When first I appear I seem mysterious,
But when I am explained I am nothing serious.

What am I?

A RIDDLE!

Was that too easy? How about what goes ninety-nine BONK (a centipede with a wooden leg)? Or which famous book was written by Charles Chickens (Great EGGspectations, of course!).

In this book you’ll find a whole host of amazing riddles. Some will get you head scratching, some will make you laugh, and all are a lot of fun.

Plus find out some brilliant riddling facts, and top tips on how to solve the trickiest brain-teasers.

Written by Master of Funny and Collector of Riddles Gyles Brandreth, this is the ultimate, riotous Book of Riddles!

‘Very funny and often outright silly’ Guardian on Have You Eaten Grandma by Gyles Brandreth

A personal account of the life and character of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, from the writer who knew her family best

‘Compelling . . . Fascinating’ DAILY MAIL
‘The writer who got closest to the human truth about our long-serving senior royals’ THE TIMES
‘The book overflows with nuggets of insider knowledge’ TELEGRAPH
Paints a unique picture of the remarkable woman who reigned for seven decades. Fascinating insights’ HELLO!
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Gyles Brandreth first met the Queen in 1968, when he was twenty.

Over the next fifty years he met her many times, both at public and at private events. Through his friendship with the Duke of Edinburgh, he was given privileged access to Elizabeth II.

He kept a record of all those encounters, and his conversations with the Queen over the years, his meetings with her family and friends, and his observations of her at close quarters are what make this very personal account of her extraordinary life uniquely fascinating.

From her childhood in the 1920s to the era of Harry and Meghan in the 2020s, from her war years at Windsor Castle to her death at Balmoral, this is both a record of a tumultuous century of royal history and a truly intimate portrait of a remarkable woman.
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Praise for Gyles Brandreth’s bestselling royal writing:

‘Beautifully written book. I have read many other books about Philip but this is the best’ DAILY EXPRESS

‘Brilliant, totally inspiring . . . It’s a joy to read a book that comes from a perspective of fondness’ KIRSTIE ALLSOPP, THE TIMES

‘As a sparkling celebration of Prince Philip, the book will be hard to beat’ TELEGRAPH

‘So readable and refreshing even after the millions of words that have been written about Prince Philip in the past couple of weeks’ THE TIMES

‘Brilliant . . . There is so much in this book you won’t find anywhere else’ LORRAINE

Join national treasure and Just a Minute regular Gyles Brandreth on a hilariously addictive romp through British history. This isn’t just another history book – there’s a catch! From Stonehenge and Boudicca to Megxit and Brexit, each topic is written in 60-second installments, without hesitation, repetition, or deviation.

A History of Britain in Just a Minute celebrates key moments, people and places from our past: kings and queens, heroes and villains, triumphs and disasters, inventions and events, battles and bonnets, art, science, literature, entertainment, sport, gossip, and more. Some entries are uninterrupted minutes, while others feature challenges for repetition and even, er…hesitation. You’ll even find other Just a Minute panellists occasionally grabbing the pen to regale us with their witty takes on history.

You’ve never heard the history of Britain told quite like this. You’ll enjoy every uproarious minute of it.

When first I appear I seem mysterious,
But when I am explained I am nothing serious.

What am I?

A RIDDLE!

Was that too easy? How about what goes ninety-nine BONK (a centipede with a wooden leg)? Or which famous book was written by Charles Chickens (Great EGGspectations, of course!).

In this book you’ll find a whole host of amazing riddles. Some will get you head scratching, some will make you laugh, and all are a lot of fun.

Plus find out some brilliant riddling facts, and top tips on how to solve the trickiest brain-teasers.

Written by Master of Funny and Collector of Riddles Gyles Brandreth, this is the ultimate, riotous Book of Riddles!

‘Very funny and often outright silly’ Guardian on Have You Eaten Grandma by Gyles Brandreth

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER

‘It is a beautifully written book about a unique and extraordinary man who was the longest-serving consort to the longest reigning monarch in British history. I have read many other books about Philip but this is the best.’ – DAILY EXPRESS

‘Gloriously witty and incisive’ – DAILY MAIL

‘It’s bloody brilliant, totally inspiring … it’s a joy to read a book that comes from a perspective of fondness. There are whole pages I want to read to the kids and stick to the fridge.’ – KIRSTIE ALLSOPP, THE TIMES

‘As a sparkling celebration of Prince Philip, the book will be hard to beat’ – THE TELEGRAPH

‘Brandreth explores a temperament on the brink of anger and agitation with immense tact, even affection.’ – THE SPECTATOR

‘This affectionate biography of Prince Philip is stuffed with entertaining anecdotes … so readable and refreshing even after the millions of words that have been written about Prince Philip in the past couple of weeks.’ – THE TIMES

‘Brilliant… there is so much in this book you won’t find anywhere else.’ – LORRAINE

‘A stately, respectful and joyful tribute. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew him for more than 40 years.’ – EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS

‘A warm, affectionate portrait of the much-missed Duke … a rich source of insights and anecdotes.’ – SAGA MAGAZINE

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This is the story of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – the longest-serving consort to the longest-reigning sovereign in British history. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew the prince for more than forty years.

