About this episode
Tessa Dunlop joins Jemma and Marina for a discussion on monarchy, British identity, and the challenges faced by outspoken women in public life.
Historian and Broadcaster, Tessa Dunlop, joins Jemma and Marina for a gloriously wide-ranging conversation about monarchy, British identity and the fury of being an outspoken woman in public life. From her PhD on Romanian royalty to why she believes King Charles still gives Britain “soft power” on the world stage, Tessa brings nuance, history and plenty of passion to some of the most divisive debates of the moment. The trio chat Trump, royal diplomacy and whether Prince Andrew is a “seeping wound” for the monarchy, before diving into Meghan and Harry, Britishness, Brexit, immigration, and why Romanian teenagers demanding a GCSE in their mother tongue actually made Tessa proud to be British. They get candid about the media industry, the “authority gap” facing opinionated women, and why being left-leaning can make you professionally radioactive. There’s laughter, disagreement, conversation about Iain Dale, and a brilliantly enraged clip involving Laurence Fox and Jeremy Clarkson that leaves everyone cheering. A fantastic Trawl Meets. Enjoy! Tessa's book 'The Bletchley Girls' Is 99p on the Kindle Store for the month of June. Head to https://amzn.eu/d/02Zf7PsV get a copy and…
People in this episode
Hosts: Jemma Forte, Marina Purkiss
Guest: Tessa Dunlop
Topics covered
- monarchy
- British identity
- public life
- media industry
- politics
- immigration
- soft power
Keywords
- monarchy
- British identity
- Tessa Dunlop
- media
- politics
- immigration
- Brexit
- soft power
- opinionated women
- The Bletchley Girls
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Bletchley Girls
Places: Romania, Britain, British, Brexit, Romanian
More episodes of The Trawl
- Ivanka's Island, Trump's Pool & a Very Angry Albania · June 11, 2026 · 49 min
- Question Time Carnage, Vance Comes for Britain & Pride Fights Back · June 9, 2026 · 43 min
- The Cost of Being Young, Job Hunting & Katie Price · June 4, 2026 · 44 min
- Farage Crawls Out, Riots Break Out & Bartlett's Three Glasses of Wine · June 3, 2026 · 51 min
- Blair & Murrell : Chopsticks, Kettles & Net Zero · May 28, 2026 · 43 min
- Heatwave Britain & Reform's Sexist Summer · May 28, 2026 · 42 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Trawl podcast page.