Gillian Hovell is an archaeologist and ancient historian. She is known professionally as the Muddy Archaeologist and also dedicates her time to educating, public speaking, tour guiding, presenting and lecturing. As an event speaker, Gillian is booked to cover a range of topics from British, European and Ancient Mediterranean archaeology to ancient roots and classical history.
Best known as The Muddy Archaeologist, Gillian has devoted her career to the study of ancient history and is on a mission to make it accessible to all. She is well known for working with the BBC and for running the Community Archaeology Project in North Yorkshire. Gillian has also dedicated time to lecturing and educating at venues such as York University and the British Museum. During her years with the BBC, Gillian dedicated her time to working behind the scenes in production, from being outside Number 10 Downing Street to working on children’s television.
Gillian found her love for all things history aged just 9, later studying at Exeter University. Graduating with a degree in Latin & Ancient History, Gillian was fascinated by the subject and began to pursue a career in archaeology after her time with the BBC. Passionate to interest others in the field, Gillian works to the mantra of ‘educate, inform, entertain’. Since first joining the field of archaeology, Gillian now works as a freelance ancient historian and shares fascinating insights as a lecturer and public speaker.
Over the course of her career, Gillian has contributed to radio on Radio 2 and Radio 4 and has also developed her own range of Muddy Archaeologist Online Courses. Gillian has also dedicated time to speaking on podcasts, TV, appearing on BBC News and BBC World Service, and YouTube as well as writing the books Visiting The Past and Roman Britain. Gillian is also an accredited lecturer of the Arts Society, a member of the Society of Authors and presented online local digs podcasts which accompanied Digging For Britain.
Today, Gillian dedicates time to delivering her expertise as a keynote speaker for a range of corporate, educational and entertainment events. She is highly regarded for being a consummate professional, whose joyful and passionate presenting style is perfect for learners, corporate clients or CEOs. Over the course of her career, Gillian has excavated at sites such as the Roman Pompeiian site of Oplontis, of which she is able to tell fascinating anecdotes from as a speaker. A highly knowledgeable individual, Gillian is working to bring the ancient world back to life, speaking on topics such as mythology, philosophy, the natural world, art, gardens and literature. Combining archaeology with academic training, Gillian is a unique speaker who is the perfect choice for a range of events.
How to hire Gillian Hovell
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Gillian Hovell for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
When she's at corporate events, Gillian's official speaking topics are below.
- Archaeology - Britain, Europe and the Ancient Mediterranean
- Ancient/classical history
- Insights on exhibitions on the Ancient World
- Ancient roots - the origins of our professions, gardens, literature and words
- Merry Christmas the Roman way
"I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your talk at the Bloomsbury Hotel dinner last night. You really brought Pompeii alive, and I was fascinated how similar our lives are now to then … except that they were more sophisticated!! You need to be a new TV star! I think we need to get your ‘brand’ to a wider audience, and get more people interested in muddy fields and Latin!" - Sue, Editor Mail On Sunday
"Gillian’s wonderful, lively and stimulating delivery of a subject she clearly loves. Fantastically knowledgeable and able to project this onto her audience. Thank you so much for a great day."
"Gillian was so knowledgeable, enthusiastic and entertaining – excellent day!"
"Pitched at a great level. Brilliant!"
"Absolutely excellent in content and presentation."
"You are a genius. Your talks are so natural and easy to follow."
"A super day at the university! Thank you very much indeed, Gillian. I really enjoyed the talks and I am sure everybody else enjoyed them too! You gave us plenty to consider and think about." - York University CLL Study Days
"Lively and captivating. A joy to experience."
"Gillian’s presentations are very clear + well-structured. Humorous and entertaining." - Voyages to Antiquity Cruises
"My sincere thanks for a fascinating study day. Gillian’s lecture was the perfect briefing before seeing the exhibition. In fact, she gave us far greater insight and understanding into both the myth and the reality than the exhibition itself. What a brilliant lecturer she is! Her two talks were well structured, had excellent illustrations, and every word she spoke was crystal-clear! And, most importantly, she explained a complicated subject in a clear way, and provided us with a helpful hand-out to take away."
"Gillian is a truly gifted lecturer and her talk contained much fascinating information."
'Thank you for a lot of enjoyment.'
-Ciceroni Travel Study Day
‘Gillian was very knowledgeable, articulate and good company. Also, kind and helpful and her lectures were excellent. Highly recommend this host who made the holiday more enjoyable with her knowledge and personality. Excellent manner, knowledge and attitude. A gem.’
'You were a Star! Really successful tour and you brought the subject to life!'
‘Gillian brings learning to life in a way that inspires future interest’
‘First class as usual from Gillian’
‘Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!’
-Special Interest Archaeological Tours (Saga)
