Clive Pearson takes us on an engaging whirlwind tour of the fifty-three men and three women who have so far held the office of Prime Minister. We discover how they got to the top of the greasy pole and assess their performance once in power. Perhaps more importantly, we find out what lasting influence they have had on our lives today.

The author also offers up entertaining little-known facts about these key players. Eighteenth-century prime ministers were generally a poor lot, often beset by health problems such as gout and apoplectic fits; later, one nineteenth-century premier spent his evenings prowling the streets at night looking for prostitutes to ‘reform’.

This book casts a light on this colourful cast of characters, and offers an entertaining and accessible introduction to those who over the last three centuries have held the highest office in the land.