Bakewell of much of the town in the 19th century. Bakewell is in the valley of the River Wye in central Derbyshire. The town centre is sited near the river at about above sea-level, with the highest parts of the town at about on the valley sides. The town is in the Derbyshire Dales district and is about southwest of Sheffield, southeast of Manchester, and north of Derby. Nearby towns include Matlock to the south east, Chesterfield to the east and Buxton to the west northwest. Villages near Bakewell include Ashford-in-the-Water, Elton, Great Longstone, Monyash, Over Haddon, Sheldon, Rowsley, Pilsley, Youlgreave
Joan Bakewell at the University of Essex and has an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester. In September 2017, Bakewell was elected co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, the cross-party group which represents humanists in Parliament. Later that year, the charity Humanists UK awarded Bakewell its prize for Humanist of the Year, in recognition of her achievements in broadcasting and services to humanism and other good causes. In 2008, Bakewell criticised the absence of older women on British television. She said: "I think the fact that people are phased out, people like Moira Stuart and Selina [Scott] – out of