Based on the best-selling books for kids, Horrible Histories is an energetic, surprising and unconventional take on history’s most gruesome, unpleasant yet funniest moments. From the woeful World Wars, the miserable Middle Ages and the savage Stone Age to cut-throat Celts, groovy Greeks, rotten.
Horrible Histories (2. 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 and ran from 2. 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. The starring troupe are Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe- Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond, alongside a large supporting cast headed by Sarah Hadland, Lawry Lewin and Dominique Moore. The black rat puppet . They took inspiration from such quintessentially British historical- comedy classics as Blackadder and the Monty Python films. The series was a critical and ratings success, eventually gaining a wide all ages audience through its non- condescending and inclusive approach. It has won numerous domestic and international awards and has been named among the greatest British children's television series of all time. Horrible Histories, Series 1 DVD featuring Martha Howe-Douglas & Mathew Baynton. Order DVD and Blu-ray movies, TV series and box sets from Australia's online DVD store, Booktopia. Based on the bestselling series of books for kids (and for adults, but they. In 2. 01. 1, 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. A new series of special episodes began airing in 2. Background. The books and subsequent spin- off materials are intended to pique young children's interest in history via short, factually based but humorously told anecdotes highlighting aspects of the subject not usually covered in more traditional educational sources. He finally agreed to the new project on the condition that it be explicitly . While disclaiming any active role in developing the subsequent series, he would eventually contribute to the writing as well as appearing in several small roles. Early concepts for bringing it to the screen involved framing or interpretive devices, including a ghostly train carrying children into the past, or a wizard storyteller to act as their guide. Eventually Bradley with producer/director Dominic Brigstocke concluded that the material was strong enough to stand on its own, so they developed, in consultation with CBBC executives, a live- action sketch- comedy showcase. They then introduced a comedy style relying on parodies of familiar modern media conventions as a means of making these historical details more immediately accessible. They also approved the adoption. Instead, they sought to make the best use possible of the material. The net result was a show that immediately appealed to young children while also gaining the increasing respect. The Inca and Aztec empires are also featured in later series. The timeline for the most part ended at the Woeful World War II. The most recent event referenced was the 1. Apollo 1. 1 Moon landing. Throughout each sketch, small pop- up signs are used to affirm the truth (or otherwise) of any particularly implausible- seeming concepts mentioned onscreen. Many are recognisable parodies of other popular media or celebrities, in formats ranging from spoof commercials to mock TV shows, newscasts, magazines, video games and film trailers. However, after the creative team noted the critical and popular success of the major exception (. The thirteenth episode of the second and each subsequent series was retooled as a . Commentators cite the apt cleverness of the various historical/musical parody match- ups, and the complexity and skill with which the musical elements are executed. They love all the slapstick, but they also love what Terry does really well in the books. This stance sometimes encompassed traditionally accepted if not actually well- documented anecdotes, such as those involving Caligula. This process is perhaps most noticeable in the evolution of a song featuring the four Hanoverian King Georges: lyrics in the original 2. George I had . Perhaps most explicitly, Scots- Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole was deliberately championed in both a sketch and later song as a forgotten heroine in the shadow of Florence Nightingale. The activities of African- American activists Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks were also showcased, as was ex- slave boxer Bill Richmond. Religious controversies, class divisions, the ethics of conquest, and labour conditions were likewise touched on. Under series producer Norris and directors Brigstocke, Steve Connelly and Chloe Thomas, each series of thirteen episodes took approximately one year to produce. The process included several months of research into the historical facts, two to three months of writing, eight weeks of filming both on location and at London's Twickenham Studios, and three to four months of post- production. He and fellow researchers read through many different studies and picked out suitably quirky, intriguing