A novel synthesis of the naturally occurring HDACinhibitor WF-3161 is described. Key steps include the Matteson homologation to generate the stereogenic centres in the side chain, and Pd-catalysed C–H functionalisation to connect the side chain to the peptide backbone. WF-3161 was found to be highly selective for HDAC1, whereas no activity was observed towards HDAC6. High activity was also found against