Fake History: I interview Otto English

Or did I? (I did)

Did I mention I have a new job? It’s one of these things that blew in on the wind… back in December I received an email from one of the many lists I’m on that relate to politics, equality, social justice, and all things snowflake. An open call for a co-host for a new podcast put out by an organisation called Republic.

If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll remember I created a podcast called Election Schmelection in 2019, which introduced new and young voters to the general election. I produced this independently, writing scripts for 30 minutes each morning, recording, and publishing them within the hour, to fit into my timetable of moving home, screenwriting for BBC Films, and editing a novel.

Then, I received Arts Council England funding in 2024 to write, produce, and host, on this Substack, the podcast Writing Coercive Control, exploring and expanding the definition of coercive control to demonstrate why it’s ubiquitous within society and prevalent in domestic spaces.

Just before Christmas, I thought I might have a chance to apply. I wrote to Graham, the CEO at Republic, attaching some clips and telling him about my previous podcasting efforts and my daily dose of US political podcasts.

I never believed I would get the gig. I dashed out my application. But in the new year, Graham wrote to say I’d made the first cut and asked for a short video. Recently, a thought that’s been helping me is something along the lines of: we can only do what we can, we can only be who we are, we can only do what we can do within the time we have; we have no “additional time”.

With this in mind, I sat down, as myself, in a jazzy purple cardigan I thought my kids would like, and told the camera why I wanted to co-host the Republic podcast. I spoke about UK politics and wanting to dive into them — as Graham had promised it wouldn’t all be about the monarchy, which, I confessed, as someone who doesn’t see the point of a constitutional monarchy, I’m not much interested in.

After a final interview at the Republic office, I got the gig. I was so excited! And I have reason to be. It’s been so much fun, bantering and scheming with Graham, recording the shows in the studio with Jeet, reading the guest’s fantastic books and articles, and getting into it on the couch (where Pod Save The UK happens to record, too).

This is our episode with Otto English.

Here’s a bit about the podcast, from Republic:

“From Below the Balcony is aimed at a wide audience, whether you support Republic or not, whether you like the royals or not. Through inspiring, informative and entertaining content the podcast will show how issues of inequality, injustice and reform are connected.

The podcast will include a range of guests from the worlds of entertainment, media, journalism, politics and campaigning. Through their stories and views, as we chat about the issues that matter to them, we will connect the cause of a republic to the ambition to change the country for good.”

On this episode:

“The monarchy is fake history! What you think you know about kings and queens probably isn't true - or at least not the whole truth.

In this first episode of Republic's new podcast From Below the Balcony, Graham Smith and Abby Tarttelin talk to author and journalist Andrew Scott, aka Otto English, about the fake history of the royal family.

Heroes and heroins or gangsters and dictators. Find out what Henry V, Charles II, George IV and other monarchs were really like - and which one Andrew actually quite likes!

Subscribe to the From Below the Balcony Patreon here to support the podcast and gain access to exclusive content: www.patreon.com/c/RepublicCampaign

Andrew Scott, who writes under the pen name Otto English, is the author of the best-selling books  Fake History  and  Fake Heroes  as well as his latest work, Notorious, out on May 22nd. 

Scott has written for numerous publications including Politico, the New Statesman, Independent and The Byline Times where his column ‘Myth of the Month’ debunks some of the best-known fallacies of history. 

And, finally…

Republic's new podcast, From Below the Balcony, aims to inform, inspire and entertain. From Below the Balcony will not only look at the monarchy, it will also address wider issues of equality, democracy and how we can create a fairer society.

Hosts Graham Smith and Abby Tarttelin will be chatting to some great guests and having interesting conversations about the issues raised by the campaign.

You can catch up with the podcast on your favorite podcast platform, or watch the full episode and extra clips on Republic's YouTube channel.

The podcast has an initial run of ten episodes, with a new one coming out each fortnight.

P.S.

On April 7th we catch up with author and journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown!

Subscribe to Republic's email list or YouTube channel to get all the latest episodes of From Below the Balcony straight to your inbox.

P.P.S.

Imbibing, currently:

When Sleeping Women Wake, and I can’t wait to get back to it,

The Residence on Netflix, to zonk me out,

A Beautiful Mess podcast’s ‘How to start over’ episode, gratefully,

and raspberry leaf tea for the iron content.

Take a look at my recharged Substack:

My novels are now easy to buy from independent bookstores,

it has new sections on Baby Loss

and Journaling,

plus, new pages with info on my novels

and on my development editing and mentoring practice.