Alistair Darling

In the summer of late 2007, shares in Northern Rock went into free-fall and triggered a run on the bank. Queues snaked around the block as depositors clamoured for their savings. Nothing like it had been seen since the Great Depression, and it was only the first in a series of spectacular failures as the world economy teetered. In the eye of this perfect storm, Alistair Darling stood firm, quietly making breath-taking decisions to sanction £37bn bailouts for RBS and HBoS only minutes before their cash machines would have stopped working. In Back From The Brink, Alistair tells the gripping story of how the world’s financial institutions were saved, steadied and enabled to carry on. This is a prime historical document, written like a thriller. Unmissable.

Tickets: £13, £11(C)