Lydia Spencer-Elliott

Chief Features Writer

Lydia Spencer-Elliott
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Location
London
Education
Exeter University
Expertise

Pop culture, politics, entertainment, trends, opinion, dating, real-life stories, guides, The Tab's Do Better Campaign, The Tab's You Matter Campaign

  • Lydia has interviewed everyone from the women who brought down Harvey Weinstein to Love Island's Ekin-Su.
  • Her expertise in pop culture has seen her appear in a documentary about Harry Styles and go viral on TikTok explaining the infamous Wagatha Christie trial.
  • Lydia pioneered The Tab's coverage of the Women's World Cup and wouldn't rest until her Mary Earp's profile was the most read story of the tournament.

Experience

Lydia Spencer-Elliott joined The Tab in 2022, currently working as the Chief Features Writer. She has previously freelanced for VICE, The Guardian, The Independent, Cosmopolitan and was Grazia's Senior Features Writer before joining the team.

Education

Lydia graduated from the University of Exeter with a BA Honours in English Literature and Film Studies. After she graduated, she completed an MA in Magazine Journalism at City University, London and freelanced throughout her post grad.

THE TAB'S EDITORIAL POLICIES

The Tab's journalism is brought to you by young reporters who like being first. On university campuses, our writers deliver local news you care about. At The Tab HQ, our experienced journalists write about everything from breaking news to politics to pop culture to TikTok trends to the latest entertainment and celeb gossip. Our aim is to deliver sharp, original, and agenda-setting journalism to young people. All our stories are fact checked and sources verified. Further information on our editorial policies and processes can be found here.

Posts

The White Lotus to The Gentlemen: Theo James’ characters, ranked from worst to best

Lest we forget he was in The Inbetweeners

Um, did Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal just soft-launch a relationship?

I’m freaking out

Brandy Hellville: Everything that goes down in HBO’s new Brandy Melville documentary

Yikes

Take this quiz to see if Ireland would adopt you like they’ve adopted Ayo Edebiri

Who wouldn’t want to be the honorary people’s princess of Ireland?

What you see in this viral image can tell you whether you’re left-brained or right-brained

Why can I see an ostrich

Right, here’s the The Gentlemen’s chaos ending fully explained

Things do not go smoothly

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone films, ranked by how much palpable chemistry they had

I’ll never get over La La Land

‘I felt exposed and ashamed’: How students battle loneliness amid mental health crisis

People aged 16 to 24 are the loneliest age group in the UK

Ok, this is how Netflix’s The Gentlemen series relates to the movie

The Guy Ritchie web is webbing

Saddle up and look inside Bella Hadid’s new cowgirl life with her Rodeo star boyfriend

The most yee-haw vibe shift ever

Right, here’s how to actually pronounce Marchioness of Cholmondeley

The internet is baffled

Sambas to Spezials: What your choice of Adidas trainer says about your overall vibe

They have the fashion girlies in a choke hold

Kanye’s wife Bianca accused of using X-rated fashion as part of a career ‘game plan’

‘She is a very smart woman’

Inside Kate and William’s hectic 40-minute photoshoot which led to royal chaos

Apparently she used Photoshop so the ‘children looked good’

Falls, fails and partying: The biggest Oscars 2024 moments you didn’t see on TV

Martin Scorsese was bored out of his mind

Standout moments from Ryan Gosling’s Oscar performance, ranked by how much Kenergy they had

I may never recover from this

Jimmy Kimmel’s most controversial Oscars jokes which left all the celebs cringing

Emma Stone was not impressed

Let’s admit it, International Women’s Day has never felt more pointless

If I see one more cheesy quote I’m going to scream x

Okay, so what is actually inside the unhinged Oscars 2024 gift bags worth $180k?

This product list is chaos

What Netflix’s Supersex series doesn’t tell you about Rocco Siffredi

He’s the ‘Godfather’ of rough sex

Everyone’s worried Sharon Osbourne is ill – here’s why she looks so different

She’s spoken openly about her sudden weight loss

Right, here’s why people think barnacles could be the answer to finding the MH370 plane

Yes you read that right

Inside MH370’s Semiconductor theory which links the US government to the missing plane

It’s one of the most persistent conspiracies

Gary Goldsmith: How is Kate Middleton’s uncle even allowed on Celebrity Big Brother?

Women’s Aid have already spoken out about his behaviour

Toxic relationships are prompting women to go ‘boysober’ and the internet is loving it

‘Count. Me. In.’

