A light-hearted, whistlestop tour of today's Britain, done entirely through statistics and survey results

'88.2% of statistics are made up on the spot' - Vic Reeves. These aren't-;;- The British consume at least double the per capita quantity of baked beans eaten by any other nationality;;- 20% of men claim that they can do DIY jobs better than any professional;;- By early 2005 there were more mobile phones in the UK than people - at least 60 million;;- The divorce rate in 2007 was the lowest in 30 years;;- A 2008 survey found that while on the toilet-;39% of people read;21% of people text;21% of people talk (on the phone or to a family member).;;In 8 out of 10 Brits, Charlie Croker paints a quirkily numerical portrait of Britain. Full of surprising facts about who we are, fascinating information about what we do, and revealing figures about how we've changed, this is the essential companion to British life.