
Horrible Histories
- TV sketch show
- CBBC / BBC One
- 2009 - 2025
- 154 episodes (11 series)
Hit sketch show based on surprising facts from world history, inspired by the hit children's book series. Stars Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Ben Willbond, Mathew Baynton, Martha Howe-Douglas and more.
- This series will continue at a later date
- Series 9, Special repeated at 2:55pm on CBBC
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 1
Further details

A rather unsavoury liquid that was used to clean clothes in the Middle Ages is revealed in this week's edition of the comedy sketch show which takes a humorous look at all things historical.
Historical Hospital sees a stone-age doctor try to cure a terrified modern patient's headache and My Stuart Family are amused when they feast their eyes on their first banana.
King Pepi II, a pharaoh, discovers a novel way to combat flies and Meera Syal reads the Ancient Egyptian version of The Princess And The Pea.
King Henry VIII is reminded of all the people he beheaded in This Is Your Reign and the Tudor monarch rounds off the show with Divorced, Beheaded And Died, a witty ditty detailing the lives of his six wives.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Thursday 16th April 2009
- Time
- 4:35pm
- Channel
- BBC One
- Length
- 30 minutes
Cast & crew
Jim Howick | Various |
Simon Farnaby | Various |
Ben Willbond | Various |
Mathew Baynton | Various |
Martha Howe-Douglas | Various |
Laurence Rickard | Various |
Sarah Hadland | Various |
Jon Culshaw | Various (Voice) |
Jess Robinson | Various (Voice) |
Meera Syal | Self |
Lisa Devlin | Ensemble Actor |
Javone Prince | Ensemble Actor |
John Eccleston | Rattus Rattus |
Ben Ward | Writer |
Dave Cohen | Writer |
Lucy Clarke | Writer |
Jon Holmes | Writer |
Susie Donkin | Writer |
Steve Connelly | Director |
Chloe Thomas | Director |
Caroline Norris | Series Producer |
Giles Pilbrow | Producer |
Dominic Brigstocke | Producer |
Richard Bradley | Executive Producer |
Kim Shillinglaw | Executive Producer |
Charlie Fawcett | Editor |
Michelle Turkington | Editor |
Miranda Jones | Production Designer |
Richie Webb | Composer |
Matt Katz | Composer |
Press
Horrible Histories Review
It was everything that Blue Peter isn't: fun, filthy and genuinely engaging in a peer-to-peer way.
Alice-Azania Jarvis, The Independent, 17th April 2009Kids can learn to love history just so long as it's told to them in a way that brings it to life. And this new series, based on the colourful books by Terry Deary and Martin Brown, does precisely that, with Sarah Hadland, Steve Punt and Meera Syal among the cast re-enacting some gory ancient tales.
Mike Ward, Daily Star, 16th April 2009