History loves a villain.

Fascinating and fearless, Otto English’s new book ‘Notorious’ re-examines some of history’s biggest villains. It will change the way you see the world forever.

In his fascinating follow-up to ‘Fake History’ and ‘Fake Heroes’, Otto looks at how certain people and groups have been villainised throughout history, and why we continue to demonise them. Explore this concept with Otto as he visits us at The Old Woollen in October. A Q & A session will follow an interview, with the evening rounded off nicely with the opportunity to get your book signed by Otto.

Across the entire span of human civilisation, certain people and groups have been identified as being responsible for the ills of the world, and have remained hated for it. In his continuing desire to separate out the facts from the fiction of history, Otto English looks at how these legacies were constructed and who told us that they were evil.

From how Bloody Mary became the figurehead of uppity women and how Judas’s betrayal became a template for religious tensions for centuries to what the Peasants Revolt and the Illuminati shows us about power struggles throughout the ages, English exposes the agendas behind the ‘truths’ we’ve been told to believe. And in looking at how xenophobia was weaponised during the ‘Spanish’ Flu, he reveals how our past sometimes bleeds into the present day.

Author of bestseller ‘Fake History’, Otto English is the pen name of journalist Andrew Scott. From 2010, Scott began writing and tweeting about politics and history, gaining attention for his itinerant blog, he moved into journalism and has since written for Politico, the Independent, New Statesman, Daily Mail and many other publications. He has always been fascinated by the writing of history and the creation of political narratives, and has spoken about them on BBC News and BBC Radio 4.

Doors open at 7pm