A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year 2025

‘Learned, entertaining and highly approachable’ BOB MORTIMER

‘A treat’ ALICE LOXTON

‘Five stars from me…’ AL MURRAY

An unmissable collaboration between two comedy legends – an irresistible, family-friendly deep dive into the murky lives of the British monarchy.

Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry three. One, two, three Neds, Richard Two, Henries, four, five, six, then who?

Charlie Higson has always been fascinated by the story of the monarchy: from the b*stardly to the benevolent, the brilliant to the brutal. In this wonderful new book, using the famous rhyme he learned at school as his trusty guide, Charlie takes us through the history of this bizarre and long-lasting institution, introducing readers to every single ruler since poor Harold got it in the eye at the Battle of Hastings (or did he?).

Who were all these people, and what did they do? It’s all here. Bloody treachery? Check. Unruly incest? Check. A couple of Cromwells? Check. The War of Jenkins Ear? Sadly, for Robert Jenkins, check.

A rip-roaring journey that takes in the Normans, Plantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts, Hanoverians and Windsors, not to mention the infamous Blois (how can we forget them?), Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee is an utterly engrossing and grossly entertaining guide to who ruled when and whether they were any good at it.

‘A treat’ ALICE LOXTON

‘Five stars from me?’ AL MURRAY

An unmissable collaboration between two comedy legends – an irresistible, family-friendly deep dive into the murky lives of the British monarchy.

Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry three. One, two, three Neds, Richard Two, Henries, four, five, six, then who?

Charlie Higson has always been fascinated by the story of the monarchy: from the b*stardly to the benevolent, the brilliant to the brutal. In this wonderful new book, using the famous rhyme he learned at school as his trusty guide, Charlie takes us through the history of this bizarre and long-lasting institution, introducing readers to every single ruler since poor Harold got it in the eye at the Battle of Hastings (or did he?).

Who were all these people, and what did they do? It’s all here. Bloody treachery? Check. Unruly incest? Check. A couple of Cromwells? Check. The War of Jenkins Ear? Sadly, for Robert Jenkins, check.

A rip-roaring journey that takes in the Normans, Plantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts, Hanoverians and Windsors, not to mention the infamous Blois (how can we forget them?), Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee is an utterly engrossing and grossly entertaining guide to who ruled when and whether they were any good at it.

Before the name became a legend. Before the boy became a man …

Meet Bond. James Bond.

There’s something in the water at Loch Silverfin. Something that must be kept secret. Something deadly …

It’s James Bond’s first day at Eton, and he’s already met his first enemy. This is the start of an adventure that will take him from the school playing fields to the remote shores of Loch Silverfin and a terrifying discovery that threatens to unleash a new breed of warfare.

‘Good, gritty and funny . . . Very clever, Bond, very clever indeed’ Daily Mail

‘A page-turning adventure that will get the hairs standing up on the back of your neck’ Sunday Express

Also by Nadia Shireen, written by Rachel Bright:
Slug in Love
Snail in Space

He’s absolutely terrified.

After surviving a holiday to Italy without his parents (which included jellyfish and giant watermelons), Stan reckons he deserves a bit of a break. Or at a least a break in between trying to act in his school play.

But when he’s offered the chance to take a tour around a TV studio, he thinks it can’t do any harm.

How wrong he is.

Before Stan can say ‘Boy of Steel’ he’s landed himself a part as a main character in one of the most well-known TV shows there is – as a brainy superhero.

Convinced he’s going to embarrass himself in front of millions of people – and worried about leaving his friends to face a school play on their own – can Stan find a way to use his new-found fame for good?

Or will he be the Worst. Superhero. Ever . . .

‘Charlie Higson’s new book will certainly get you through the night, though you may not get a lot of sleep…’ Mark Billingham

‘Hugely entertaining’ Sunday Times

‘A slick satirical thriller’ The Sun

Most people travel to Corfu to escape the real world for a couple of weeks. But not McIntyre. McIntyre’s a fixer, specialising in getting people out of places they don’t want to be with the minimum of fuss, publicity and violence. The job in Corfu should be easy – spring Lauren, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, from the luxury compound of the tech billionaire, Julian Hepworth. Hepworth’s young, handsome and charismatic – he’s also a suspected paedophile.

But as McIntyre sets up his operation, things quickly start to slip out of control. Soon, he has to contend with Albanian gangsters, Greek drug dealers, psychotic bodyguards, flat earthers and spoilt, wealthy teenagers looking for dangerous kicks. Everything converges on a glamorous summer party at Hepworth’s spectacular villa; can McIntyre play the different factions off against each other and get Lauren to safety without things going horribly wrong?

Most people travel to Corfu to escape the real world for a couple of weeks and embrace the fantasy of olive trees, sandy beaches, and little fishing boats bobbing on sparkling blue water under a warm sun.

But not McIntyre. McIntyre’s a fixer, specialising in getting people out of places they don’t want to be with the minimum of fuss, publicity and violence. The job in Corfu should be easy – spring, Lauren, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, from the luxury compound of the tech billionaire, Julian Hepworth. Hepworth’s young, handsome and charismatic – he’s also a suspected paedophile, who, under the guise of training a girls’ tennis team, has set up an abusive cult.

But as McIntyre sets up his operation in the exclusive north eastern corner of the island, things quickly start to slip out of his control. First, Lauren’s father turns up, threatening to give the game away, and soon, McIntyre’s having to contend with Albanian gangsters, Greek drug dealers, psychotic bodyguards, flat earthers and spoilt, wealthy teenagers looking for dangerous kicks. To further complicate things, Lauren’s planning her own ‘jailbreak’. It looks like things are going to be a lot harder than McIntyre’s used to. Luckily, he has his team around him, a motley and colourful bunch, each with their own speciality.

The intertwined stories come together as the various characters all converge on a glamorous summer party at Hepworth’s spectacular villa. Can McIntyre play the different factions off against each other and get Lauren to safety without things going horribly wrong?

Whatever Gets You Through The Night is a crime novel with a thrillingly dark heart about the truths that lurk beneath the picture post card surface of a sunny Mediterranean idyll.

Praise for Whatever Gets You Through the Night:
‘Charlie Higson coming back to the world of adult thrillers is a major event. And what a comeback. Higson’s new thriller will certainly get you through the night, though you may not get a lot of sleep…’ Mark Billingham

‘A hugely enjoyable sun-soaked thriller: hard-edged but warm, tense but funny, vividly ultra-modern and yet deliciously old-fashioned’ Christopher Brookmyre