I was recently rewatching old episodes of Horrible Histories with my family – because I can – and it took me back to the good ol’ days. You know your childhood was pretty great if you grew up reading Horrible Histories books or watching the CBBC classic show. If you didn’t, it’s not too late to watch them on Netflix!
So let me explain exactly why I love this show so much and why it’s worth watching, again and again.
- The Original Cast
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It’s rare to find such a talented and exceptional cast. I think a big part of what makes this show a success is the synergy between the cast members. You can instantly tell they are genuine close friends outside of filming and they work really well together. Their facial expressions, diverse accents and overall acting/singing/script-writing abilities are beyond underated for a kids’ show.
- The Comedy Sketches
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From Bob Hale to Stupid Deaths, the writers of Horrible Histories just get comedy. They know what they’re doing and have a great sense of humour. Some of the jokes that clearly went over my head as a kid, make me burst into laughter as a now fully grown adult. Although it can be at times gory and crude, and even a little dark, I think the jokes and humour is what makes the show so brilliant!
- The Iconic Jingles
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Stay Calma if You want Harm a Llama call a llama farmer.
[You’re straight up lying to me if you say you didn’t read those words with the tune]
From the ‘4 Georges’ to the Vikings ‘Literally’, there are so many memorable ones to choose from. I’m pretty sure I had the entire Charles II rap memorised as a child. Now I’m a little bit rusty, but can probably spit it when the time comes. However, needless to say the songs of Horrible Histories will forever be the most iconic bops of our generation. - The Memorable Education
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The amount of times my history teachers would just play Horrible Histories sketches in class proves just how educational the show really was. It found a way to bring history alive and make it funny and relatable to the modern age. Much of the reason I fell in love with History was down to this show and I remember far more facts from this show than I do from everything I studied in textbooks and class. And that’s great story-telling.
Overall, this show was wildly underrated and deserves far more love and attention than it currently receives. I’m definitely convinced that they just don’t make shows like these anymore. It’s one of a kind.