Lauren Potts

Does Your Cat Recognise Your Voice?

I was asked to investigate whether our cats are ignoring us when we call their names. I was only too happy to investigate.

When do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?

This was one of 12 explainers I wrote for the BBC as part of a pilot on audience growth and reach. I covered a range of complex topics from childcare and council tax, to assisted dying and famine. This one, about the 10-year passport rule, proved particularly popular with search.

Not being able to swim was my dirty secret – here’s how I conquered my fear before 40

For Stylist, I wrote about the highs and low of conquering my childhood fear as an adult - and how milestone birthdays are the perfect time to reflect on your goals.

How To Turn Redundancy To Your Advantage

I was asked to write about my savage redundancy experience - and now that I'm on the other side, how I turned it to my advantage.

The best restaurants in Birmingham

I was asked by Time Out to contribute to this article on the best places to eat in Birmingham. All that eating out finally came good.

Can some foods really improve your memory?

Sometimes it can feel like our short-term memory has more in common with our kitchen sieve. But might there be key ingredients – or even whole diets – that could help make these moments of forgetfulness a thing of the past? BBC Food asked me to look at the science behind the claims.

The Halloween sweets that poisoned Bradford

I pitched and wrote this timely and quirky history story to the BBC, where it was read by more than a million people all over the world, stayed in the website's "most read" list all day and was translated for BBC Brazil.

Why being a bad friend feels like the worst insult of all - and how to know if you are one

Stylist asked me to look at how the "bad label" affects us - and in particular, how it's become a gendered issue.

‘Impulse brought back O2 body spray and the smell almost made me cry’

I pitched the return of this iconic 90s body spray to Stylist and was commissioned to talk to women about what it means to them.

Can you improve menopause symptoms by eating specific foods?

BBC Food tasked me with finding out whether what you eat can help tackle menopausal symptoms - a super interesting topic that millions of women all over the world could benefit from.

Dear Diary: how keeping a journal became the cool girl activity of 2023

In my third feature for Stylist, I looked at why more and more adults are keeping a diary.

I went to a 'grief rave' after my friend died - here's what happened

In my first feature for the i newspaper, I wrote a personal piece about grief and how an art project can help. The story was published both online and was a double page spread leading the culture section in print.

Why everyone's talking about picky tea

It's the go-to dinner when you just can't be bothered to cook. But how do celebrity chefs do theirs? I found out for BBC Food.

Reporting on genealogy news

I freelanced for Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, writing their news pages for the September issue.

How I manage a gluten-free diet on a budget

In my first commission for BBC Food, I had a lovely chat with blogger and expert Becky Excell on how to eat gluten-free without breaking the bank. Both she and Coeliac UK shared the story on their social media channels and it featured on BBC Homepage too.

I Had A 10cm Ovarian Cyst But Doctors Didn't Believe Me

For Refinery29 I wrote a first person piece on my experience of having an ovarian cyst and being gaslit by my doctors, plus advice on how to spot the symptoms to raise awareness of the condition. It led Refinery29's UK site and was also published in the US, Australia and Germany.

Walking the Oldham Way

I was approached by Oldham Council to produce copy about walking in the borough that they could place with relevant publications - my first-person piece about the experience was used by Trail magazine.

King Charles: Why does the monarch need a coronation?

This piece for the BBC looking at the history of the coronation and whether it's required led the features slot on the main site, was prominent on the BBC Homepage, translated by BBC Brazil and had strong engagement and page-viewing figures.

Losing my childhood best friend was a different kind of grief

I wrote about the loss of my very first friend for Stylist and how the death of someone from your early experiences is also about losing a witness to your past.

'I'm part of history': What it's like living in a National Trust property

This story is part of a series I'm writing for Reach plc about the people lucky enough to live in some of England's most beautiful homes and gardens. This particular employee got to spend her maternity leave in a grand country house and the story was published by the Manchester Evening News.

Meet the man who lives in a 'blue tin box' miles from anywhere

The latest in a series of features for Reach on what it's like to live in a National Trust property, this story was used by 17 daily and weekly titles, including the Cambridge News, Evening Chronicle and Wales Online.

The side of OnlyFans that people don't boast about

I write features for Reach newspapers that are used across its regional network. This story, about how Only Fans isn't the piece of cake it seems, appeared on websites for the Hull Daily Mail, Liverpool Echo and Nottingham Post among others.

