Deborah is an experienced television and radio presenter, contributor and consultant
Television
As a presenter and historical consultant to all 4 series of BBC Two's A House Through Time (Twenty Twenty Television), Deborah advises and presents segments on the history of the domestic interior and material culture. The programme is a fresh way of telling social history through the residents of a single house, with series 1 (2018) set in Liverpool, series 2 (2019) in Newcastle, series 3 (2020) in Bristol, and series 4 (2021) in Leeds.
Deborah has contributed to Channel 5’s Farrow and Ball: Inside the Posh Paint Factory, More 4’s David Jason’s History of British Inventions; BBC Two’s Inside the Factory and Business Boomers: Hot Property, BBC One’s Morning Live, Channel 4’s No 57: The Story of a House and Heaven, Hell or Suburbia and the Science Museum’s What do a Kenwood Chef, a Kodak camera, and Inter-city 125 have in common? Sir Kenneth Grange.
Radio
Deborah has contributed to national BBC radio programmes including The Fast Furniture Fix, The Hidden History of the Window, The Hidden History of the Staircase, You and Yours, Woman’s Hour, Today and Laurence Llewellyn Bowen’s History of Home, as well as BBC local and independent radio. Topics include the Ideal Home Show, IKEA, the history of the dressing table and Trevor Bayliss, inventor of the clockwork radio. She enjoys doing live radio, especially phone-ins.
Trading spaces
Produced by Whistledown Productions, Trading Spaces aired on BBC Radio 4 in February 2021. Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan wrote and presented the series, recording it from home in lockdown. She explores the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on British high street businesses and delves into their history.
Episode 1: Harvey's of Halifax
Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan talks to Tracy Harvey, managing director of the family-run department store Harveys of Halifax. She explores the history of the department store with social historian Professor Pamela Cox.
Episode 2: The Queen Victoria
Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan talks to the landlord of the Queen Victoria in Maldon, James Burrell Cook, about his struggle to stay in business during Covid. She explores the history of the pub with design and cultural historian Dr Damon Taylor.
Episode 3: New Image
Cultural historian Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan looks at the future of the high street beauty industry through the experiences of Lisa Owen, owner of the New Image salon in Bangor, and beauty journalist Sali Hughes. She also explores the history of the beauty salon with historian Dr Jessica P. Clark.
Episode 4: The Pavilion Cinema
Cultural historian Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan talks to Andrew Poole, manager of the Pavilion Cinema in Galashiels, about life under lockdown and the future of the cinema industry. She explores the history of Scottish cinema going with historian Dr Trevor Griffiths.
Episode 5: Small Stuff
Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan talks to Hellen Stirling Baker, owner of the toy shop Small Stuff in Sheffield, who moved into bigger premises during lockdown. She explores the history of the toy shop with PhD student and computer games journalist and designer Holly Nielsen.