Langley, Philippa; Jones, Michael K. (2013). "1. Road to the Dig". The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III (London ed.). John Murray. ISBN 978-1-84854-893-0.
  21. ^ a b "The Lost King" (PDF). Richard III Society. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  22. ^ "Looking for Richard Search Team". Richard III Society. 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  23. ^ a b Ashdown-Hill, J.; Johnson, D.; Johnson, W.; Langley, P. (2014). Carson, A.J. (ed.). Finding Richard III: The Official Account of Research by the Retrieval and Reburial Project. Imprimis Imprimatur. pp. 38, 40, 71–74, 75–81. ISBN 978-0957684027.
  24. ^ "How Richard III died: Richard III: Discovery and identification". University of Leicester. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  25. ^ Dickson, E. Jane (4 February 2013). "Meet Philippa Langley: the woman who discovered Richard III in a car park". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Armstrong, Neil (7 October 2022). "The controversy over an incredible archaeological discovery". BBC News. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  27. ^ a b c Wade, Mike (7 October 2022). "'Sidelined' historian's crowning glory". The Times. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  28. ^ a b Martin, Dan (4 October 2022). "The Lost King subject says she fought to get story told". BBC News. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  29. ^ a b c d Bunbury, Stephanie (22 December 2022). "She found a lost king's grave, then things got complicated". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  30. ^ "The King in the Car Park". Philippa Langley. 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  31. ^ Cremona, Patrick (7 October 2022). "Is The Lost King based on a true story?". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  32. ^ "A search for bones of Henry I is planned in Reading". BBC News. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  33. ^ "The search for Henry I: what you need to know, interview with Philippa Langley". BBC History. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  34. ^ Johnson, Deborah (18 September 2020). "Hidden Abbey Project". Reading Abbey History. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  35. ^ "Hidden Abbey Project". Philippa Langley. 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  36. ^ Johnson, Deborah (18 September 2020). "K for King in the Car Park – Henry I?". Historic UK. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  37. ^ Bridge, Mark (11 September 2020). "Diana's brother Charles Spencer aims to exhume King Henry I". The Times. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  38. ^ Drew, Sophie (6 April 2021). "Will King Henry I's body ever be found underneath Reading Abbey?". BerkshireLive. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  39. ^ "Can the British woman who found Richard III's remains find another king?". The Jerusalem Post. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  40. ^ Dunne, Daisy (29 December 2021). "History's greatest whodunnit would be ruined if we solved it, Philippa Langley team findings". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 January 2023. A team led by Philippa Langley, who found the skeleton of King Richard III under a car park in 2012, have uncovered what they believe to be clues to the survival of Edward V in the Devon village of Coldridge....
  41. ^ Catling, Chris (22 November 2022). "From the Princes in the Tower to Northumbria's Golden Age". The Past. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  42. ^ "Missing Princes Project". Philippa Langley. 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  43. ^ Lee Garrett (17 November 2023). "Historian says Richard III did not kill Princes in the Tower in 'landmark' Channel 4 show". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  44. ^ James Delingpole. "A calculated insult to the viewer: Channel 4's The Princes in the Tower – The New Evidence reviewed". The Spectator. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  45. ^ a b "Richard III: The King in the Car Park". Channel 4. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  46. ^ "Bafta TV awards 2014: Winners in full". BBC News. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  47. ^ Hockenhull, Stella (May 2017). British Women Film Directors in the New Millennium. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 99. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-48992-0. ISBN 978-1-137-48991-3. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  48. ^ a b Shippey, Tom (13 November 2013). "Book Review: 'The King's Grave' by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  49. ^ a b Day, Elizabeth (8 December 2013). "Philippa Langley: I just felt I was walking on Richard III's grave. I can't explain it'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  50. ^ a b Licence, Amy (22 November 2013). "Car park king". The Times Literary Supplement (5773). Retrieved 26 January 2023. Langley's invaluable contribution to the investigation is undisputed; she envisioned, facilitated and drove it for years. Her confidential, breathy, diary-style chapters recreate the immediacy of the dig for the reader . . . The Search for Richard III makes for compelling reading"
  51. ^ "The king and I". The Northern Echo. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  52. ^ a b "News of Fellows: Finding Richard III: The Official Account". SALON: Society of Antiquaries of London Online Newsletter. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2023. In sum, this is a short but scholarly book, well written and packed with facts: perfect for anyone who wishes to understand the background to research for Richard III without the media sensationalism.
  53. ^ "Richard III historians Philippa Langley and John Ashdown-Hill made MBEs". BBC News. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  54. ^ "Looking for Richard". Philippa Langley. 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  55. ^ "Harry Lloyd reads 'Richard' poem". Richard III Society. October 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  56. ^ "Plaque to mark spot where Richard III project devised". The Herald. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  57. ^ "Ricardian Bulletin" (PDF). Richard III Society. December 2014. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  58. ^ Singh, Anita (16 November 2023). "Historian who found Richard III under car park claims Princes in the Tower escaped" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  59. ^ Garrett, Lee (17 November 2023). "'Princes in the Tower were not murdered by Richard III'". Leicestershire Live.
  60. ^ Llewellyn Smith, Julia (17 November 2023). "'Historians said I was unhinged': Philippa Langley cracks mystery of princes in the tower". The Times. Retrieved 18 November 2023.

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