A scholar of History at Oxford University, comedian and star of sitcom Peep Show, David Mitchell turns his hand to writing about his undergraduate passion, casting his humorous and scathing eye over the long and barmy history of British Kings and Queens.

It is a typically witty approach to the monarchy that you expect from Mitchell as he meanders through the reigns of the early Anglo-Saxons, dispels myths about King Arthur, and leads us right up to the Tudors, where the book comes to a close. Mitchell’s passion for history is clear in the surprisingly forensic detail that he goes into when pulling apart the various flaws and militarial flops of previous throne-holders, yet there is also space too for laugh-out-loud punchlines and a gentle dig at historians who place too much value in trying to explain money from the past in present terms – it was just worth ‘a lot’ quips Mitchell.

While some of the gags are a little too obvious (poor old King Cnut), Mitchell’s style works wonders in bringing to life periods of history that, when read about, can be absolutely bafflings, and with his comedic outlook, it does rather bemusingly become a lot clearer separating yourÆthelreds from your Æthelflæds when he explains it, rather than a dusty textbook. Perhaps this was all medieval history needed, a comedian’s sardonic takes, to bring the ‘Dark’ Ages to life, and it is unquestionably a lot of fun hearing his views on the military disasters, wife-swapping mad men (and a few women) that, often briefly, held absolute power.

For those interested in history but not wanting a dense, thousand-page tome, this is absolutely the book about British monarchy history for you. It is remarkable just how much Mitchell packs into this book while succeeding not just in teaching you a thing or two about our various, extensive, and messy monarchy lines of succession, but all the while doing it with a clear eye on the next gag too.