Janice Hadlow

Janice Hadlow

Janice Hadlow is a British writer and television executive known for her work in publishing and broadcasting.

She spent years at the BBC in senior management and editorial roles before becoming Controller of BBC Two. In her new role, she shaped the commissioning of new content, the programming of the channel, and oversaw a wide range of drama, cultural, and factual output.

While she worked at the BBC, Janice Hadlow often worked in a range of departments focused on arts, history, and knowledge programming. She was involved in developing programs aimed at making complex ideas easier to understand for general audiences.

After leaving the BBC, Janice pivoted into publishing and became a manager at Penguin Random House UK. In this role, she worked with editors, authors, and publishing teams to develop a wide range of books, drawing on her storytelling experience from her TV work.

Running two of the major television channels at the BBC, Janice Hadlow commissioned a range of hits in different genres, from dramas such as Line of Duty and Wolf Hall, and reality TV series such as the Great British Bake Off.

She won several awards for her work and was made a fellow of King’s College, University of London, and the Royal Television Society.

In 2020, Janice Hadlow published a retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen titled The Other Bennet Sister.

The book explores what could have happened if Mary Bennet, the often-ignored and quiet middle sister, had a chance to change her life and grow. She is portrayed as an intelligent but unconfident person who always feels left out and, as a result, hides.

Over time, Mary begins to understand herself and refuses to adhere to false expectations. As she slowly gains confidence, she begins to see her own value and to embrace self-acceptance.

In 2026, Janice Hadlow published Rules of the Heart, a work set in 1794 England, which tells the story of Lady Harriet Bessborough.

She has been in several liaisons but now finds herself attracting the attention of a much younger man, which happens a lot in her circle. Lord Granville is twelve years younger, surprisingly insistent, and handsome.

She believes she can handle the affair, only to find herself uncontrollably falling under his spell. As she is consumed by unbridled passion, her sophistication and worldliness desert her, leaving her skirting the edges of ruin and exposure.

In her non-fiction work A Royal Experiment, which she published in 2014, Janice Hadlow tells the story of Great Britain’s King George III.

Determined to be a force for moral good as opposed to his feuding, scheming, salacious, scandalous, and cruel family, he intends to provide a very different kind of leadership.

Resisting the depraved pull of his family's history, he intends to be faithful to his wife and raise resilient, educated, and loving children.

The author shares a revelatory, vivid account of King George and his wife, Charlotte, as they did their best to undo decades of bitter dysfunction.

Related Authors

Fans of Janice Hadlow also enjoy these authors:

1. Maggie O'Farrell, author of: Hamnet.
2. Ann Patchett, author of: The Dutch House.
3. Fredrik Backman, author of: A Man Called Ove.
4. John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.
5. Jane Austen, author of: Pride and Prejudice.

Janice Hadlow: F.A.Q