On Wednesday 17th September 2014 the BBC broadcast stories from the
Archives and Special Collections at MERL.
The Celebrity Antiques Road Trip team visited the Evacuee archive and the Mills & Boon records, part of the British Printing and Publishing collection. Dr Martin Parsons hosted
television presenter Esther Rantzen, who heard the moving stories of British evacuees during World War II. Her daughter, and fellow presenter, Rebecca Wilcox, delighted in the history of the firm behind the much-loved romance novels.
Rebecca was welcomed into the ‘house of romance’ by PhD
student Judith Watts who is working in company’s archive as part of the
university’s unique collections-based research programme. According to
Judith, ‘it was wonderful to be able to share the treasures in the
collection with the Road Trip team and the viewers of this popular show.
The book covers look so seductive on screen. We were able to point to the
fascinating changes over the decades, and the experiences of the authors.
It was a great way to bring public attention to what the archives have to
offer.’
You can catch the programme on the BBC iplayer site until next Wednesday
