Self-styled "trouser-wearing character" Nancy Spain (1917-1964) was the first British female all-media star: a crime novelist, children’s writer, biographer, sports journalist, radio actress, TV and radio game show star (What’s My Line?, My Word, Juke Box Jury), Fleet Street columnist and literary editor.

During the 1950s, she was one of Lord Beaverbrook’s star "personality" journalists on the Daily Express. One of the high points of her journalistic career was an exclusive interview with the exiled Duke and Duchess of Windsor for She in 1956; one of the low points was being sued for libel by Beaverbrook’s arch-enemy, Evelyn Waugh, the same year.

Her friends included Noel Coward, Denis Norden and Coronation Street creator, Tony Warren. A lesbian, her sexuality was an open secret among friends and colleagues; for 15 years, her partner was Joan Werner Laurie, founding editor of She magazine, and mother of two young sons.

The Beeton connection

Nancy was related to Isabella Beeton via the marriage of her half-sister Lucy Dorling to William Holmes Smiles in 1874. Their youngest daughter was Norah, Nancy’s mother.

In 1945, Nancy had just been pensioned out of the WRNS and was basking in the glowing reviews for her war memoir Thank You, Nelson. The book had caught the attention of her distant cousin Sir Mayson Beeton, the surviving son of Sam and Isabella. He authorised Nancy to write the first biography of his mother. She had access to Isabella’s diaries, family letter - including Isabella’s love-letters, written in formal Victorian language and script, and translated by Mayson’s daughter, Belle.

The biography, Mrs Beeton And Her Husband, was published by Collins in August 1948 (it was reprinted as The Beeton Story by Ward, Lock - publishers of The Book Of Household Management - in 1956. The book met with mostly favourable reviews, including one from AA Milne. The Times Literary Supplement praised Nancy’s "ingenious theory that the alleged extravagance of Isabella’s recipes may be due to the fact that as a child she was allowed to watch the preparations for the enormous meals served in Epsom Guard Stand [Isabella’s stepfather, Henry Dorling, was Master of Epsom Racecouse]".

Nancy even got in on the culinary act herself, publishing The Nancy Spain Colour Cookery Book in 1963, featuring a selection of English and continental dishes. It was, in fact, a highly practical and popular tome, but was also a shameless excuse for some celebrity name-dropping: "Boiled fish is the favourite of Miss Marlene Dietrich" (with whom Nancy had an affair); "My friend Colette…" and "This [chilli con carne] is Lena Horne’s favourite dish".

Tragedy strikes

Nancy Spain died in a light plane crash outside Aintree racecourse on March 21, 1964; she was covering the Grand National for the News of the World. Joan Werner Laurie was also killed in the accident. The next day, the tragedy was headline news in every Sunday newspaper.

In 1997, Nancy’s biggest secret was made public: Joan Werner Laurie’s youngest son, Tom, was actually Nancy’s child. His father was Philip Youngman Carter, husband of crime novelist Margery Allingham.