Jamie Laing criticised for ‘mocking’ northern accent on air – one day into Radio 1 role

‘He’s taking the p*ss’

The Kate Middleton pics might have been grainy but these 10 memes are clearly hilarious

A pap shot has never been blurrier

All the theories about what happened to missing MH370 plane – 10 years after disappearance

A new hunt for the vanished aircraft could be starting soon

The Ambanis: All to know about the billionaire family Rihanna came out of retirement for

They paid her £5 million

Awkward exes and humungous hangovers: Inside the wild Brits 2024 after parties

Raye danced with her shoes off until 5AM

The Octopus Murders: What Netflix’s new documentary doesn’t tell you about the chilling case

There are so many theories

The harrowing true story behind Under the Banner of Heaven

This is dark

Reasons why your evil situationship is nothing like One Day or Normal People

Hate to break it to you baby girl

Ariana Grande fans are accusing her of ‘gaslighting’ them over Ethan Slater relationship

‘Girl, we can see the timelines’

Rumours to relationship: Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover’s chaos journey to exclusivity

This should give anyone in a situationship some hope

Raye’s top 10 best songs ever, ranked by just how wow they are

She’s just been named songwriter of the year

Demonic rituals and relatability: Every theory behind why Taylor Swift ‘can’t dance’

Clips from The Eras Tour won’t stop going viral

Can I Tell You a Secret: Where is cyber stalker Matthew Hardy now?

This documentary kept me awake for days

Who TF Did I Marry? A rundown of ‘pathological liar’ TikTok which shocked the internet

Her husband was NOT who she thought he was

Bradley Cooper roasted for crying over ‘missing’ Leonard Bernstein – who he never met

‘If we give him an Oscar will he stop doing this kind of thing?’

Love Is Blind’s Chelsea doesn’t deserve hate for saying she looks like Megan Fox

She’s just issued an apology

Can I Tell You a Secret? What Netflix’s documentary leaves out about Matthew Hardy

It took police 11 years to put him in jail

Saltburn mansion’s real-life owner says influencers won’t stop trespassing on his land

He’s had to set up a regular ‘staff patrol’ of the grounds

Ok, here’s the eerie ending of Expats fully explained

What even happened to Margaret, Hilary and Mercy?

Omg, The Bear fans are convinced Will Poulter is returning as chef Luca for season three

And their theory is seriously convincing

Gird your loins, there’s going to be a Devil Wears Prada reunion at the 2024 SAG Awards

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt together again!!

Baby to Boyfriend: Justin Bieber’s all time biggest bops, ranked

Bieber Super Bowl half time show WHEN

Enough is enough, it’s time to free Barry Keoghan from the shackles of Saltburn

Let him out!

Omg, you can visit Dexter’s One Day cafe in real life and it looks EXACTLY like the show

Everyone on TikTok is heading there already

One Day to The White Lotus: Leo Woodall’s performances, ranked by how boyfriend they are

Impossible to say if Jack or Dexter is hotter

Vultures 1: Why Kanye West’s album distributor chose to pull his new record from Apple music

Drama drama drama

Can I Tell You a Secret? The terrifying true story behind Netflix’s new cyber stalker documentary

I’m never using social media again

Guys, Tinder and Hinge are being sued for deliberately turning people into ‘addicts’

Ok so this is why I can’t find love

One Day: Final episode Easter eggs which make Emma and Dexter’s ending even more tragic

Prepare to sob (again)

BAFTAs to Golden Globes: Ayo Edebiri’s awards season looks ranked by how hard they served

She’s so cool I could scream

Jamie Laing speaks out after criticism he’s turned Radio 1 into a ‘posh boys club’

He’ll be replacing Jordan North in March

Lads lads lads, Harry Styles has entered his football fan era and everybody’s freaking out

And just like that I support Man United

‘Shame on you’: Viewers furious after Matthew Perry left off BAFTA’s memoriam honours list

The British Academy were forced to make a statement after the backlash

From Tracy Beaker to How to Have Sex: Inside the rise of Mia McKenna-Bruce

She had a huge win at the BAFTAs last night

Meet Harris Dickinson: The vibey it-boy from Iron Claw who everyone’s obsessed with

He deserves all the BAFTAs

Balloon sleeves and ruffles: The secret meanings behind Poor Things’ costumes

I need them available to buy NOW

A rap song calling for the death of Dua Lipa has ‘topped the charts in Israel’

