Series synopsis
Horrible Histories is a British family comedy television series that premiered on CBBC on April 16, 2009. It was created by Terry Deary. It stars Ben Willbond, Mathew Baynton, Laurence Rickard and Jalaal Hartley.
Based on the best-selling children's books and liberally splattered with guts, blood and poo, a group of British comedians offer an anarchic and unconventional take on some of history's most gruesome and funny moments, with topics including the Stone Age, the Middle Ages, the Egyptians and the Romans, among others.
Premise
Based on the best-selling children's books and liberally splattered with guts, blood and poo, a group of British comedians offer an anarchic and unconventional take on some of history's most gruesome and funny moments, with topics including the Stone Age, the Middle Ages, the Egyptians and the Romans, among others.
Premise: The history they don't teach you in school.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Ben Willbond
- Mathew Baynton
- Laurence Rickard
- Jalaal Hartley
- Jessica Ransom
- Jess Robinson as Additional Voices
- Jim Howick
- Gemma Whelan
Supporting cast
- Martha Howe-Douglas
- Richard David-Caine
- Tom Stourton
- Adam Riches
- Ryan Sampson
- John Eccleston as Rattus Rattus (voice)
- Samson Kayo
- Michael Abubakar
- Harrie Hayes
- Emily Lloyd-Saini
- Naz Osmanoglu
Guest cast
- Simon Farnaby
- Lawry Lewin
- Jon Culshaw as Additional Voices
- Alice Lowe
- Sarah Hadland
- Xand van Tulleken
- Chris van Tulleken
- Dani Dyer
- Dara Ó Briain
- Meera Syal as Storyteller
- Alexei Sayle as Dr. Ushma
- Alice Lowe as Various
Episodes
This series spans 12 seasons with 247 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 93 | July 27, 2010 | September 8, 2023 |
| Season 1 | 13 | April 16, 2009 | July 9, 2009 |
| Season 2 | 12 | May 31, 2010 | July 27, 2010 |
| Season 3 | 13 | May 30, 2011 | July 26, 2011 |
| Season 4 | 13 | April 9, 2012 | October 31, 2012 |
| Season 5 | 13 | May 27, 2013 | August 4, 2014 |
| Season 6 | 15 | February 13, 2015 | August 24, 2015 |
| Season 7 | 15 | June 15, 2017 | May 7, 2018 |
| Season 8 | 15 | June 3, 2019 | September 14, 2020 |
| Season 9 | 15 | April 30, 2021 | October 15, 2022 |
| Season 10 | 15 | June 16, 2023 | June 14, 2024 |
| Season 11 | 15 | February 7, 2025 | December 19, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Savage Songs A compilation of the songs from the second series, featuring Spartan High School Musical, the Viking Rock Band, punky Queen Boudica, Incan emperor Pachacuti, the posh rapping of Charles II, Blackbeard the Pirate, George IV going solo, the Victorian Inventions song, and the World War 2 Girls. |
July 27, 2010 |
| 2 |
Horrible Christmas Christmas is a time for charity, hope and goodwill to all men - but for Horrible Histories it's a time of farting jesters, finding bacon in your Christmas card, and having your dinner confiscated by Oliver Cromwell. This episode showcases bizarre Yuletide absurdities from over the centuries with a unique blend of sketches, pastiche and song - a foul and festive treat. Revel in the smelliest, silliest and goriest stories about everyone's favourite time of year. |
December 17, 2010 |
| 3 |
Horrible Histories Big Prom Party As part of the 2011 BBC Proms, the cast of Horrible Histories join up with the Aurora Orchestra, the Choir from the Music Centre, the Kids Company Choir and a group of dancers for a special event. The show features a selection of songs from the first three series, some excerpts from classical pieces and original sketches. |
July 30, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A pirate captain worries about an early bedtime and the four King Georges form a boyband. |
April 16, 2009 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 A Stone Age doctor tries to help a modern patient and a Pharaoh invents the pyramid. |
April 23, 2009 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A Roman emperor finds a nasty alternative to candles, and an Egyptian tries to save money. |
April 30, 2009 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A prank-loving emperor hosts a dinner party on Roman Come Dine with Me, the Durham Home Guard injure themselves while learning first aid, and the Viking rock band paint the town red... literally. |
May 31, 2010 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 A pirate captain regrets stealing a herd of seasick cows, a Georgian sportsman invents a whole new way of boxing, King Charles II raps about his party lifestyle, and the Georgian army goes to war against a bunch of naughty schoolboys. |
