The Channel

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What to expect

'A wonderfully quirky history' SUNDAY TIMES
'The perfect read while you wait for your summer holiday to begin' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Quippy anecdotes are woven with historical reference and geographical context to give full colour' IRISH TIMES

A bulwark against invasion, a conduit for exchange and a challenge to be conquered, the English Channel - 21 miles wide at its narrowest point - represents much more than a conductor of goods and people. Criss-crossing the Channel, Charlie Connelly collects its stories and brings them vividly to life, from tailing Oscar Wilde's shadow through the dark streets of Dieppe to unearthing Britain's first beauty pageant at the end of Folkestone pier. We learn that Louis Bleriot was actually a terrible pilot, the tragic fate of the first successful Channel swimmer, and that if a man with a buttered head and pigs' bladders attached to his trousers hadn't fought off an attack by dogfish we might never have had a Channel Tunnel.

Charlie Connelly uncovers remarkable tales of swimmers and flyers, pirates and soldiers, heroes and villains, pioneers and refugees. Their stories are all united by the English Channel to ensure the sea that makes us an island will never be the same again.

Critics Review

  • Perfect entertainment for grim times

    Andrew Holgate

  • A wonderfully quirky history . . . funny, sweet-tempered and skips along like a skiff in a fresh breeze . . . A classic of its small, comic kind

    Sunday Times

  • Entertaining … Bright, breezy, and seasoned with a beguiling poignancy, The Channel is the perfect read while you wait for your summer holiday to begin

    MAIL ON SUNDAY

  • Broadcaster and swimmer Charlie Connelly immerses us in a lively history/travel memoir to tell the story of our island bulwark, from when it was rolling hills to the building of the tunnel. We visit coastal towns and chalk-ridge churches, meet a cast of fascinating characters and learn about the antics of swimmers, pilots and balloonists

    COUNTRY LIFE

  • From Dunkirk, to the English occupation of Calais, to Matthew Webb’s great scarlet swimming trunks, the English Channel is brimming with stories. The rich history of this body of water is captured by Charlie Connelly, amateur swimmer, broadcaster and all-round funny fella. Quippy anecdotes are woven with historical reference and geographical context to give full colour … Connelly’s enthusiasm brings each story to life’

    IRISH TIMES

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