Vita Sackville-West was infatuated with her. Virginia Woolf hated her. Sir John Reith resented her but couldn’t do without her skills: she transformed the BBC into a broadcaster for the people. Lady Astor was her close friend, making a way for her into the heart of Britain’s political, cultural and intellectual aristocracy. Hilda Matheson was one of the most important women behind the scenes in Britain’s public life between the wars and an influential networker between feminist, media and political powers. 

The life of Hilda Matheson is told by her first biographer Michael Carney and by BBC producer Kate Murphy. Her letters to Vita Sackville-West and the Astor papers form the heart of her story, revealing her candid and devoted nature.

Michael Carney is from North Wales. He worked for thirty years in public industries in England, and published his first book, Britain in Pictures. A History and Bibliography, in 1995. His biography of Hilda Matheson, Stoker, was published in 1999. He has published several short stories and has broadcast on BBC radio.