June 1, 2010 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 In Ancient Greece, it's time for Spartan High School Musical, a jester breaks bad news to Henry VIII using armpit raspberries, learn how to stay fit with the Caveman Workout, and Roman emperor Nero stars in a (not very) romantic movie. |
June 2, 2010 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Aztec Home Cooking and Victorian Manners Meet an annoying French prankster from the Middle Ages, witness bizarre Aztec food on Historical Masterchef, see what happens when Queen Elizabeth I needs the toilet, and learn how not to impress a woman in Victorian times -a painful lesson in manners. The truth about Dick Turpin in song; certainly no New Romantic. |
May 30, 2011 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Some medieval knights discover the most disgusting way to attack a castle, the Saxons demonstrate the stupidest way to lose a battle, a Georgian goes shopping in a modern pet shop, and the kings and queens of England demonstrate how to remember them all, through the power of song. |
May 31, 2011 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A confused World War I soldier spends his first day in the trenches, William Wallace launches his music career as a rock rebel, Lady Jane Grey wins a frankly terrible competition, and the Welsh women of Fishguard defeat a French invasion without even trying. |
June 1, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Dick Whittington pitches a movie about his life, Stone Age technology geeks queue for hours at the unveiling of the Bronze Age, and some German bomber pilots find an unfortunate use for a tourist guidebook to Britain. |
April 9, 2012 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Henry VIII appears on a TV show hoping to raise money from his antique abbeys. Also, Charles Darwin sings about his theory of Natural Selection, and a pirate captain aims to be Lord Sugar's next Historical Apprentice. |
April 10, 2012 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Queen Elizabeth I goes online dating, Greek philosopher Socrates foils his own rescue from prison, and Emicho of the Rhineland goes crusading with some very unusual Sat Navs to lead the way. |
April 11, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 The Saxon gods form an unlikely team of superheroes; famous astronaut Neil Armstrong reveals his new weight loss programme; we meet Georgian London's crime-fighting genius, and Rosa Parks sings about her struggle for equality. |
May 27, 2013 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Featuring a surprisingly charming Stuart highwayman; the Captain of the Titanic holds the world's worst safety briefing; famous writer Mary Shelley pitches the movie of her life; and those violent Vikings show their softer side in a song. |
May 28, 2013 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 The boys test their horsepower to the max on Stone Age Top Gear; Charles Dickens sings about his life and books; the Greek philosophers host weird dinner parties on Historical Come Dine With Me; and Vlad the Impaler reveals his horrible new plan for keeping out the neighbours. |
May 29, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Magna Carta Special: Crooked King John and Magna Carta Horrible Histories returns for a special about King John and Magna Carta, starring Ben Miller. John annoys the Barons and agrees Magna Carta at Runnymede, after a banging rap battle. Meanwhile across the world we meet the formidable Genghis Khan in Mongolia, and catch up with the crafty Saladin during the Crusades. With of course, our host Rattus to guide the way! |
February 13, 2015 |
| 2 |
Awesome Alfred the Great Special A special episode about King Alfred the Great, starring Tom Rosenthal. Watch Alfred argue with his older brothers then defeat the Vikings using his cunning hit-and-run tactics, summoning the spirit of Ed Sheeran. Meanwhile, across the world, Ant and Dec host a very special Chinese edition of I'm A Celebrity, and the Egyptians tell us how healthcare should really be done. With of course, our host Rattus to guide the way! |
May 25, 2015 |
| 3 |
Wicked William the Conqueror Special A special episode about William the Conqueror, starring Kevin Eldon. We meet young William, Duke of Normandy, as he quarrels with Harold Godwinson about who should be King of England, before bashing the English and taking the crown at the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066! Meanwhile, across the world we discover Chinese technology light years ahead of the dunderheaded Normans and Saxons in England, and meet one of the world's first scientists in Egypt. With, of course, our host Rattus to guide the way! |
