Horrible Histories. Image shows from L to R: Gemma Whelan, Ryan Sampson, Tom Stourton
Horrible Histories

Horrible Histories

  • TV sketch show
  • CBBC / BBC One
  • 2009 - 2024
  • 140 episodes (10 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.

Episode menu

2016 Specials - Staggering Storytellers

Horrible Histories. Image shows from L to R: Jessica Ransom, Gemma Whelan, Natalie Walter. Copyright: Lion Television / BBC
As part of the BBC's #Lovetoread campaign, the award-winning Horrible Histories returns to look at some of literature's greatest works and history's wackiest writers.

Preview clips

Further details

As part of the BBC's #Lovetoread campaign, the award-winning Horrible Histories returns.

In its own distinctive and irreverently accurate style, the episode takes a look at some of literature's greatest works and history's wackiest writers, from Stone Age times, right up present day. We learn how a party at Lord Byron's house led to the writing of the Gothic masterpiece Frankenstein, and how Charles Dickens was the Harry Styles of his day. We meet The Bronte Sisters trying to get a book deal, and Roald Dahl enters the Great British Bake Off with a worm cake.

Spanning 3,000 years of recorded history, we take a look at the funny and ridiculous ways some of our finest writers cured their writing block - did you know Tennyson used to pretend to go the loo as a party trick? Or that DH Lawrence would climb mulberry trees in the nude to stimulate his imagination? And there's a celebration of brilliant female writers, with Malorie Blackman, Enid Blyton, Jacqueline Wilson and Beatrix Potter getting on down, Little Mix stylie.

Plus, of course, our trusty host Rattus to guide the way.

Broadcast details

Date
Monday 11th July 2016
Time
5pm
Channel
CBBC
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Sunday 10th July 2016 9:30am CBBC
Monday 11th July 2016 7:00pm CBBC
Friday 15th July 2016 4:30pm CBBC
Sunday 17th July 2016 9:30am CBBC
Sunday 6th November 2016 2:05pm CBBC
Sunday 20th November 2016 2:15pm CBBC
Wednesday 4th January 2017 5:35pm CBBC
Friday 31st March 2017 7:00pm CBBC
Sunday 30th April 2017 5:40pm CBBC
Sunday 4th June 2017 9:30am CBBC
Sunday 4th June 2017 6:00pm CBBC
Saturday 7th October 2017 7:00pm CBBC
Thursday 14th December 2017 7:00pm CBBC
Tuesday 13th February 2018 9:25am CBBC
Thursday 15th February 2018 7:00pm CBBC
Tuesday 29th May 2018 10:00am CBBC
Tuesday 29th May 2018 7:00pm CBBC
Wednesday 8th August 2018 9:05am CBBC
Wednesday 8th August 2018 7:00pm CBBC
Sunday 30th September 2018 4:45pm CBBC
Friday 2nd November 2018 7:00pm CBBC
Thursday 21st February 2019 7:05pm CBBC
Wednesday 31st March 2021 9:50am CBBC
Friday 4th March 2022 5:30pm CBBC
Saturday 2nd April 2022 2:00pm CBBC
Thursday 20th October 2022 11:35am CBBC
Thursday 11th May 2023 10:25am CBBC
Sunday 24th March 2024 1:20pm CBBC

Cast & crew

Cast
Tom Stourton Various
Jalaal Hartley Various
Jessica Ransom Various
Natalie Walter Various
Richard David-Caine Various
Gemma Whelan Various
Jon Culshaw Various (Voice)
Louise Ford Ensemble Actor
Dominique Moore Ensemble Actor
John Eccleston Rattus Rattus
Guest cast
Richard Atwill Various
Thom Tuck Various
Mel Giedroyc Publisher
Mel Giedroyc Bake Off Narrator (Voice)
Daniel Lawrence Taylor (as Daniel Taylor) Ensemble Actor
Writing team
Ben Ward Writer
Dave Cohen Writer
Lucy Clarke Writer
Gerard Foster Writer
Daniel Peak Writer
Benjamin Partridge Writer
Dan Maier (as Daniel Maier) Writer (Additional Material)
Ben Ward Script Editor
George Sawyer Script Editor
Daniel Peak (as Danny Peak) Script Editor
Production team
Steve Connelly Director
Tom Miller Series Producer
Lisa Mitchell Producer
Melissa Hardinge Executive Producer
Richard Bradley Executive Producer
Simon Welton Executive Producer
Gareth Heal Editor
Richie Webb Composer
Alison Jeffery Production Designer

Videos

Staggering Storytellers song

Horrible Histories parody Little Mix's Black Magic in the Staggering Storytellers special. This song features Beatrix Potter, Malorie Blackman, Jacqueline Wilson and Enid Blyton. The Staggering Storytellers special is on CBBC on Monday 11th July at 5pm. Guide

Featuring: Jessica Ransom, Louise Ford, Dominique Moore, Thom Tuck & Gemma Whelan.

Jacqueline Wilson reacts to the Horrible Histories song

Jacqueline Wilson reacts to seeing a version of herself in the Horrible Histories Staggering Storytellers song.

Featuring: Jacqueline Wilson.

Press

For Auntie's #LovetoRead campaign, HH returns with a one-off special telling tales stretching back to the stone age when "CGI; cave-generated imagery" was all the rage. The jokes don't get any less silly (and why would they?) as we're treated to DH Lawrence naked, up a tree; George Eliot being manly; and a visit to William Caxton's bookshop circa 1475: "Do you have any biographies? Thrillers? Teen vampire fiction?"

Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 11th July 2016

Horrible Histories: Staggering Storytellers review

The award-winning TV series returns with a special episode on famous writers and their origin stories. And when we say 'origin', we mean dawn-of-mankind origin. The episode shows how storytelling evolved through the eras, from storytelling in caves to printed books. At the same time, it lets us in on little secrets (and weird habits) of acclaimed writers and poets.

Katerina Perdikaki, On The Box, 11th July 2016

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