Illustrated by Vic Reeves creator Jim Moir

The Fast Show’s Charlie Higson has written his first non-fiction book, to be illustrated by Vic Reeves creator Jim Moir. 

His volume – Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee: An Epically Short History of Our Kings and Queens – will be published by Mudlark in hardback, e-book and audiobook on October 9.  

It has spawned from his podcast, also called Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, after the rhyme he learned at school to remember the order of the monarchs. 

Higson – who wrote the bestselling series of Young Bond novels – told trade website The Bookseller: ‘I’m neither a monarchist nor a republican, I just think that the story of our monarchy is an extraordinary one, with a cast of amazing characters. In many ways it’s the story of the world’s most dysfunctional family. 

‘I hope that, through learning a bit more about these people and the events in their lives, readers will also be able to make sense of British history... and do better in pub quizzes.’

He is not the only comedy figure to have written about Britain’s monarchs as David Mitchell had a hit with Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens in 2023.

Mudlark said: ‘Having always been interested in the larger-than-life story of the English monarchy, Charlie wanted to tell it in his own way. Far from being a nice, colourful pageant of men and women in funny hats waving to adoring crowds, it’s a story of regicide, fratricide, patricide, uxoricide and mariticide [killing of one’s wife and husband respectively.’

‘Charlie looks into the characters of the men and women who have ruled this country and shaped its history since 1066, from the bastardly to the benevolent, the bigamists to the beloved, the brilliant to the brutal and the boring.’

The book is available from Amazon, priced £22 in hardback, £14.99 on Kindle and £7.99 as an audio book  – or from uk.bookshop.org, below, which supports independent bookstores. Signed prints and original artwork from the book will also be available on JimMoir.com soon.

Published: 4 Apr 2025