Who would you invite for dinner if you could choose anyone who has ever lived? A teenager, with his father acting as cook, entertains some of the most famous people in history at their suburban semi in modern-day Britain. But he finds he soon has more on his plate than spaghetti Bolognese. Will he be able to satisfy HENRY VIII's huge appetite; beat the fiery NAPOLEON in a game of Risk; prevent Dad from playing the fool in front of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE; resist the charms of a conniving CLEOPATRA; help the lost CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS get back on track; embrace WINSTON CHURCHILL's battle plans; convince the pious OLIVER CROMWELL that they are not celebrating Christmas; assist the conscientious FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE in saving Dad's life; paint a pretty picture of the hideous-looking ELIZABETH I? When Henry VIII came to Dinner interweaves historical facts with modern imagination, revealing new but true pictures of major historical figures.