Philip – elusive, complex, controversial, challenging, often humorous, sometimes irascible – is the man Elizabeth II once described as her ‘constant strength and guide’. Who was he? What was he really like? What is the truth about those ‘gaffes’ and the rumours of affairs? This is the final portrait of an unexpected and often much-misunderstood figure. It is also the portrait of a remarkable marriage that endured for more than seventy years.

Philip and Elizabeth were both royal by birth, both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, but, in temperament and upbringing, they were two very different people. The Queen’s childhood was loving and secure, the Duke’s was turbulent; his grandfather assassinated, his father arrested, his family exiled, his parents separated when he was only ten. Elizabeth and Philip met as cousins in the 1930s. They married in 1947, aged twenty-one and twenty-six.

Philip: The Final Portrait tells the story of two contrasting lives, assesses the Duke of Edinburgh’s character and achievement, and explores the nature of his relationships with his wife, his children and their families – and with the press and public and those at court who were suspicious of him in the early days. This is a powerful, revealing and, ultimately, moving account of a long life and a remarkable royal partnership.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Hilarious, ribald, eye-popping, unforgettable, will make you laugh out loud’ DAILY MAIL

‘Warm, witty, charming. A moving and very affectionate family history. An enthusiast for life’ THE TIMES
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Enter the world of Gyles Brandreth – broadcaster, actor, writer, former politician – as he takes us on an extraordinary journey into his past.

From growing up in an apparently well-to-do but strapped-for-cash middle-class English family to his adventures in swinging London, Gyles encounters princes, presidents, pop stars and prime ministers, gets involved in everything from setting up Scrabble championships to examining Danish sex shops, and thrills us with countless tales of family, friends and acquaintances, both famous and infamous.

Filled with incredible and sometimes shocking stories, Odd Boy Out is the story of Gyles Brandreth’s fascinating life told with his unique wit and charm.
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‘Staggeringly brilliant, funny and touching, I loved it’ JOANNA LUMLEY

‘Light-hearted and dark events alike are described with his customary jaunty style, making them funny, moving an sometimes deeply shocking ‘ Sheila Hancock

WHAT’S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER?
An embarrassed Penguin
A sunburnt elephant
A newspaper!

Did those jokes make you laugh? Make you groan? Maybe a bit of both? There’s a lot more where they came from.

Collected here by jokesmith Gyles Brandreth are some of the best and worst jokes ever (plus a few riddles to keep you on your toes).

From ‘Knock, knock’ to ‘Waiter waiter’, with some funny elephants and giraffes thrown in for good measure, there’s also a bit of expert joke advice, so you can show others just how funny you can be!

‘Very funny, and often outright silly’ Guardian on Have You Eaten Grandma by Gyles Brandreth

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Hilarious, ribald, eye-popping, unforgettable, will make you laugh out loud’ Daily Mail
‘Staggeringly brilliant, funny and touching, I loved it’ Joanna Lumley
‘Warm, witty, charming. A moving and very affectionate family history. An enthusiast for life’ The Times
_________

‘I am what my childhood made me’

But what is that exactly, Gyles?
Who are you? And why?

Odd Boy Out is an extraordinarily revealing account of growing up in an apparently well-to-do but always strapped-for-cash middle-class English family. But it is also far more than that.

It is about adventures – meeting princes and presidents, visiting Death Row in America, exploring the sex clubs of Copenhagen. It is a story of a boy blessed with wit, what he got up to, and the people he met growing up in the most wonderful city in all the world in those extraordinary years after the Second World War.

For Odd Boy Out is about more than Gyles and his exploits: it is also a kaleidoscopic portrait of Britain from the 1950s onwards, featuring a cast drawn from politics, the media, swinging London, stage and screen, from Laurence Olivier to Twiggy.

By turns hilarious and moving, and chock full of unforgettable stories, Odd Boy Out is the unexpected and candid autobiography of one of the country’s most unlikely personalities.

Yet at root it is a powerful and passionate exploration of childhood – how our heritage, our parents and our upbringing make us who we are.
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‘A whirlwind of witticisms and of funny tales, both short and tall . . . ‘I feel I have lived my life in a magic garden where the sun is always shining’ he writes, and in Odd Boy Out he offers us yet another glimpse of that bright, shining sun’ Mail on Sunday

Includes an updated chapter of poems to bring you hope and happiness this year
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A POEM CAN . . .
Comfort · Challenge · Be a friend
Stretch your vocabulary
Help you sleep · Break the ice
Find you a lover · Be utter nonsense
Console · Make you laugh – or cry

For every moment in your life there is a poem.

In Dancing by the Light of the Moon we have a remarkable collection of over 250 best-loved poems in the English-speaking world.

Allow Gyles Brandreth to be your guide to not only the wonders of poetry – and there are many – but also its practical uses in everyday life.

Whether seeking some words to reflect your mood, wanting to celebrate or mark an occasion or simply looking for lines of comfort and joy in difficult times, this collection has everything for readers of poetry both young and old, novices and old hands alike, will love and return to again and again.
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‘Over 400 pages of top-notch poems by everyone from Shakespeare to Simon Armitage’ Daily Mail

‘A collection of poems that will transform your memory and change your life’ Dr Max Pemberton