Sphere triumphs in five-way auction for Tony Robinson's debut novel

Sphere has triumphed in a five-way auction for actor, author and broadcaster Tony Robinson’s debut novel. Editorial director Rosanna Forte will publish The House of Wolf in September 2025 after former Sphere publishing director Ed Wood acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in the novel and its sequel from Antony Topping at Greene & Heaton.

The book is described as the "Succession" of Anglo-Saxon England and is the first in a series about the coming-to-power and factional rivalries of Alfred the Great.

Robinson is best known for playing Baldrick in Blackadder, as well as presenting 20 series of the archaeological series Time Team. He has written 30 children’s books, an autobiography, several factual books and four series of the award-winning Maid Marian and her Merry Men. He also has a podcast: Tony Robinson’s Cunningcast.

Robinson said: "I’ve had a long-standing fascination with this tumultuous period in British and European history. Alfred the Great is a legendary figure in the history books but his rise to power is less well known, though it is quite the story! I’ve written many books over the years, but writing my adult fiction debut has been a particularly enjoyable challenge. I hope readers will find the result both informative and very entertaining. Many thanks to Rosanna Forte and all at Sphere, and to Antony Topping, my literary agent, for supporting me and helping to bring my lifelong dream to life."

Forte said: "The House of Wolf is everything you would hope for in a historical epic written by Tony Robinson. The attention to detail is glittering, the characterisation superb, the balance of humour, tension and poignancy masterful. The result is both a thought-provoking exploration of a fascinating era in European history, and a gobble-it-all-up rollercoaster of scheming, subterfuge and much medieval bad behaviour. The whole of Little, Brown is hugely excited to bring it to readers in the autumn."