Bella Hadid is also mentioned

Connell’s chain to Dexter’s signet ring: The thirstiest on-screen accessories of all time

They know what they’re doing

One Day: What Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod actually thought of each other when they first met

It didn’t go smoothly at all

Right, here’s why a country radio station refused to play Beyoncé’s new song

Their loss, tbh

Ok, here’s the secret meaning behind Beyoncé’s 16 Carriages lyrics

So ready for my country era

Jacob Elordi to Paul Mescal: Your favourite it-boys’ icks, just in time for Valentine’s Day

They’re judging you x

Griselda: What Netflix left out about The Godmother’s gruesome life

She’s actually terrifying

How to handle Valentine’s Day if you’re in a situationship, according to dating experts

It’s time to call in the professionals

‘Go f*ck yourself’: Kanye finally responds to hate for posting nude photos of his wife

‘I don’t care, bro’

Real Valentine’s Day horror stories to make you feel instantly better about being alone

It’s hell out there

Mr. and Mrs. Smith: The show’s hectic twist ending fully explained

Still recovering tbh

One Day’s author shares romantic mixtapes Emma and Dexter sent each other and I’m crying

Can’t wait to look wistfully out of a train window to this

One Day’s author reveals one huge way Netflix’s series differs from the book

We all owe the producers a big thank you

The Cranberries to Blur: Every song on the vibey decade-spanning One Day soundtrack

Bop after bop

Who was Justin Eely? The story behind One Day’s mystery dedication

The final episode is in memory of him

Right, this is what happened between Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl

He exposed her breast on stage in 2004

Set list to special guests: All we know about Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show

Yeah!

Right, here’s how Zac Efron got so jacked for his role in The Iron Claw

Respectfully, wow

Right, who actually killed Griselda Blanco in a drive-by shooting in Medellin?

Netflix’s ending needs some explanation

Ok, what happened to Griselda’s multi-million pound Miami mansion after she fled the city?

She knew how to throw a party

Gemma Owen to Arabella Chi: Outrageously expensive Love Island necklaces, ranked

Influencing is clearly going well

The ‘pick me’ boy explained: Who he is and how to know if you’re dating one

He just never really got into football haha x

Omg, Sofia Vergara has shared behind the scenes pics from Griselda and they’re iconic

The Godmother is mothering

Inside The Mutiny: The real life nightclub from Griselda you can still visit today

It looks very different now

Reporter claims Jacob Elordi ‘grabbed him by the throat’ after he asked for his bathwater

When will the Saltburn suffering end

Vicky McClure addresses Trigger Point plot hole which made viewers rage

People are vexed

Love Island: All Stars viewers accuse Joshua of ‘gaslighting’ Sophie over Joanna flirting

‘He’s a bit of a manipulator’

Julia Fox to Kim Kardashian: What Kanye’s exes have said he’s like as a boyfriend

‘There were definitely some red flags’

Inside the spiritual retreat where Georgia Harrison ‘saw’ Casey’s grandad’s ghost

Wonder what he was doing in Costa Rica

Lorraine Kelly breaks silence on Philip Schofield scandal and Holly Willoughby

‘They’re good people’

Love Island’s Cally Jane Beech ‘shaken’ over ‘scary’ deepfake nude photos of her online

‘First thing I did was panic’

Sofia Vergara reveals she injured herself ‘forever’ while playing Griselda

‘It got me into trouble’

What it was actually like at Oxford during the Saltburn era, according to a former student

2006 was WILD

Right, here’s what actually went down between Griselda Blanco and Pablo Escobar

She was running drugs before he even entered the game

You can now go to prison for cyberflashing, deepfakes and revenge porn

New punishments include jail time, fines and being added to the sex offenders register

Co-stars and mirror selfies: Inside Paul Mescal’s now-deleted Instagram account

He’s so mysterious I can’t cope

Fake teeth, prosthetics and wigs: Inside Sofia Vergara’s transformation into Griselda Blanco

The drug lord’s family were not happy with how Netflix made her look

Kanye West snatches reporter’s phone when asked about ‘controlling’ his wife allegations

‘Don’t come asking me disrespectful questions’

This is why dating apps are in their flop era right now, according to an expert

Things have never looked bleaker

We’ve worked out where Arabella’s necklace is from, and it’s worth thousands

She’s still not Gemma Owen though