Unruly: The Number One Bestseller ‘Horrible Histories for grownups’ The Times

THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Read by David Mitchell.

A funny book about a serious subject, Unruly is for anyone who has ever wondered how we got here - and who is to blame.

Think you know your kings and queens? Think again.

Taking us right back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn't exist), Unruly tells the founding story of post-Roman England up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It's a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and at least one total Cnut.

How this happened, who it happened to and why it matters in modern Britain are all questions David Mitchell answers with brilliance, wit and the full erudition of a man who once studied history – and won't let it off the hook for the mess it's made.

*The Times Number One Bestseller October 2023*

'Clever, amusing, gloriously bizarre and razor sharp. Mitchell – a funny man and skilled historian – tells stories that are interesting and fun. Here is Horrible Histories for grownups’ GERARD DEGROOT, THE TIMES

‘Chatty, irreverent and liberally sprinkled with gags and opinions. Horrible Histories with added swearing’ GUARDIAN

'Mitchell clearly knows his history, with a book that owes as much to Monty Python as it does to Simon Schama' ANDREW MARR, BROADCASTER

2023 David Mitchell (P)2023 Penguin Audio