In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Alan Downie about an author whose life was at least as colourful as those of the characters he created. Apart from writing one of the most famous books of all time, this writer survived the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, traded in hosiery, supported freedom of religion and the press, worked as a confidant to William of Orange, as a secret agent and master spy…or so he said. And he died virtually penniless. Who was he?For this episode, the Senior Producer was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Thomas Ntinas and produced by Rob Weinberg. For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here >If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!To download, go to Android > or Apple store > Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.