An amateur historian behind the discovery of King Richard’s III’s grave is making a return to her former North East sixth form to chat with students.

Philippa Langley MBE’s fascination with Richard III and her intuition that he was buried beneath her as she stood in a carpark in Leicester, next to the letter R for ‘reserved’, is at the centre of a new film, The Lost King, released last week (Friday, October 7).

On Friday, the 60-year-old, who now lives in Edinburgh, is returning to Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College (QE), in Darlington, where she was a student in the late 1970s, to talk to a large group of history, media and film studies students.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be revisiting my former college and I’m sure it will bring so many happy memories flooding back,” said Philippa, who studied English Literature and Sociology at QE.

The Northern Echo: Philippa Langley MBE. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGEPhilippa Langley MBE. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGE (Image: Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College)

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“I remember it as a time of great fun, particularly in the common room and on the hockey pitches with the college team. They were happy days!”

The Northern Echo: QE Sixth Form. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGEQE Sixth Form. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGE (Image: Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College)

Philippa’s fixation on Richard III began almost 30 years ago, after reading a biography by Paul Murray Kendall. She then spent years painstakingly investigating his possible burial location.

The Northern Echo: Philippa Langley MBE. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGEPhilippa Langley MBE. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGE (Image: Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College)The Northern Echo: The film, The Lost King, came out in cinemas last week. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGEThe film, The Lost King, came out in cinemas last week. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGE (Image: Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College)

Her extensive research, coupled with her powers of persuasion, eventually led to the excavation of King Richard’s body, some 527 years after he was known to have been killed at the Battle of Bosworth.

Last week, The Lost King, a comedy-drama based on the true story of Richard III’s discovery, written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, was released.

The Lost King cast includes Sally Hawkins, Mrs Brown in the Paddington films, as Philippa Langley.

The Northern Echo: Philippa Langley MBE. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGEPhilippa Langley MBE. Picture: QUEEN ELIZABETH SIXTH FORM COLLEGE (Image: Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College)

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Philippa, who was an executive producer on the film, is hosting a Q&A session with QE students to share her incredible story, and talk about the journey from research and excavation to the big screen.

Jodie Freeman, Head of Media Studies at QE, arranged the talk for those taking media and film courses at the college, as well as those studying history.

She said: “Students and staff alike are really looking forward to Philippa’s visit - it’s created quite a buzz around the college! The historical backdrop to her story and its subsequent adaptation into a new film are both fascinating; I believe students will gain so much from her knowledge and experience.”

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