Notorious: The Truth Behind History’s Villains

Otto English looks at how certain groups and individuals have been villainised through history, and why they continue to be demonised today.

About the event

History loves a villain. Across the entire span of human civilisation, certain people and groups have been blamed for the ills of the world and have remained hated as a result. In his continuing desire to separate out historic fact from fiction, Otto English looks at how these legacies were first constructed.

Why did Bloody Mary become the figurehead of uppity women? How did Judas’s betrayal become a template for centuries of religious tension? What do the Peasants’ Revolt and the Illuminati show us about power struggles throughout the ages?

Fascinating and fearless, Otto exposes the agendas behind many of the ‘truths’ we’ve been led to believe. And by looking at how xenophobia was weaponised during the ‘Spanish’ Flu, he reveals how the past can sometimes bleed into the present.

Additional information

This event is eligible for our 20% ticket bundle discount.

Book tickets to three or more different events across the festival and you can save 20%. Tickets must be purchased in the same transaction and the discount will automatically be applied within the basket.

Entry to this event is via London Gate.

About the speaker

Bestselling author of ‘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’, the ‘New Statesman’, the ‘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, BBC Radio 4 and LBC.