A History of Britain in Just a Minute

by Gyles Brandreth

The story of us - without hesitation, repetition or deviation.

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 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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Humor

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2022

About the author

Full name: Gyles Daubeney Brandreth.
A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth’s career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London’s West End. A prolific broadcaster (in programmes ranging from Just a Minute to Have I Got News for You), an acclaimed interviewer (principally for the Sunday Telegraph), a novelist, children’s author and biographer, his best-selling diary, Breaking the Code, was described as ‘By far the best political diary of recent years, far more perceptive and revealing than Alan Clark’s’ (The Times) and ‘Searingly honest, wildly indiscreet, and incredibly funny’ (Daily Mail). He is the author of two acclaimed royal biographies: Philip Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage and Charles Camilla: Portrait of a Love Affair. In 2007/2008, John Murray in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US began publishing The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries, his series of Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as the detective.

As a performer, Gyles Brandreth has been seen most recently in ZIPP! ONE HUNDRED MUSICALS FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF ONE at the Duchess Theatre and on tour throughout the UK, and as Malvolio and the Sea Captain in TWELFTH NIGHT THE MUSICAL at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Gyles Brandreth is one of Britain’s busiest after-dinner speakers and award ceremony hosts. He has won awards himself, and been nominated for awards, as a public speaker, novelist, children’s writer, broadcaster (Sony), political diarist (Channel Four), journalist (British Press Awards), theatre producer (Olivier), and businessman (British Tourist Authority Come to Britain Trophy).

He is married to writer and publisher Michèle Brown, with whom he co-curated the exhibition of twentieth century children’s authors at the National Portrait Gallery and founded the award-winning Teddy Bear Museum now based at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon. He is a trustee of the British Forces Foundation, and a former chairman and now vice-president of the National Playing Fields Association.

Gyles Brandreth’s forebears include George R. Sims (the highest-paid journalist of his day, who wrote the ballad Christmas Day in the Workhouse) and Jeremiah Brandreth (the last man in England to be beheaded for treason). His great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Brandreth, promoted ‘Brandreth’s Pills’ (a medicine that cured everything!) and was a pioneer of modern advertising and a New York state senator. Today, Gyles Brandreth has family living in New York, Maryland, South Carolina and California. He has been London correspondent for “Up to the Minute” on CBS News and his books published in the United States include the New York Times best-seller, The Joy of Lex and, most recently, Philip Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny and insightful book

[Matt Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An irreverent, but interesting history of Great Britain written in ‘chapters’ that take one minute to read, (or a little longer, if, like me, you reread bits you like).
Brandreth is very funny, has obviously done some research, and has produced a gem. Perfect loo library material, if you are into that kind of thing.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

siin on nüüd küll juhtunud nii, et raamatu sisu on formaadile mõnevõrra ohvriks toodud. tegelikult ma polnud lugedes isegi kindel, kas autorite kollektiivi eesmärgiks üldse oli päriselt Briti ajaloost rääkida, aga vaatasin praegu üle ja sissejuhatus ikkagi väidab, et oli; veel enam, et see köide peaks sulle üldse ära rääkima kõik, mis sul Suurbritanniast ja briti elust on vaja teada.

üks asi, mille kohta mina igatahes enne ei teadnud, oli see "Just a Minute" formaat/mäng/raadiosaade, mis on eetris olnud alates aastast 1967 ja kus osalejad peavad minuti jooksul rääkima etteantud teemast ilma kõhkluste, korduste ega kõrvalekaldumisteta (ok, selle üle, kui kenasti alliteratiivseks suutsin praegu "without hesitation, repetition or deviation" tõlkida, olen ise täitsa uhke). korduste osas ollakse paraku väga ranged ja erand tehakse ainult "väikestele" sõnadele nagu artiklid, ees- ja asesõnad. aga asjaolu, et isegi numbreid pole lubatud minuti jooksul korrata, teeb need tekstid kohati üsna... kehvasti jälgitavaks. (teine hea näide on, et nad ei tohi öelda "BBC", sest seal on kaks korda B. seega öeldakse kas "British Broadcasting Corporation" või "Beebs", esimene on parem, sest võtab rohkem aega ja eesmärk on ju minut täis rääkida.)

nojah, ja see tähendab, et inimene, kes briti ajaloo või kultuuri kohta kõiki asju enne ei tea, võib neid lühikesi tekste (siia on valitud minu arust üsna meelevaldne hulk teemasid/märksõnu alates normannidest ja Stonehenge'ist ja lõpetades ketodieedi ja Covidiga) lugedes üsna suurde segadusse sattuda, sest need on üsna riukalikult sõnastatud ja vahel aetakse ajaviiteks puhast jama ka (sest hämmastaval kombel sellist reeglit pole, et valetada ei tohiks).

ühtteist uut ikka sain siit teada ka, aga üldises plaanis on see raamat ikkagi üks hiiglaslik siseringi nali.

[Colin Murtagh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just A Minute (JAM) is one of my favourite radio shows. Running now for over 50 years, the rules are simple, but it's incredibly hard to play. All you have to do it talk for one minute, on a topic given, without hesitation, repetition or deviation. It sounds simple, but it's very rare for it be actually done. One of the masters of the game, is Gyles Brandreth, hence this book. Unfortunately, the book is just proof you can't really move the show into the written word.
The author tries to go through the history of the country from prehistoric through to today, while still following the rules of JAM. It is therefore virtually all done in his voice. There are a handful of other contributors, which does break it up a bit. It feels more like a monotone than a conversation. The format works on the radio, partially due to the interaction between the contestants, even going back to the days of Derek Nimmo and Kenneth Williams. Without that the book feels flat.
In common with most things that are supposed to be British, it's really English. Looking at the index, there's a handful of entries for Scotland and Wales, and we won't talk about Ireland, cause the author doesn't.
I'm not sure JAM can be moved to book format, this really just reinforces that.

[Lordoftaipo · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Just A Minute’, let me play by its rules to write this review—without hesitation, deviation, or repetition. Imagining myself caught up with the trio of taboos, I can hardly improvise and still tell arresting stories. But Gyles avoided the unholy trinity by clever paraphrasing. Consider calling the national broadcaster ‘two-B-C’ to understand just how difficult it is. It requires skills that would take ages to hone and, oh, an enthusiastic speaker, none other than the former president of the Oxford Union. On the set, the loquacious panellist acts as a perfect straight man to the deadpan legend Paul Merton. You would think the book is bogged down in historical details dating from Time Immemorial. The host of my favourite podcast instead wrote amusing accounts that will earn you some giggles through retelling at dinnertime. And in case I haven’t already warned you, within the 220 pages are a cornucopia of puns, such as describing the silver-haired Daniel Craig had ‘No Time to Dye’. Use with caution.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a teenager, I read '1066 and all That' which is a humourous book on British history and thoroughly enjoyed it. This book by Gyles Brandreth does much the same thing, being an irreverent and sweeping account of important events in the history of the UK. Brandreth bases his book on a BBC comic panel show in which contestants are given a topic on which they must extemporize on a topic without deviation for precisely one minute. I found it very amusing and even laughed out loud at times. I bought it on a whim while browsing in my favourite bookstore and was glad I did. I will be lending it ought to other ex-pat Brits where I live.

[David Campton · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot of carping in some other reviews I read that made it seem that the readers had never come across "Just a Minute" or the author. I got just what I expected. It did go off the rails somewhat towards the end with it being more about contemporary culture than history, and he did fall back on some vintage jokes, but he did manage to smuggle in (to use the format of another R4 comedy panel show "The Unbelievable Truth") some facts I didn't actually know.

[michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

i did not have any high expectations for this book whatsoever and yet i’m still disappointed. listen, i love me a silly funny book, especially about history! but this book made me roll my eyes at almost every page.
it was a little informative, obviously does not go in detail as its only one subject per page, but some pages just felt very lazily written.

[StrictlySue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book filled with snippets of history that you always wanted to know! All to read in a minute, complete with Gyles Brandreth’s style of humour. Just fab!

[Ed Wijninga · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unbelievably funny and witty way of describing Britains history in short, concise and witful episodes. Highly recommended!

[bojana · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love listening to "just a minute" and giles is one of my favourites, so this was definitely a book made for me!

[Paul Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a great bedside table book that you can dip in and out of at any time. Lots of interesting facts, written in Gyles's inimitable style - you can almost hear him!