Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen

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I read a fair few history books and often find them to either be so dry they are difficult to access or written as if they are aimed at kids but this one is the perfect middle ground- it's still intelligent and fascinating but it's written with a sense of humour that make it far easier to read. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. He covers the stories of many well known and some not so well known names, his thoughts on fandom, the differences between celebrity, fame and re-known and weaves it all together in a joyous romp of humour along with the more serious side of celebrity. Everybody knows that king Henry VIII is horribly famous for having a bit of a weight problem, marrying six unlucky wives and getting very carried away with his chopping block.

As well as contributing sketches and co-writing Stephen Fry's links for HORRIBLE HI, over the past four years he has been solely responsible for the factual accuracy of nearly one thousand comedy sketches .Trading Address (Warehouse) Unit E, Vulcan Business Complex, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EB. Whether it was the scandalous Lord Byron, whose poetry sent female fans into an erotic frenzy; or the cheetah-owning, coffin-sleeping, one-legged French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who launched a violent feud with her former best friend; or Edmund Kean, the dazzling Shakespearean actor whose monstrous ego and terrible alcoholism saw him nearly murdered by his own audience - the list of stars whose careers burned bright before the Age of Television is extensive and thrillingly varied. With characteristic wit and curiosity, Jenner reveals the glamour and graft of celebrity lives in this rich, entertaining and original history.

On TV, he co-hosted BBC2's INSIDE VERSAILLES discussion programme for two series, and was one of the expert panellists on BBC2’s THE GREAT HISTORY QUIZ (broadcast on Christmas Eve 2015), joining team captains Lucy Worsley and Dan Snow.The book parodies the cult of celebrity brought on by simply being on television and says in the credits that "without [the Big Brother contestants] this novel would not have been written". I have followed Greg Jenner’s career since discovering him when watching Horrible Histories with my daughter (and rewatching it since).