This is a history book written by David Mitchell, who played Mark Corrigan on Peep Show. I love that show, and I’m interested in history, so thought I’d give this a go. This book sits at an interesting level: he is a comedian rather than a professional historian, so it’s funny, and he’s happy to gloss over details and call people twats. I think he did actually study history though, and I believe he is fascinated by it so it’s not just a superficial celebrity book.
The book covers English monarchs, from the fictional King Arthur and the thugs that came to power in various regions after the collapse of the Roman Empire to Elizabeth I who was the final monarch to rule England rather than Britain.
I listened to this on audiobook, and have actually listened to it multiple times now. It’s full of interesting details, very well written, and extremely funny.