Finding Betty

Jenny is the great-great-granddaughter of Eric Gill, one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. As a child, she grew up proud of his legacy. But later she discovered the shocking truth about Gill’s sexual abuse of his daughters Betty and Petra, which he had detailed in his private diaries. A truth that had emerged decades after his death, sparking a national debate about what to do with his art.

Jenny found this out when she was a teenager, around the same time that she experienced her own sexual assault. Her great-grandmother Betty had been the same age as Jenny was when she was abused. Somehow, the two things became knotted into something too painful to untangle. So she buried it.

But when you bury something, it has the habit of resurfacing. And now, Jenny is ready to face it. To confront Eric Gill’s legacy, and the complexities of silence.

This episode features the voices of: Beth Davies, James Davies, Sarah Davies, Teslin Davies, Brenda Fisher, Mary Griffiths, Becky Marshall, and Arie Nair.

Presenter: Jenny Davies
Script: Jenny Davies and Becky Ripley
Story Consultant: Kate Leys
Editor: Emma Harding
Commissioners: Dan Clarke and Tracy Williams
Producer/Director: Becky Ripley