General Haig, Noël Coward, Butch Cassidy, Margaret Thatcher’s bloomers and a racehorse strongly resembling Shergar feature in So Last Century, the new collection of astute and witty stories from award-winning journalist and author Charles Nevin.

So Last Century begins with Edward VII on a tricky country house visit and ends with one of the first national lottery winners struggling with fame, fortune and romance. On the way you’ll meet music hall entertainers in the First World War and two remarkable double agents in the Second, get raided in a 1920s London night club, take part in some lively coronation celebrations, and discover what really might have happened when the World Cup was stolen in 1966. Be warned: after this, you will never view the twentieth century in quite the same way again…