1983: Joins the National Theatre – London, England, Working as an actor, she joined the National Theatre, an experience she later drew on in her novel Storm in the Citadel.
1985: Marries Philip Wells – She married Philip Wells, who had briefly worked in the City; the marriage later ended in divorce.
1990: Appears on the first Have I Got News for You – A regular broadcaster on radio and television, she was a guest on the first episode of the BBC news quiz Have I Got News for You.
1990: Serves as a judge of the Booker Prize – She sat on the Booker judging panel and persuaded her fellow judges to choose A. S. Byatt’s Possession.
1993: Has her son Felix and learns she has multiple sclerosis – On the day her only child, Felix, was born she learned that she had multiple sclerosis, which she kept secret from all but close family for many years.
1999: Moves back to the family home in Dartmouth Park – London, England, After her divorce she moved back into the family house in Dartmouth Park, sharing it with her brother Bill and sister Charlotte; they later moved together to Archway.