The unclaimed £68m in premium bonds prizes

I pitched this feature to my former employer to give it the biggest chance of raising awareness that there are prizes of up to £100,000 that still haven't been claimed, going back as far as 1957.

Being a sore loser goes beyond being narked at losing that game of Monopoly

I was commissioned by Stylist magazine to talk about being a graceless Monopoly player. Did I learn anything? Read on.

Discover the amazing haunted pub which counts Taylor Swift as a regular

What started as a story about living in a National Trust pub turned into a piece about pints, poltergeists and the queen of pop. This story for Reach featured across ten titles including the Hull Daily Mail, Leicester Mercury and Coventry Telegraph - and the Nigel Night angle prompted a frenzy of national media coverage.

What living in an 18th Century stately home is really like

The final piece in a series for Reach plc looking at the lives of people who truly never leave their place of work - because the National Trust properties they look after also double up as their full-time homes.

Being single in the cost of living crisis

My second feature for Reach Plc looked at being single in the Cost of Living Crisis. It was used across the publisher's regional network and appeared on websites for the Bristol Post, Derbyshire Telegraph and Wales Online, among others.

Reporting on genealogy news

I freelanced for Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, writing the news pages for the September issue. I have an amateur interest in genealogy and family history so had the rare opportunity to combine my work and hobby.

Ukraine conflict: How to help yourself, your kids, and others

Experts share practical tips about how to deal with anxiety around the war in Ukraine.

This Unrelenting Pandemic - Quadram Institute

During the pandemic, Quadram has been at the forefront of genomic sequencing – the science behind extracting the genetic code of the Covid-19 virus. I was commissioned to write about their work in this longform story, which won a CIPR silver award for best use of content.

Joe Ligon: America's 'longest juvenile lifer' on 68 years in prison

I spoke to ex-prisoner Joe Ligon spoke for BBC World Service and wrote this article discussing his seven decades in jail, why he waited so long for freedom, and how he intends to spend the rest of his days

How are England's coastal resorts faring?

Will the effects of the coronavirus lockdown tip these places into a terminal decline - or is there optimism that the government's aim of a further easing of lockdown rules might save the vital summer season?

The parents raising their kids on the road

Two families describe how they changed their children's lives by showing them the world, while a mum-to-be explains why she plans to do just that with her six-month-old baby

Oyster card: The growing fortune that remains unclaimed

How Transport for London is sitting on a £400m "cash mountain" of unclaimed balances and deposits

Why we are working on Christmas Day

But whether you're half a day behind the UK, or several hours in front, spare a thought for those keeping the country ticking over on 25 December

The bridge that crossed an ocean

How an eccentric entrepreneur bought London Bridge and moved it brick by brick to Arizona

Can 'beauty banks' help fight hygiene poverty?

Most of us give barely a thought to the cost of shampoo, soap and sanitary towels when stocking up on everyday essentials in the toiletry aisle. But for those living in poverty - whether on the streets or in homes on a shoestring budget - basic hygiene has become a backseat luxury

Big Daddy to Toni Storm: The revival of British wrestling

For many a sports fan, Saturday afternoons were spent watching Big Daddy grapple with Giant Haystacks. Decades later and a generation that grew up glued to World of Sport is spearheading a revival - but will it stick?

Smarties: How the stocking staple got its name

The sweet we know and love started out as the butt of an unsavoury joke dreamed up by mischievous confectioners

The Canary Girls: The workers the war turned yellow

The sacrifice of soldiers killed during World Wars One and Two is well-documented. But the efforts of munitions workers stained yellow by toxic chemicals is a story much less told

The mystery of the Milk Carton Kids

In 1996, two boys went out to play and did not return. What happened to the friends who would become known as the "Milk Carton Kids"?

Was John Lewis right to throw tantrum toddler out?

A woman has said she was made to feel like a "rubbish mum" after she was asked to leave the store with her screaming daughter - but what else could she have done?

Fleecing the farmers: The true cost of stealing sheep

Sheep rustling is often seen as an amusing or old-fashioned crime. But as thieves who stole £35,000 worth of livestock from farms on both sides of the Pennines are jailed, what is the true cost of fleecing the farming community?

Sweet success: Unravelling the Jelly Baby's dark past

The humble jelly baby has been giving fans a sugary thrill for generations, but the apparently innocuous treat harbours a somewhat dark and mysterious past

What it's like sharing a birthday with Jesus

While people all over Britain carve turkeys, pull crackers and open gifts, spare a thought for those born on Christmas Day and other inconvenient dates

When you are young, they have always been old

In the mind of a five-year-old, they have simply always been there; the reason for your parents' existence explained in simple terms

Doctor who? The celebrities who became instant academics

Should the rich and famous be handed academic plaudits on a silver platter?

