THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Radio Times, Daily Herald and FT Book of the Year'I was born with a warped sense of humour and when I was carried home from being born it was Coronation Day and so I was called Victoria but you are not supposed to know who wrote this anyway it is about time I unleashed my pent-up emotions in a bit...

*Available for Pre-order now * A major and definitive portrait of Sir Michael Gambon, one of the greatest actors of the last fifty years.Jasper Rees, the acclaimed Sunday Times bestselling author of Let’s Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood, interviewed Gambon more than any other journalist alive. In this deeply personal, moving, and funny biography, Rees has been granted exclusive access to Gambon’s personal archive ...

Jasper Rees has always wanted to be Welsh. But despite Welsh grandparents (and a Welsh surname) he is an Englishman: by birth, upbringing and temperament. In this singular, hilarious love letter to a glorious country so often misunderstood, Rees sets out to achieve his goal of becoming a Welshman by learning to sing, play, work, worship, think - and above all, speak - like one. On the way he meets monks, tenors and politicians, and tries his hand at rugby and lambing - all the while weavin...

In the days before his fortieth birthday, London-based journalist Jasper Rees trades his pen for a French horn that has been gathering dust in the attic for more than twenty-two years, and, on a lark, plays it at the annual festival of the British Horn Society.Despite an embarrassingly poor performance, the experience inspires Rees to embark on a daunting, bizarre, and ultimately winning journey: to return to the festival in one year's time and play a Mozart concerto—solo—to a larg...

People may say that I couldn't sing. But no one can say that I didn't sing.'Despite lacking pitch, rhythm or tone, Florence Foster Jenkins became one of America's best-known sopranos, celebrated for her unique recordings and her sell-out concert at Carnegie Hall.Born in 1868 to wealthy Pennsylvanian parents, Florence was a talented young pianist but her life was thrown into turmoil when she eloped with Frank Jenkins, a man twice her age. The marriage proved a disaster and, ...

'There was none like her before and there's been none like her since' Dawn FrenchIn the five years since Victoria Wood's death, one great sadness has been the realisation that we will never again be surprised by new material from her.But as part of the research for Let's Do It, the critically acclaimed Sunday Times bestseller*,* her official biographer Jasper Rees uncovered a treasure chest of unseen work. From her first p...

Granted access to Wengers friends and family, players and rival managers, Jasper Rees has written the untold story behind this private man. He follows Wenger from childhood in Alsace, through his stints as a journeyman player, to his coaching days at Nancy, Monaco, Grampus Eight and Arsenal.

In late 1911, the final year of the Edwardian age, a British naval captain and a Norwegian conqueror of the North-West Passage embarked on the most gruelling race ever run. Their aim was not only to lead the first expedition to the South Pole, but also to live to tell the tale. Six months later, Robert Falcon Scott and four of his party were dead, while Roald Amundsens victory had been wired around the world. A century on, the debate still rages. Was Scott unfortunate or incompetent? Was A...

Trapeze audiobooks presents an extraordinary multi-voice tribute to one of Britain's most talented and most loved entertainers: Victoria Wood.This audiobook features narration from some of the extraordinary voices who worked with Victoria over her career:Susie BlakeRichenda CareyCelia ImrieDuncan PrestonAnne ReidDa...

**Brought to you by Penguin.A major and definitive portrait of Sir Michael Gambon, one of the greatest actors of the last fifty years who died in 2023**Jasper Rees, the acclaimed Sunday Times bestselling author of Let’s Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood, interviewed Gambon more than any other journalist alive, and has been granted exclusive access to Gambon’s personal archive and effects. Rees is in the process of conducting over on...

People may say that I couldn't sing. But no one can say that I didn't sing.'Despite lacking pitch, rhythm or tone, Florence Foster Jenkins became one of America's best-known sopranos, celebrated for her unique recordings and her sell-out concert at Carnegie Hall.Born in 1868 to wealthy Pennsylvanian parents, Florence was a talented young pianist but her life was thrown into turmoil when she eloped with Frank Jenkins, a man twice her age. The marriage proved a disaster and, ...

'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words and language' Pam AyresLexicographer and all-round word expert, queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner for over twenty years; regular columnist for the *Independent,*Radio Times and The Week, Susie Dent is a national treasure. Her warm witty tweets reintroducing us to the words that we all need more in our lives from scurryfunge (frantically tidying u...