A story of worlds colliding and a snapshot of modern Britain

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the government launched its ‘Everyone In’ programme, aiming to house the homeless through lockdown. The Prince Rupert, a 4* hotel in Shrewsbury with four poster beds and suits of armour, were asked to play their part and host 33 rough sleepers.

This is the story of how the hotel owners and rough sleepers – many of whom had been out of housing for decades – spent months locked in together and wound up transforming each other’s lives.

Unexpected and profound, heartwarming and heartbreaking, this is a tale that encapsulates Britain. Captured by Christina Lamb, the acclaimed author and Sunday Times Chief Foreign Correspondent, it gives a panoramic insight into this country, its people and how they are often failed.