With a reputation for dogged delving in archives around the world, Dr Tom Roberts has helped journalists, broadcasters and authors, of both academic and trade books, with dozens of projects. He gained Masters degrees in Social & Political Sciences from Cambridge Unversity, and in Communication from the University of Westminster, before undertaking his PhD in Modern History at Macquarie University, Sydney.
Feel free to contact Tom to discuss your research needs.
'I would not have made [this book] without Tom Roberts ... Tom was a brilliant researcher who instinctively knew what to look for and how to find it. I have written a much better book thanks to his input and his unfailing good spirit.'
'This book would never have existed without the encouragement and help of Andrew Wylie, my literary agent; Tom Roberts, my researcher; and the publishing team at Simon & Schuster'
'There are a number of specific debts. Tom Roberts worked for two months as my researcher: the book might not have been ready in time without his splendid efforts.'
Tom is also an author and media contributor in his own right. His latest book BONJOUR, MADEMOISELLE! April Ashley and the Pursuit of a Lovely Life, a hybrid social history/biography written with Jacqueline Kent, was published to critical acclaim by Scribe UK in 2024 and will be published in Australia by Scribe Aus in 2025.
'Jacqueline Kent and Tom Roberts, give a lesson in amiable tolerance and handle other thorny subjects without a touch of militancy. Their lesson seems to be that only fools rush in to judge what they cannot understand.’ The Times
'Kent and Roberts have situated April Ashley’s life in its broader political and social context. Thorough and eminently readable, the book strikes an engaging, affectionate tone for their at times poorly behaved and doubtless traumatised subject. With tact and curiosity, the authors examine Ashley’s frosty attitude towards her mother and her possibly unwarranted reverence for her father. ... Bonjour, Mademoiselle has captured Ashley’s optimistic, courageous approach to life' Australian Book Review
BEFORE RUPERT: Keith Murdoch and the Birth of a Dynasty, published by UQP, won the 2017 National Biography Award, Australia's premier prize for life writing. The judges commented:
'Before Rupert is deeply scholarly yet utterly accessible and enticing ... Roberts has crafted a masterful biography, full of remarkable insights.'
HOW TRUMP THINKS: His Tweets and the Birth of a New Politial Language, co-written with Peter Oborne, was published by Head of Zeus / Bloomsbury
'Oborne and Roberts's book is a service to scholars' Guardian
'[A] hilarious yet frightening book' West Australian
THE MAKING OF MURDOCH: Power, Politics and What Shaped the Man Who Owns the Media was published in the UK and US in 2020 by IB Tauris / Bloomsbury
'To unpeel the layers of "the man who owns the media", it’s difficult to think of someone more qualified than Tom Roberts ... Roberts again applies his forensic approach and scholarly rigour to contextualise this most imperious of media magnates against his vast political influence.' Spear's Magazine
from The Murdochs: Empire of Influence, CNN 2023