The Past Is No Longer A Mystery: Horrible Histories as an educational tool

The Horrible Histories TV show craze initially passed me by. Although I had a housemate back in 2010 who intermittently rhapsodised to me about how excellent their songs were, I never really paid attention. That all changed during my PGCE year, when, after an all-nighter trying to finish an assignment just before the Christmas break, we were shown the RAF Pilots' Song as a Christmas treat in one of our curriculum area sessions. Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation. Perhaps it was the RAF uniforms. Or perhaps it was the excellent Take That parody combined with real historical facts - notably, how Douglas Bader came back to the RAF at the start of WW2 "just like Robbie". Whatever it was, I was hooked. And it wasn't just a hit with me - I used this clip to teach about the Crusades to a Year 7 class in March, which subsequently made a child laugh so much that I had to turn it off for fear of physically injuring him.

Now that Horrible Histories has come to an end, after its fifth series, I feel it is a fitting time to write this blog - as a tribute to its particular brand of utterly historically-based sketch silliness. As The Guardian said back in 2012 at the start of its fourth series, "Horrible Histories isn't just the best show on children's television – it's one of the smartest comedies on TV". A hit with children and adults alike, I've tried to explain here why (in my humble opinion) Horrible Histories was so excellent. I think the answer lies in two areas: its entertainment value, and its value for the study of History.

In terms of entertainment, Horrible Histories appeals to an enormous variety of people. Of course, it is targeted at children and played on CBBC, and it has hit its mark time and time again with them. I have seen presentations delivered by pupils in the style of Horrible Histories, where they faithfully download the theme tune and play it to start their presentation. I often wondered where the strange facts pupils would pipe up with came from - now I know! Yet, Horrible Histories appeals to parents too - just look at this thread on Mumsnet for a (slightly disturbing) look into the psyches of middle-class mothers with a thing for Mat Baynton (one of the actors). Mat Baynton has fans all over YouTube too, with hordes of teenage girls commenting all over videos of him performing in Horrible Histories asking him to marry them - and the other performers get their fair share of attention, too. There are YouTube playlists of all the songs Horrible Histories have ever produced, and some clips have over 2 million views (like this one of Henry VIII). This is all testament to the widespread fanbase of the programme.

Mat Baynton performing as Dick Turpin in the song that captured the hearts of mums and teenage girls everywhere..

Its excellent lyrics and parodies have certainly added to the TV show's popularity, making it a joy to watch for history geeks and music lovers alike. Fitting the historical character or event to the pop star (see Australian convicts, Kylie Minogue style - or perhaps Rosa Parks as Aretha Franklin?) has proven incredibly successful, and the parodies of wider pop culture (like MasterChef, Brian Cox and Gok Wan, to name but a few) are equally as funny. The exceptionally talented cast play no small part in the success of this approach. Additionally, the familiarity that the sketch-based format provides, through allowing the audience to access many different characters through recognising the actors' faces each time, ensures that audiences really feel a part of the series and connected to the actors. 

Whilst the entertainment value of the programme is certainly a reason why Horrible Histories flourished, I believe that its attitude to the study of history is the real key to its success. It is extremely historically accurate, meaning that children, parents and (importantly) teachers can trust it. Over all five series, only 8 mistakes have been made, according to the show's historical consultant Greg Jenner. Its approach to history as a discipline is, to my mind, as close to perfect as a subjective subject can be. It embraces a non-chronological approach but still defines each period through innovative title sequences. It covers British history, European history, world history, women's history, the history of minorities, social, political, cultural, technological, religious history... it's all there, in easily accessible bitesize chunks that the audience can piece together for themselves to realise how one event or innovation affected what was to come. The audience are left to make those links for themselves, facilitated by big set-pieces like Bob Hale's Reports (which typically tell the story of a large event in history in a short space of time - perhaps most ambitiously 'The Human Report' which tells the story of mankind in under 4 minutes). Therefore, the series promotes conceptual, higher-level thinking by giving the audience interesting historical facts and the framework into which they fit. It is truly sophisticated, and an excellent resource for parents and teachers alike in not just encouraging an interest in history, but teaching kids how to 'do' history as well. 

However, with all the 'teacher talk' aside, I thought I would end by outlining my Top 5 Horrible Histories moments. Hopefully, if you have seen it before you will smile fondly on these memories, and if you haven't, they will inspire you to buy all the boxsets and get watching! All of these clips are available on YouTube - just search. 

1. ALL OF THE SONGS (especially the aforementioned RAF Pilots' Song, 'I'm Minted' by Crassus (Dizzee Rascal parody), and the Dick Turpin song which is, of course, an Adam & the Ants parody). 2. BOB HALE'S REPORTS 3. STUPID DEATHS 4. HI! I'M A SHOUTY MAN (adverts for various historical products, delivered impeccably by Jim Howick)5. WOLSEY'S APPEARANCE ON HISTORICAL YOU'VE BEEN FRAMED (of course)