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50 Things About Us: What We Really Need to Know About Britain
In 50 Things About Us, Mark Thomas combines his trademark mix of storytelling, stand-up, mischief and really, really well-researched material to examine how we have come to inhabit this divided wasteland that some of us call the United Kingdom. Based on his latest show, 50 Things About Us, Mark picks through the myths, historical facts and current figures of our national identities to ask: who do we think we are?
Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2020
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About the author
Mark Thomas
19 books51 followersMark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English comedian, presenter, political activist and reporter from south London. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the late 1980s. He is best known for political stunts on his show, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product on Channel 4. Thomas describes himself as a "libertarian anarchist."
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 25, 2021
A really enjoyable read.
Witty, thought provoking & educational too. An honest look at Britain today.
I’m a big fan of Mark Thomas’ live shows and it felt like I could hear him delivering it.
Witty, thought provoking & educational too. An honest look at Britain today.
I’m a big fan of Mark Thomas’ live shows and it felt like I could hear him delivering it.
June 19, 2021
It's no real surprise to anyone that I love Mark Thomas and his books. I have loved Mark Thomas ever since I was a young Farley and saw his 'Product' show and always thought to myself,
"How could I create this much trouble and be this much of a cunt and get away with it too?"
His previous books have been a manifesto to do exactly that, but 50 THINGS ABOUT US is a quick encapsulate of how we... as a nation... and a peoples... have been absolute BASTARDS.
For all you kids watching, history class was never this illuminating and funny. Because, just like all other countries around the world that like to spin it differently, hiding behind a fat, blonde wife cheat of your own, we also like to sugar coat piles of shit to make us look good too!
"How could I create this much trouble and be this much of a cunt and get away with it too?"
His previous books have been a manifesto to do exactly that, but 50 THINGS ABOUT US is a quick encapsulate of how we... as a nation... and a peoples... have been absolute BASTARDS.
For all you kids watching, history class was never this illuminating and funny. Because, just like all other countries around the world that like to spin it differently, hiding behind a fat, blonde wife cheat of your own, we also like to sugar coat piles of shit to make us look good too!
July 27, 2023
Intentionally or not, the back cover of this looks like an Economist title and the £12.99 price made me think this would have a bit more substance to it. The premise was that Britain has a history of doing bad things as well as the good, and Thomas went through many of them to provide an alternative view of the history we are taught.
I did learn quite a few 'things' and I was unaware of the Charter of the Forest and the particular details of the Chagos Islands, and it was well-researched. But it was also fairly short, didn't really go into much detail and had a lot of title graphics to take up the whitespace of the book.
Unsurprisingly there were a lot of jokes and they were hit and miss to me, I would have expected the average reader to be fairly familiar with political figures but it still had a lot of Johnson and Farage-bashing - which is fine, but there weren't any original gags about them here. The bits about the British Museum were better to me and there were still lines that landed, but others were a bit hackneyed.
However the main disappointment for me was that most of the sections were fairly brief and could have covered more, and instead I felt like it was a bit below my reading age. I really liked his Israel walking book so it's not that I don't like his style in general, but this didn't match my expectations - a bit like when he described Tiffany Stevenson as a great example of a political comedian and I watched a stand-up set where she built up to a climax of doing raps in different European accents.
I did learn quite a few 'things' and I was unaware of the Charter of the Forest and the particular details of the Chagos Islands, and it was well-researched. But it was also fairly short, didn't really go into much detail and had a lot of title graphics to take up the whitespace of the book.
Unsurprisingly there were a lot of jokes and they were hit and miss to me, I would have expected the average reader to be fairly familiar with political figures but it still had a lot of Johnson and Farage-bashing - which is fine, but there weren't any original gags about them here. The bits about the British Museum were better to me and there were still lines that landed, but others were a bit hackneyed.
However the main disappointment for me was that most of the sections were fairly brief and could have covered more, and instead I felt like it was a bit below my reading age. I really liked his Israel walking book so it's not that I don't like his style in general, but this didn't match my expectations - a bit like when he described Tiffany Stevenson as a great example of a political comedian and I watched a stand-up set where she built up to a climax of doing raps in different European accents.
November 10, 2021
It's a shame that this book isn't compulsory reading in the UK, because for such a short book it explains an extraordinary amount about why we are like we are.
For the vast majority of readers, the subject matter will at times be upsetting or anger inducing, and at other times uplifting, yet somehow consistently funny.
My advice is to leave it in the toilet, and read though it over time. If you like it as much as I did, then buy another copy and leave it in the toilet of a gammony friend or family member. It will cheer everyone up and may bring harmony to the entire Atlantic Archipelago (q.v.).
For the vast majority of readers, the subject matter will at times be upsetting or anger inducing, and at other times uplifting, yet somehow consistently funny.
My advice is to leave it in the toilet, and read though it over time. If you like it as much as I did, then buy another copy and leave it in the toilet of a gammony friend or family member. It will cheer everyone up and may bring harmony to the entire Atlantic Archipelago (q.v.).
September 2, 2024
My only real complaint is the large amount of white space, otherwise this exactly the kind of well-researched, anarchic history of the UK that I was expecting. The Charter of the Forest was definitely a new one on me, and typically the excreble Tory governance of the time did what they do best and ruined it for everyone... There should be more people like Mark in the world. I am very glad he exists. I also agree heartily with the idea that we should have a written constitution, and every day that goes by that we don't is a day wasted. Here's hoping the new Labour government actually does something useful...
March 22, 2021
Written with the pace, energy and style of his live performances, Mark Thomas relays a stark and informative look at Britain in the past and Britain today. His book is incisive, informative, amusing, wry, thoroughly engaging and often quite bawdy.
January 25, 2022
Fascinating reading, presented in an entertaining way. Often funny, sometimes sad - always enlightening. However if you don't like reading you could always wait for it to be released as a puppet show.....
April 12, 2022
Fast read. For whenever you feel that Little Engladers are everywhere and you need to feel there are things to be proud of the past and there are people mature enough to see the crimes of the past for what they are - horrific crimes.
December 8, 2022
Pacey, humorous, intelligent, disturbing and revealing the under lying inequity in our country that's been here for years and probably always will.
But it did make me laugh a number of times so I'll live under the jackboot of societal oppression but laughing while I'm there :-)
But it did make me laugh a number of times so I'll live under the jackboot of societal oppression but laughing while I'm there :-)
December 26, 2020
One of the funniest books I’ve read in a long long time
December 26, 2020
Perfect grumpy reading for Boxing day.
January 16, 2021
Funny, easy to read and thought provoking too. Loved it.
March 23, 2021
Good fun, as Mark Thomas always is. Quick, easy, entertaining and educational read.
October 1, 2021
Read it in one sitting, funny, educational, enraging (in a good activist kind of way).
February 15, 2022
As always a great an interesting read from Mark, covering plenty about the uk that everyone needs to learn
December 16, 2023
Absolutely stunning book, laughed so much and also learned so much, I hope to use the facts in many future arguments! Also ordered several copies for Christmas presents.
June 22, 2024
Wonderful book, full of stuff that you don't know but really should do.... ought to be on the National curriculum....
Re read this and still great
Re read this and still great
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews