TONY ROPER

The History of Modern Britain – Andrew Marr I have now reached the age of 79 and in those years my tastes in literature have gone from novels featuring the likes of Huck Finn and James Bond, to Grecian heroes fighting the Minotaur courtesy of Mary Renault, the Roman Emperors, Robert Harris and a whole host of biographies on film stars, stage actors and gangsters. You get the picture.

I decided when lockdown was announced to try something different from biographies of people to a biography of a country. History in other words. I settled on Andrew Marr’s Modern History of Britain. He always came across well on the gogglebox so why not.

I am very glad I chose it because Andrew became my personal guide to a very large chunk of my growing-up in this period. I grew up with rationing and a philosophy of make-do-and-mend as against today’s throw-away-andbuy-again philosophy. Applied to food, clothing and transport this has brought us monumental wastage, which in turn has strangled our planet in under a century.

He guided me expertly through the beginnings of the Labour Party and the struggles to achieve the national health system, the dismay of Churchill being chucked out of office, and varying stages of royalty clinging onto ... well royalty I suppose. Harold, Ted and Jim, Tony, David and Theresa’s machinations in depth, while all the time delving into their reasoning with an accuracy gleaned from first-hand experience and absolutely no political bias.

My object in this short review is not to map it all out as it happened, but to tell you it was worth the time I spent with it. Marr writes with honesty, a sure hand and a ready wit, and what more could you ask for? I thoroughly recommend it, whether or not you are still suffering lockdown blues.

Tony Roper is an actor, comedian, playwright and writer who appeared in Scotch & Wry and wrote The Steamie.