Lucy Worsley talks Russia, Hampton Court and her new book - with Katherine MacAlister

Moving from fusty curator to TV historian might seem like a bold move, but Dr Lucy Worsley can't understand what all the fuss is about.

"Curators are very good at bluffing," she says laughing. "So being a good historian doesn’t mean you know everything, it just means you know where to find the answers.

"TV is just a continuum, another medium to get the message across and plant a few seeds that might grow into a genuine interest in history, and spur people on to finding out more."

Her range of programmes have therefore concentrated on a different side of history involving bedrooms, murder and scandal, in what has, until now, been a strictly male domain.

Alongside Janina Ramirez, history is now being presented in a whole new light and Lucy’s face is never off our screens. “That’s only because they repeat stuff,” she says modestly.

So does she feel like she flying the flag? “Well I like the nitty gritty, the social lives, it’s the slipside of history but it has been neglected. It shouldn’t just be about kings and queens - we need to look behind the scenes because history changes as society changes and hopefully these programmes have helped people enjoy the past."

Worsley is chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that runs the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. But when she's not in London, or traversing the globe filming, Lucy has found time to launch her most recent venture, a foray into children's books.

Eliza Rose, which Lucy brought to the Oxford Literary Festival earlier this month, tells the story of maid of honour Eliza Camperdowne and Katherine Howard, Henry’s fifth wife.

“I wrote my story out of a sense of burning injustice at the unfairness of the horrible execution of Katherine Howard,” says Lucy. "I wanted to redress the balance on someone who was considered a young fool and strumpet, to offer Catherine’s side of the story. And because Catherine Howard was so young, Lucy decided to write it as a children's book.

Harsh subject matter then? “The room under my office at Hampton Court is haunted by Catherine Howard and I was inspired by that and wanted to show the story from her side – marrying a potentially impotent man in his 50s, duty bound to produce an heir to the throne, whose marriage was arranged at the age of 12.

"She was aware of her sexual power but didn’t know how to handle it."

And where on earth did Lucy find the time to write that? “On the train each day. I have a 35 minute commute to Hampton Court when I disappear into my own little world,” she laughs. Ask a busy person……

And how long has that taken? “I started work on it in 2011 and it has taken time because it’s a new thing for me children’s literature."

So is this the beginning of something. "Oh yes," she says matter-of-factly: "Next up is Queen Victoria’s children, again the evidence already known through my curatorship of Kensington Palace where the young Victoria grew up.

“She had a semi abusive childhood which would explain a lot about why and how she brought up her own children. But also because she was so young herself it matters to me."

Having recently travelled to Russia for BBCs Empire of Ther Tsars series to accompany War & Peace, next up is a new show about Henry VIII and his wives acted out like House of Cards where Lucy dishes the dirt like Kevin Spacey.

So does she ever have to do her homework? "Absolutely. Look at Russia. I had never been there and had to swat up like mad first."

She is also arranging the next exhibition at Hampton Court - The Empress and The Gardener - which is about Catherine The Great’s love of the English gardener John Spires, another pressure. "Well each exhibition has to be a success, they have to bring people in or we have failed."

As for her Lit Fest talk at The Sheldonian, the previous time she was there was when she graduated from New College having read Ancient and Modern History.

She admits to having been daunted by the prospect: "It was a new thing for me, talking to children, but luckily I had a few tricks up my sleeve, and some props. But I'm glad I did it because I care about girls. I think they are the most important people in the world.

"But we have to persevere because history has to compete for everyone's attention like everything else – the environment, work, shopping , so we have to slip in where we can."