Childrens BBC comedy series based on the best-selling books written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown.

Starting out in the Savage Stone Age, Horrible Histories progresses through the Awful Egyptians, Rotten Romans, Vicious Vikings, Measly Middle Ages, Terrible Tudors, Gorgeous Georgians and Vile Victorians, right up to the Woeful Second World War.

Liberally splattered with guts, blood and poo, Horrible Histories romps through the ages in a collection of sketches, cartoons and quizzes.

Each episode features a mixture of sketches from different ages, played by the talented ensemble cast, and commentary from the show's host Rattus Rattus - the talking rat.

The show also includes pastiches of some familiar TV formats such as Historical Wife Swap, Historical Hospital and Ready Steady Feast; and various spoof songs, for example a musical journey through 18th Century British history in the style of a Westlife ballad, sung by four King Georges.

Our Review: This show is great! A talented cast and writing team have made this a comedy highlight for us. In fact, it has become quite a hit with those outside its target audience. Why? Well, much like Sorry, I've Got No Head, the material doesn't patronise but instead treats the children watching as the intelligent people they are. The musical numbers are the real highlight!

Thankfully, there will be a second series. The show has performed very well in the ratings, prompting CBBC to order another 13 episodes.