snippets, which were then pitched to the writers for development. Once Jenner and Norris had finalised the subject matter and music genre, lyrics were commissioned from the writing team, usually Dave Cohen. These were rewritten as needed under Norris' supervision to ensure as much factual information as possible was included. The finished vocal and backing tracks were later returned to Noisegate for post- production by Webb and colleague Matt Katz. Video game- styled sketches were achieved using a mix of 3. D animation and live- action green- screen footage. Six special episodes, comprising a mix of new and existing material around a single theme, were broadcast in the UK. The rebooted series was again developed by Lion. TV and will involve a largely all- new production team and cast, while still retaining Jenner as lead historical consultant and many of the original series's writers. In addition, original stars Farnaby and Howick will return in limited roles. Several of the writers and researchers also occasionally appeared in front of the camera, including Punt, Jenner, George Sawyer and Susie Donkin, while actors Mathew Baynton and Ben Willbond sometimes contributed to the writing. Laurence Rickard was recruited solely as a writer, but found himself part of both the senior writing staff and starring cast after creating the character of Bob Hale, whose extended, convoluted monologues proved impossible to hand over to anyone else. L- R: Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe- Douglas, Mathew Baynton, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond and Jim Howick. Individual sketches and songs were cast by the production team, sometimes acting on input from the show's stable of performers themselves. While certain roles naturally lent themselves to a particular actor, Norris said that confidence in the entire cast's ability was such that the producers also experimented with casting against type. The initial sextet appeared from Series 2 onwards as the standard face of the show at premieres and other press opportunities, and performed as a troupe for such peripheral events as the show's BBC Prom concert. They became a particularly close- knit group both personally and professionally. Bones, Nigel the Historical Paramedic, Emperor Elagabalus, Guy Fawkes, Menelaus, Richard I Lionheart, Mark Antony, Emperor Augustus, Captain Black Bart, Henry I of England, Charles I of England. Simon Farnaby. Death, Caligula, historical PR agent Cliff Whiteley, William the Conqueror, George III of Great Britain (Series 1 and 5 and BBC Prom concert), Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester, Rameses II, senior Historical Grimefighter. Martha Howe- Douglas. Elizabeth I of England, Victoria of Great Britain (Series 2 onward), HHTV News anchorwoman Sam, Cleopatra, spoof of Karren Brady in . Those performers with additional speaking parts are listed below: Actor. Appearances. Roles (recurring only)Lawry Lewin. Series 2 onward. Oliver Cromwell, spoof of Brian Cox in . In the fourth series, Gatiss, Shearsmith and Pemberton of The League of Gentlemen joined the show, playing the panel of Hollywood producers for the . There's not a weak link in the team here and it's an honour to be asked to be part of it. You need to have everything just right. But Horrible Histories has a great cast and brilliant writers. They're also blessed with great source material. The tone is perfect and it is done in a non- patronising, engaging way. There just isn't anything else on TV that can match it for ideas, writing and performance. HH remains true to its aim, with meticulously harvested historical data + roaringly well- observed pop culture pastiches = seemingly infinite heritage lolz. The TV series, like the books, has been used by educators as a classroom aid. It's quite amusing, though whether it will pique an interest in the subject, or. In this sketch, Florence Nightingale says that she rejected the Jamaican- born Seacole's application to Nightingale's Crimean nursing corps because it was open to . This was held to be imputing racially discriminatory motives to Nightingale. In response, the BBC pulled the offending sketch from their website and announced it would be removed from future showings of the episode. They simplify, and they have a definite point of view, but all historians are guilty of that to some degree. The producers of the CBBC show have perfectly transferred Deary's ethos to television. History Today editor Paul Lay called the idea . I'm in favour of populism, but there has to be a bit of depth to it. Historian and television presenter Dan Snow described the show's modus operandi as . It is the first children's programme to win a British Comedy Award. Top 5. 0 list presented later the same year by Channel Five. Likewise coproduced by Lion TV and Citrus, the show is co- hosted by Dave Lamb with puppet Rattus Rattus and includes cameos from many of the parent show's cast.
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