June 1, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Monstrous Musicians Horrible Histories charts monstrous musicians, from Neanderthal screeches to Jimi Hendrix. |
June 15, 2017 |
| 2 |
Exceptional Explorers Meet explorers throughout the ages, from Vikings in America to the first man on the moon. |
July 26, 2017 |
| 3 |
Ridiculous Romantics Take a journey of romance through history, including King Henry VIII's 6 First Dates. |
July 31, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Queen Vic's Home Vids Featuring Victorian fake news, paparazzi, and cameramen strapped to the front of moving trains, Queen Victoria shows you how her subjects invented and became obsessed with films! |
June 3, 2019 |
| 2 |
Fashion Faux Pas The Horrible History of (sometimes literally) dressing to kill. Henry VIII has beef over whose armour is best and Louis XV dresses as a hedge. |
June 10, 2019 |
| 3 |
Chaotic Collabs History is filled with tales of great minds coming together, and collaborating, to achieve incredible things. It’s also full of idiots working together to create an unholy mess, and people forming partnerships for decidedly sinister reasons - welcome to Horrible Histories’ Chaotic Collabs! |
June 17, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
British Black History Horrible Histories charts the contribution of Black people to British life throughout history. How did African soldiers come to be guarding Hadrian’s Wall? Why was a West African diver asked to help salvage Henry VIII's ship, the Mary Rose? And the actor Ira Aldridge tells us how he came to leave New York to find fame in 19th-century England. |
April 30, 2021 |
| 2 |
Gruesome Guide To Growing Up Life wasn’t always fun for children in the past. Horrible Histories delves into the not-so-easy lives of children throughout history, from the strict parenting of ancient civilisations, to the terrible fights the young King Louis XIV had with his little brother - even weeing on each other's beds! And find out just why Henry VIII was so keen for his son Edward VI to stay inside. |
July 7, 2021 |
| 3 |
Protesting With Pankhurst Protests about inequality or environmental damage are common today, but how have people protested in the past? Emmeline Pankhurst is our guide through this history of protest, from Cato the Younger’s talkative protest in ancient Rome to the cheese riots of 18th-century Nottingham. Also, how will the Luddites cope with the newfangled technology of a video call? |
August 20, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Daft Dads In honour of Father’s Day, Horrible Histories takes a look at some of history’s daftest dads, featuring Henry VIII, Charles Dickens, William the Conqueror and Joseph Stalin! |
June 16, 2023 |
| 2 |
NHS 75th Birthday Special How did the NHS come into being? When was the first kidney transplant? Is half a chicken actually a cure for anything? Find out as comedian and former psychiatric nurse Jo Brand joins Rattus to host a special episode in honour of the NHS’s 75th birthday. They discover how the NHS came to be, some of its weirder moments, and what life was like before we had the NHS to look after us. Did you know that before the NHS, getting medical help could be both difficult and expensive? We take a look at the role of the almoner, who decided who would have to pay for their treatment, and how much, before Nye Bevan comes along with his notion of free health care for all. |
July 5, 2023 |
| 3 |
Foul Football Legendary Lioness Jill Scott joins Rattus to look at the history of the beautiful game, including Shakespearean mentions, women’s football being banned and coffins on the pitch! |
July 19, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Brilliant Brains From taking man to the moon to figuring out how to get rid of a poo in a submarine, Mark Labbett joins Rattus for a look at some of history’s most brilliant brainboxes. |
February 7, 2025 |
| 2 |
Ridiculous Rules From William the Conqueror making rules about chopping off body parts to Elizabeth I in court over some swan-related mischief, Horrible Histories takes a look at some history’s most ridiculous rules. |
February 14, 2025 |
| 3 |
Ludicrous Landmarks How long does it take to build a pyramid? Why didn’t people like the Statue of Liberty? Why are there pineapples on St Paul’s? Horrible Histories takes a tour of the world’s greatest landmarks. |
February 21, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | CBBC |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 16, 2009 |
| Last aired | December 19, 2025 |
| Runtime | 92 minutes |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Schedule | Friday at 18:00:00 |