How Bake Off champ Nadiya Hussain made her cake and ate it too

Millions of people tuned in to see who would be crowned this year's winner of the Great British Bake Off, but who is the person behind the apron?

Strange beauty: The photographers capturing urban decay

Photographers with an eye for decay are venturing into derelict buildings in the name of "urban exploration"

Digging for treasure: Is 'nighthawking' stealing our past?

Heritage groups say one of the countryside's most famous monuments is "under attack" from illegal metal detectorists hunting for buried treasure

Indie bites: The rise of 'casual dining'

Leeds's first independent food festival shrugs off comments about the city's lack of Michelin stars.

Sheffield's Meadowhall celebrates 25th anniversary

As Meadowhall celebrates its 25th birthday, its owners release pictures from its big moment in retail history.

Finding Fido: The great lengths pet owners will go to

One man has revealed how he didn't think twice about paying a detective £10,000 to track down his daughter's kitten killer - and he's not alone

Who holds the keys to our mansions?

A string of stately homes are being old to international buyers, raising questions about the safety of England's heritage

Kids? I just don't know

A letter to the women who aren't quite sure whether children are in their future

Fair is fair: How show-women were given a chance to thrive

In its Victorian heyday, the fairground was one of the only places women could forge independent careers

Staffordshire bull terriers: A question of class?

Why are they considered by some as the "chav dog" of choice and what does this tell us about British attitudes to class?

Homeward bound

The childhood diary that documented a period of turmoil

Sex, violence and religion: The films banned by councils

Monty Python's Life of Brian isn't the only film to suffer the shackles of local censorship

The summer of '63

How Dirty Dancing shaped a summer and created endless fond memories

#SaveDippy - but why do we care?

The dinosaur's days in the spotlight are numbered, prompting an outpouring of grief on Twitter

Camera shy: The mysterious man behind Humans of Leeds

Who's the snapper collecting portraits and interviews on the streets but wants to remain anonymous?

Dripping, apples and milk: Making curry the Victorian way

BBC journalist Lauren Potts put a recipe from the 1890s to test

Children in Need: Pudsey Bear's path from mascot to national treasure

The creator of the charity's Pudsey Bear mascot explains how the cuddly teddy came to be named

SS Rohilla: Dramatic three-day WW1 sea rescue remembered

The dramatic three-day rescue mission that ensued resulted in scores of lives being saved but spelled the end of the era of the rowing lifeboat

Remembering the York Minster fire 30 years on

How the famous building went up in flames - and the desperate scramble to save it

Ghost signs: Echoes of industry hiding in plain view

In some of the city's oldest areas, they are rife, peppering buildings once at the heart of their neighbourhoods, quietly reminding us how business has changed

Vis proves gem in Croatia's crown

The natural glamour of island-hopping in the Adriatic

A day in the life of a miner

Reporter Lauren Potts went down the pit to see what it's really like at the coalface

Berlin: A city of contrasts

There's far more to see in the German capital than the usual sight-seeing routes

No regrets - I'd spent it all again

Infamous Pools winner Viv Nicholson and the phrase that became her mantra

Budapest: Do things by halves

The city with two distinct sides makes for a fascinating mini-break

Sri Lanka adoption: The babies who were given away

The boarding school 'monster' who always walked free

The life and loves of Anne Lister

Who was the 'Thai bride' dumped in the hills?

What happened to Claudia?

Alcock & Brown: Into the Unknown

Swimmers 'ruined' by culture of fat-shaming and bullying

I worked closely with the writer on this story to find the strongest angle and make the biggest impact - the result was that it was most read on the BBC website the day it was published and led to an apology from the swimming body as well as an investigation into allegations.

The woman who fought South Africa's sexist marriage laws

Perimenopause: 'I went from triathlon training to needing naps'

Why this harbour master spent her life at sea

'I've spent my life in fear of being called fat'

The homeless teen who studied by candlelight

Saffiyah Khan: From EDL viral photo to The Specials

'It is possible to be Muslim and a lesbian'

What I learned when I stopped shaving

Make-up on the train: What's the problem?

Murder and fraud: What happened to Carole Packman?

Does bralet boom spell the end of high-rise boobs?