by Tony Robinson

Tony Robinson has set out to investigate the underbelly of British history through 2,000 years of wretched employment—whether it's swilling out the crotch of a knight's soiled armor or collecting human waste to turn into gunpowder. Covering the Roman invasion to the reign of Queen Victoria, Robinson uncovers an unseen army undertaking arduous, hazardous, deeply unpleasant work. The very names 'Toad Eater,' 'Vomit Collector,' 'Spit Boy,' and 'Seeker of the Dead' underline a fairly disgusting history. As he delves into the grime of how life was for the ordinary person, he brings 'Gong Scourers' (Tudor cesspit cleaners), 'Pure Collectors' (Victorian pooper-scoopers), and 'Resurrection Men' (Georgian body snatchers) blinking into the limelight to provide a vivid alternative history of Britain.