Horrible, funny and accurate: how Horrible Histories continues to inspire new generations of historians

This might seem an odd moment for this post.  There is no anniversary or special occasion to mark.  I was just suddenly struck one Sunday afternoon by my overwhelming gratitude and appreciation for a BBC children’s TV show by the name of Horrible Histories.

My childhood collection of HH books

I grew up on Terry Deary’s books, but was too old to be in the target audience for the TV show when it first arrived on our screens in April 2009.  I happened to stumble on it when I was doing a spot of research on the Magna Carta (yes, really), but it was when I became a primary school teacher ten years ago that I really began to see its value.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve wheeled out a Horrible Histories sketch in a history lesson.  As history lead at my school, when other staff ask for guidance on their planning, more often than not, I’ll point them in the direction of a Horrible Histories clip or song to hang the rest of the lesson on.

The earlier series of Horrible Histories purposefully didn’t make any attempt to tie-in with the English National Curriculum and instead focused on bringing the content of the books to life and making history fun for kids.  (A job at which it overwhelmingly succeeded.)  “Terry told us three key rules for Horrible Histories,” Richard Bradley, executive producer, told the Guardian in December 2018.  “It must be horrible, funny and accurate.”

 

Even though it doesn’t neatly tie-in with the curriculum, much of it is covered, from the Stone Age to World War II and beyond in British history, as well as the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, plus a smattering of additional world history.  Could it do more to depict the diversity of world history?  Undoubtedly; but so could our National Curriculum.  We as teachers (and subject leads) need to ensure that children are exposed to as varied a coverage as possible, as well as instilling in them the critical understanding that historical knowledge – and interpretation - can change over time.  Horrible Histories, with its irreverent approach to the past and emphasis on history’s most bizarre stories, wherever they may come from, is certainly mindful of this.  Yes, the show heavily features world leaders, principally British monarchs, but it also highlights the lives of ordinary people, especially children.  It’s social history, made relevant to today’s young people and expertly brought to life.  (It does occasionally get things wrong too, which I make sure to point out: look, guys – always question your sources!  A valuable lesson for any budding historian.)

 

Some historians love Horrible Histories; others denigrate it for dumbing down or oversimplifying history.  I would argue that those historians in the latter camp have never had to stand in front of a class full of primary aged children and keep them engaged.  Kids love poo because it’s hilarious (if you don’t still find poo funny as an adult, I’m deeply suspicious).  In fact, they love bodily functions in general; they love gruesome stuff, weird stuff, violent stuff (within reason) – and if you can get all that into a history lesson, they’ll remember it forever.  At a time when primary schools are judged on knowledge retention more than ever, that’s the golden ticket. I have taught Year 4 classes about the Romans many, many times and I can guarantee that the one thing they’ll all remember about the Romans by the time they get to Year 6, is that they wiped their bums with a sponge on a stick.

Education aside, Horrible Histories is incredibly funny too, by the way.  Yes, there are poo and vomit and fart jokes, but it’s also a pretty damn sophisticated sketch comedy show. The bulk of the cast of the first five series went on to create beloved BBC sitcom ‘Ghosts’, which gives you an idea of the calibre of the acting.  It is the only children’s show to win a British Comedy Award (along with a whole slew of other awards) and was presented with a BAFTA Special Award in November 2024, in recognition of its “extraordinary cultural and social impact and the joy, enrichment and hilarity it continues to bring to people of all ages since its inception fifteen years ago on CBBC.”

The parody songs are also works of genius, with brilliantly clever lyrics and catchy rhymes (Can you imagine it?  I’m the last Plantagenet being one of my absolute favourites).  In fact, I love the songs so much that I made a playlist of them, in chronological order, and gifted them to my historically-challenged (but HH-loving) friend, along with a booklet of background notes I hand drew.  Dedication, right?

I will admit to being biased towards the first five series, though I know it has its problematic elements.  Several of the sketches wouldn’t be made today – or certainly not with white actors – but the show has grown and changed and diversified.  It can challenge the status quo and often angers the right - which probably means it’s doing something right - from the refreshingly Empire-critical ‘British Things’ song, all the way back in 2009, to its British Black History episode in 2021.

 

I’m not suggesting that primary teachers should deliver history lessons entirely via the medium of Horrible Histories, but if you need a hook to start a lesson, a quick conclusion to consolidate learning, or to deliver a difficult concept in a more captivating way than standing at the front and droning on, go for it.  My core belief is that a well-planned and delivered history curriculum should, above all, leave children curious about the past.  If they’re hooked on history, they’ll go away and find out more, and surely that’s what we should be aiming for as educators?  The times I’ve been handed pages of notes researched at home about figures from history, or seen a child choose a history book as their reading book, or been told that history is their favourite subject – those are the times when I know I’ve done my job right.  And Horrible Histories will always play an important part in that.

 

If you’re a primary school teacher, I say stick on Horrible Histories and let it do its job of creating curious young historians.  If you’re not a teacher, stick it on, learn a little and have a good old laugh at the same time.  You won’t regret it.

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Two of my favourite sketches for answering key historical questions:

 

How did Britain change during the Stone Age?

How did World War One start?