Horrible Histories (2009 TV series)

***Horrible Histories*** is a British children's sketch comedy television series, part of the children's history franchise of the same name based on the books written by Terry Deary. The show was produced for CBBC by Lion Television with Citrus Television.

The TV show carries over the graphic style and much of the content of the _Horrible Histories_ book series. It maintains the franchise's overall irreverent but accurate focus on the dark, gruesome or scatological aspects of British and other Western world history, spanning from the Stone Age to the post-World War II era. Individual historical eras or civilisations are defined and named as in the books, with sketches from several different time periods combined within a single episode.

In 2011, a spin-off game show, _Horrible Histories: Gory Games_, was launched on CBBC. In the same year, the original show was repackaged for main channel BBC One as _Horrible Histories with Stephen Fry_, with Fry replacing the puppet rat as presenter.

## Cast

- Richard Atwill (2016 Specials)
- Mathew Baynton (Series 1 - 5)
- Richard David-Caine (2016 Specials - Series 7)
- Simon Farnaby (Series 1 - 6)
- Sarah Hadland (Series 1 - 2; "also starring" in Series 4 - 5, guest starring in Series 6)
- Jalaal Hartley (Series 6 - Series 7)
- Martha Howe-Douglas (Series 1 - 5)
- Jim Howick (Series 1 - 6)
- Samson Kayo (Series 7)
- Naz Osmanoglu (Series 6)
- Jessica Ransom (Series 6 - Series 7)
- Adam Riches (Series 6)
- Laurence Rickard (Series 1 - 5)
- Ryan Sampson (Series 7)
- Tom Stourton (Series 6 - Series 7)
- Thom Tuck (2016 Specials)
- Gemma Whelan (2016 Specials - Series 7)
- Ben Willbond (Series 1 - 5)

Supporting cast:
- Lolly Adefope (Series 7)
- Lisa Devlin (Series 1)
- Susie Donkin (Series 1 - 5)
- Louise Ford  (Series 6 - Series 7)
- Jalaal Hartley (Series 4)
- Katherine Jakeways (Series 4 - 6)
- Lawry Lewin (Series 2 - 6)
- Jason Lewis (Series 4, 6)
- Bhavna Limbachia (Series 6)
- Dan Li (Series 6 - Series 7)
- Alice Lowe (Series 2 - 3, 5)
- Nathaniel Martello-White (Series 2)
- James McNicholas (Series 7)
- Dominique Moore (Series 2 - 2016 Specials)
- Tom Palmer (Series 7)
- Javone Prince (Series 1)
- Steve Punt (Series 1, 5)
- Jessica Ransom (Series 4 - 5)
- George Sawyer (Series 1)
- Rhashan Stone (Series 3)
- Daniel Lawrence Taylor (Series 2, 2016 Specials)
- Giles Terera (Series 1 - Series 6)
- Natalie Walter (Series 6 - 2016 Specials)
- Katy Wix (Series 1 - 4)
- Ellie White (Series 7)
- Sophie Wu (Series 6 - Series 7)

Guest starring:
- Chris Addison (Series 4)
- Rowan Atkinson (Series 6)
- David Baddiel (Series 2 - 3)
- Sanjeev Bhaskar (Series 6 - Series 7)
- Terry Deary (Series 1 - 3, 5)
- Jermain Defoe (Series 4)
- Kathryn Drysdale (Series 6)
- Kevin Eldon (Series 6)
- Mark Gatiss (Series 4 - 5)
- Mel Giedroyc (2016 Specials)
- Tanni Grey-Thompson (Series 3)
- Miles Jupp (2016 Specials)
- Amir Khan (Series 4)
- Ben Miller (Series 6)
- Al Murray (Series 5)
- Steve Pemberton (Series 4 - 5)
- Tom Rosenthal (Series 6)
- Alexei Sayle (Series 2)
- Reece Shearsmith (Series 4 - 5)
- Fred Sirieix (Series 7)
- Meera Syal (Series 1)
- Lorna Watson (Series 6)
- Robert Webb (2016 Specials)

Puppeteer:
- John Eccelston as _Rattus Rattus_

Additional Voices:
- Jon Culshaw
- Jess Robinson
- Dave Lamb (Series 2 - 3, 5)

## Features

These are the eras and civilizations that feature in the TV series:
- _Savage Stone Age_
- _Groovy Greeks_
- _Rotten Romans_
- _Potty Pioneers_
- _Putrid Pirates_
- _Slimy Stuarts_
- _Smashing Saxons_
- _Cut-Throat Celts_
- _Terrible Tudors_
- _Measly Middle Ages_
- _Frightful First World War_
- _Woeful Second World War_
- _Vile Victorians_
- _Vicious Vikings_
- _Ruthless Rulers_
- _Awful Egyptians_
- _Gorgeous Georgians_
- _Incredible Incas_
- _Awesome USA_
- _Savage Songs_
- _Angry Aztecs_
- _Fabulous French_
- _Nasty Knights_
- _Wild Warriors_
- _Radical Renaissance_
- _Shocking Scotland_
- _Troublesome 20th Century_

## Awards and nominations

_Horrible Histories_ received numerous domestic and international awards and nominations, including several BAFTA Children's Awards, two British Comedy Awards and a Rose d'Or Award for Best Children's Programme. It is the first children's programme to win a British Comedy Award and four successive children's BAFTAs, for Best Comedy. In 2013 the show was also named in a _Radio Times_ poll of all-time greatest British children's TV series, and was cited at No. 8 in a similar Top 50 list presented later the same year by Channel Five.

## Other websites

- We're History  (available only in the United Kingdom)
- Yonderlanders: Celebrating the collective art of Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, and Ben Willbond