Alice Roberts

Known to many as a television presenter, Alice Roberts originally embarked on a career in medicine before her interest in anatomy and the connection between human biology and history led her into academia. ...

Born to an engineer and an English teacher in Bristol in 1973, Roberts graduated from Cardiff with a degree in medicine and worked briefly as a junior doctor before taking a teaching post at the University of Bristol and completing a PhD in paleopathology in 2008. During this time she also made her TV debut, appearing on Channel 4 in 2001 as a bone specialist for Time Team, and in 2007 presenting a five-part series on early human migration, The Incredible Human Journey. The accompanying book made the topic accessible to a lay readership, and made Roberts a good candidate for the role of Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham, a post she took up in 2012 while also serving as Director of Anatomy at the NHS Severn Deanery School of Surgery.

Since then Roberts has continued to write for academic journals and created many successful popular science books, with The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being shortlisted for the 2015 Wellcome Book Prize and 2024’s Crypt becoming a Sunday Times bestseller. Reflecting her breadth of knowledge and interests, Roberts’ publications have explored topics such as evolution, the Celts and Humanism and include Anatomical Oddities (2022), which brings to the fore her skill as an illustrator, and the children’s prehistoric adventure story Wolf Road (2023).

One of Roberts’ longest-running ventures is the archaeological television show Digging for Britain, which first aired in 2010 and has reached its 13th series, and she frequently gives public talks that expand on the areas covered by her research. Her latest release, Domination: The Rise and Fall of an Empire, was accompanied by a sell-out tour that was extended to a further nine dates in 2026, suggesting Roberts has every intention to continue exploring our past and bring it to the attention of as many people as possible.