SIR Tony Robinson will talk about his latest book when he returns to Wirral next week.
The actor, author and presenter - who played Baldrick in hit BBC comedy Blackadder and hosted Time Team - will appear at Heswall Hall on Wednesday (May 27) to discuss his debut fiction novel, The House of Wolf, in an event organised by Lingham's Booksellers.
His appearance marks a return to an area he knows well.
The London-born star, 79, said: "My wife comes from Upton, and she's got quite an extended family, so we go up there quite a lot.
"So it's like a second home to me, really. I've got family, they're all over, but Upton is the centre of attraction."
The House of Wolf, shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ Debut Fiction Book of the Year, is set in Rome, Wessex, and Lindisfarne.
The story weaves together a tale of ambition, betrayal, freedom, and tyranny.
In Rome, Father Asser finds salvation in an unexpected form after being imprisoned on charges of heresy. Meanwhile, in Wessex, King Aethelwolf’s diminished authority is clear as his children quarrel while Norland invaders loom.
His daughter Swift and son Alfred, once promising but now missing, are also key characters.
Elsewhere, in Lindisfarne, Rhiannon, a slave who despises her Saxon captors, meets Guthrum, a Norlander with plans to destroy Wessex.
Together, they embark on a path of destruction.
Sir Tony described the novel as particularly relevant to Wirral audiences.
He said: "It's perfect for Wirral folk because it's all about the Vikings, whose presence is still so keenly felt both in the landscape and in the street names of the Wirral."
He said: "I was obviously inspired by Time Team. I spent 20 years looking for evidence of the Anglo-Saxons in the landscape and not finding very much at all.
"But it's always been very tantalizing and I've learned a lot about Anglo-Saxon history and Anglo-Saxon archaeology through being surrounded by so many brilliant academics.
"So on one hand I've been inspired by that. On the other hand I've been inspired by what you might call the Blackadder attitude towards history, because all those people absolutely adored history, were absolutely immersed in it, but were also prepared to twist it whatever way they wanted to provide good yarn.
"Those two influences have been dominant in my approach."
The Observer described the novel as “a cross between Game of Thrones and Terry Pratchett.”
Although best known for acting roles in Blackadder and Time Team, Sir Tony has also written extensively for children, including Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All, Maid Marian and Her Merry Men and Tony Robinson’s Weird World of Wonders!
He co-wrote his first children’s book with Richard Curtis in 1986.
Since then, he has published numerous titles, a travel book, an autobiography and a biography.
Despite 30 years of writing experience, Sir Tony admits he still battles with imposter syndrome.
He said: "Apparently every writer does, but I just felt people say, 'he’s not seriously a writer, he's just some bloke off the telly, he's jumping on the bandwagon of writing'.
"But in fact, I've been writing for a good 30 years. I've written loads of children's books. I've written my autobiography. I've written a lot of spin-off books from television series that I was in.
"I even wrote a history of Australia for Penguin many years ago. So I've done a lot of writing, but this is my first novel and writing a novel is a completely different kettle of fish.
"You literally are staring at the blank page and thinking, oh my God, I've got a few of these to fil".
He confirmed that The House of Wolf will be the first in a trilogy and is already working on the second volume.
Asked what the proudest moment of his career was, Sir Tony said: "That's really hard to know. I wrote a series called Maid Marian and Her Merry Men years ago, in which I starred as the Sheriff of Nottingham. And for me to have absolute control of a million-pound budget for a programme, and that was a time when a million pounds really was worth a million pounds, I'm enormously proud of that.
"Every time I see my old friends from Blackadder, I'm enormously proud of that. And quite honestly, the various award ceremonies that I've had to go to for the book have just been an absolute joy to know that I'm considered as a fellow writer along with a lot of people that I really respect and have a great affection for is great. So at the moment I'm having an absolute ball of the time."
In November last year, Sir Tony was among the celebrities talking about their careers and meeting fans at pop culture festival Comic Con in Liverpool.
Looking back on his career, he reflected: "It is quite extraordinary that so many people not only know me, but know the body of my work. Can you imagine anything more flattering than that?
"People who remember what you created 30, 40 years ago, as well as the stuff that you're doing now, it's just, you know, it's the big boon of my life.
"And also I think because most of the characters I've played have been incredibly charming, which is not a reflection of the real me because I'm just as much of a narcissist as every other actor. But nevertheless, people treat me really nicely in a really friendly way.
"So, you know, doing something like Comic Con or coming up to the Wirral and talking in Heswall Hall, that doesn't It doesn't hold any fear for me. I really enjoy it."
Tickets for next Wednesday's talk at Heswall Hall, which starts at 7pm can be purchased through Linghams Booksellers.
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