The story is not straightforward, which is a major plus. The players pop in and out of the story as they and things develop. It's actually a coherent subject, which I did not expect. There actually was an "era" of satire in Britain, and though satire itself is a cloudy, amorphous concept, Carpenter has woven together all the ingredients of a comprehensive, if not exhaustive history of the concept. That makes this an unusual book, and kept my interest over its 338 pages.

As expected, I learned a great deal about the lives and personalities of the players in Beyond the Fringe, Private Eye and TW3, the three most famous vehicles for satire in the 60s. But of more value was how hey interconnected, for good as well as bad. And of course, how Carpenter sewed them all together in a quilt they did not know they were part of. A most worthwhile endeavour and achievement by Humphrey Carpenter, whose bio of Spike Milligan I've reviewed as well. ( )