As historians I think we can all remember our childhood bookshelves filled with Horrible Histories; from the Rotten Romans to the Shocking 60’s. We enjoyed them because they made history accessible beyond the classroom, free from homework and nagging teachers! Now, a new generation of historians can merely sit back and gain some of this experience by watching it on CBBC.
The episode I watched focused on numerous periods in History such as Cavemen, Romans, Tudors and more. The show is clever in that it offers short but information filled segments about each period whilst avoiding the style of an educational film, you may see in a classroom. Instead it uses a mixture of animation and acting to inject humour, action, a bit of gore and at one point singing to really draw in the audience.
I have to admit I enjoyed watching the show, which I hope says more about the programme than about me, and I’m sure it will attract many more young, budding historians into not just studying but
enjoying History on the whole.
Episodes available on BBC iPlayer