Andrew Marr 'invites heckling' and 'controversy' in his new history of the world

Exclusive Andrew Marr video interview

Broadcaster and writer Andrew Marr has just published A History of the World (Getty Images)

Tomorrow sees the publication of a long-anticipated book. But as well as The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling, another less eagerly awaited, but equally ambitious, tome will hit book shops: Andrew Marr's A History of the World.

In an exclusive video interview (above), Marr gives a taste of what it is all about.

"This is intended as a genuine world history," he says. "Covering the crucial events and arguments from around 70,000 years ago when the great, successful migration out of Africa occurred and mankind started to spread around the rest of the planet."

In accompaniment to the book Marr, a broadcaster, journalist and the former editor of this newspaper, will present eight one-hour documentaries for the BBC as well as a schedule of live lectures and talks.

Marr has formerly published A History of Modern Britain, another about our Monarch, The Diamond Queen, and a semi-autobiographical book about the newspaper business, called My Trade: A Short History of British Journalism.

Marr, 53, says he is "inviting heckling" of his newest work in a bid to provoke further exploration of world history as it is commonly understood and "hopes for controversy".

However, the married father of three has had no shortage of controversy of another kind of late. Formerly the holder of a super-injunction to prevent revelations about an affair, he was photographed in what he called "a farewell clinch" with a female producer during a party to celebrate the completion of his latest documentary series in early September.

The pictures, published in a tabloid Sunday newspaper, showed Marr in a Soho back alley with his hand casually down the back of a colleague's jeans.

He has since apologised publicly, telling the Daily Mail: "The pictures looked awful. All my own fault. I’ve since been going about apologising, not least to my wife, for embarrassing all and sundry." Adding: "The symptoms of remorse, it turns out, are much like flu."

Let's hope he recovers in time for the book tour.