Tony Robinson has set out to investigate the underbelly of British history through 2,000 years of wretched employment—whether its swilling out the crotch of a knights soiled armor or collecting human waste to turn into gunpowder. Covering the Roman invasion to the reign of Queen Victoria, Robinson uncovers an unseen army undertaking arduous, hazardous, deeply unpleasant Tony Robinson has set out to investigate the underbelly of British history through 2,000 years of wretched employment—whether its swilling out the crotch of a knights soiled armor or collecting human waste to turn into gunpowder. Covering the Roman invasion to the reign of Queen Victoria, Robinson uncovers an unseen army undertaking arduous, hazardous, deeply unpleasant work. The very names Toad Eater, Vomit Collector, Spit Boy, and Seeker of the Dead underline a fairly disgusting history. As he delves into the grime of how life was for the ordinary person, he brings Gong Scourers (Tudor cesspit cleaners), Pure Collectors (Victorian pooper-scoopers), and Resurrection Men (Georgian body snatchers) blinking into the limelight to provide a vivid alternative history of Britain.