Ruth Goodman

Ruth Goodman (born 5 October 1963 ) is a British freelance historian of the early modern period, specialising in offering advice to museums and heritage attractions.

She is a specialist in British social history and after presenting the 2005 television series Tales from the Green Valley, went on to participate in several BBC historic farm series.

Since participating in Tales of the Green Valley in 2005, she has been a presenter on the BBC television educational documentary series Victorian Farm, Victorian Pharmacy, Edwardian Farm, Tudor Monastery Farm, Wartime Farm, Wartime Farm Christmas, Secrets of the Castle, and Full Steam Ahead.

In 2007, the Weald and Downland Living Museum Historic Clothing Project was founded by Hannah Tiplady, Head of Interpretation, consulted by Goodman and historical costumier Barbara (painter).

In 2022, Goodman was featured in A Farm Through Time with brothers Rob and Dave Nicholson, a three-part series shown on Channel 5 that explores how farming practices have changed over the years.

Prior to A Farm Through Time she had appeared with the brothers on one of their nightly ...on the Farm programmes at Cannon Hall Farm, discussing alcoholic brews from the past.

She lives in Buckinghamshire and is married to Tudor re-enactor and musician Mark Goodman (who participated in one episode of Tudor Monastery Farm).

Their two daughters, Eve and Catherine Have made appearances with their mother on television.

She participated in the 2011 series of Celebrity Masterchef.

Goodman was awarded an honorary degree in 2012 by Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln, for her contribution to history education.

As a result of her social history research, she has stopped using detergents in her washing machine, never eats factory farmed food and sometimes cooks on an open wood fire.

For a period of three months she followed a Tudor body cleansing regime, and no-one complained or noticed a smell.

She occasionally presents features for The One Show, and she co-presented Secrets of the Castle in 2014, and 24 Hours in the Past (2015).

She was born in Cardiff and went to Westbury primary school and Fearnhill School in Letchworth.

"School...was rather pedestrian...I became a very poor student, simply going through the motions, and my academic record at both school and university indeed lacks lustre."

Goodman "couldn't get a job after university", so she trained for a job as railway ticket clerk for British Rail, working at Chester station for a short time.

She has been a consultant to the Victoria & Albert Museum and to the film Shakespeare in Love.

She is a member of the Tudor Group, a re-enactment organisation for the Tudor period.

Since 2015, she has presented segments within the BBC television series Inside the Factory.