Hooray for Horrible Histories. It was announced today that, in its 15th year, the beloved CBBC sketch show will receive a Bafta special award in honour of its “extraordinary cultural and social impact”.
Based on the bestselling books by Terry Deary, it blazed on to our screens in 2009 and gave patronising children’s programming a hobnail boot up the backside. It spoke to young viewers in a language they understood. Sophisticated sketches were mixed with pop video parodies. The emphasis was always on the gruesome, anarchic, anti-authoritarian and scatological, inspiring six- to 12-year-olds to engage with the past. This was a world of Rotten Romans, Vicious Vikings, Terrible Tudors and Vile Victorians. Plus, of course, plenty of ye olde blood, vomit and poo.
