William Doyle is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Bristol. As the author of the Oxford History of the French Revolution he is also the rescuer of many an undergraduate essay crisis. William's new book Napoleon At Peace, however, sees him examine Bonaparte's performance in the top job in those first years of the 19th century. Its subtitle, 'How To End A Revolution', gives you a sense of the scale of the task he faced

Prof Doyle on Bonaparte: "What hit me is the sheer ability of the man - how able he actually was, how many balls he was able to keep in the air at any particular time. Whatever you think of him morally - and he's a very nasty type in all sorts of ways - nevertheless, the sheer ability of the man cannot fail to be impressive."

How much of the Revolution was over by the time Napoleon Bonaparte came to power? Prof Doyle: "None of it."