Biteback Publishing has acquired Wobblechops: How Entertainment Broke the News, a sharp insider account of the transformation of political media by commentator and broadcaster James Matthewson.
News, politics and current affairs are no longer confined to newspapers or the evening bulletin. They follow us everywhere – on our phones, laptops and social media feeds. In place of the measured voices of traditional political punditry, there is a relentless stream of hot takes, outrage and opinion, all engineered to win clicks, shares and views.
Wobblechops explores the rise of opinion-led media in this rapidly changing world, drawing on Matthewson’s career at the centre of modern broadcasting – from his heated debates with government ministers and extraordinary newsroom rivalries to how he became the target of a terrorist group. With his trademark wit and candour, Matthewson shows how an industry built to inform has become increasingly driven by the demands of profit-driven ‘infotainment’.
As the media becomes faster, louder and harder to recognise, Wobblechops asks the troubling questions: what are we sacrificing at the altar of entertainment and what happens when the spectacle becomes more important than the truth?
World rights were acquired directly from the author by Biteback commissioning editor Melanie Scagliarini.
Scagliarini said: ‘I am thrilled to bring James’s remarkable insider perspective to readers. At a time when news is increasingly cut into bite-sized, attention-grabbing pieces, we urgently need to examine what that means for the way we understand the world. Funny, unsettling and consistently illuminating, Wobblechops is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how the media has changed and how it shapes our daily lives.’
Matthewson said: ‘In one year alone, I took part in more than 300 televised debates – most of them explosive arguments about political or culture-war issues. Those experiences immersed me in a world that has rapidly grown into an empire of opinion, as our news media has mutated into a factory for outrage and entertainment.
‘In this book, I reflect on my past five years as a broadcaster and political pundit and ask myself: what role have I played in entertainment’s gradual destruction of the news? Writing it has been equal parts maddening and cathartic; I hope reading it is less so.’
James Matthewson is a broadcaster, writer and political adviser, who worked as a Labour Party spokesperson during his time in Parliament. Known for his regular appearances on the BBC, Sky News, ITV, as well as for his fiery clashes with presenters and guests at GB News and Talk, James has become a prominent voice raising concerns about the ever-growing world of political entertainment. James now lives in Edinburgh, retaining his accent from the years spent growing up in his native Northumberland.
Wobblechops: How Entertainment Broke the News will be published on 20 May 2027, supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign.
Price: £20 hardback
ISBN: 9781837361045
For more information, please contact Kate Cunnington at kate.cunnington@bitebackpublishing.com