Specials
Episodes • 2010
1. Savage Songs
30 minA compilation of the songs from the series, featuring Spartan High School Musical, the Viking Rock Band, punky Queen Boudica, Incan emperor Pachacuti, the posh rapping of Charles II, Blackbeard the Pirate, George IV going solo, the Victorian Inventions song, and the World War 2 Girls.
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2. Horrible Christmas
30 minChristmas is a time for charity, hope and goodwill to all men - but for Horrible Histories it's a time of farting jesters, finding bacon in your Christmas card, and having your dinner confiscated by Oliver Cromwell. This episode showcases bizarre Yuletide absurdities from over the centuries with a unique blend of sketches, pastiche and song - a foul and festive treat. Revel in the smelliest, silliest and goriest stories about everyone's favourite time of year.
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3. Horrible Histories Big Prom Party
61 minAs part of the 2011 BBC Proms, the cast of Horrible Histories join up with the Aurora Orchestra, the Choir from the Music Centre, the Kids Company Choir and a group of dancers for a special event. The show features a selection of songs from the first three series, some excerpts from classical pieces and original sketches.
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5. Sport Special
30 minSpecial sport episode of the historical sketch show, based on the successful series of books. All the top sporting action from the past, including Emperor Nero and Jesse Owens singing the history of the Olympics. We're at the finish line to see Pheidippides run the first ever marathon, then we count down the top Marathon Cheats of all time and take a look back at some of our favourite Horrible Histories sporting events.
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6. Scary Special
30 minDeath from 'Stupid Deaths' presents a show full of spooky highlights in this Halloween special.
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7. Ridiculous Romance
30 minWe find out what happens when Henry VIII takes part in TV show Dating In Darkness and meets latest love Anne of Cleves, discover the problems encountered by Queen Elizabeth I’s portrait artist, and are treated to romantic musical interludes from The Love Rats Club, plus Queen Victoria as she duets with Prince Albert. We also say hello to Rattus Rattus’s brand-new girlfriend Ratalie, who Rattus Rattus is hoping will be impressed by a romantic dinner of ‘cockroach in jus de rubbish bag’...
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8. Frightful First World War
30 minBob Hale and Rattus Rattus guide us through the horrible history of 1914-18. Featuring the soldiers, pilots, civilians, girl guides, suffragettes and even kings who were all caught up in the fighting.
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9. Sensational Shakespeare
30 minApril 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Britain's greatest playwright, William Shakespeare (or is it William Shagspeare or Willm Shakspere - even the great Bard himself didn't know!). In this episode, we look at the life and times of the playwright - from his largely unknown and humble beginnings in Stratford, through his times as a jobbing actor in London, to his success as the country's most respected and financially savvy writer.
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10. Staggering Storytellers
30 minWho wrote the first detective novel? When were books invented? Why do we like stories so much? In its own distinctive and irreverently accurate style, the episode takes a look at some of literature's greatest works and history's wackiest writers. Along the way we see the development of storytelling technology. We learn how a party at Lord Byron's house led to the writing of the Gothic masterpiece Frankenstein, and how Charles Dickens was the Harry Styles of his day. Spanning 3,000 years of recorded history we take a look at the funny and ridiculous ways some of our finest writers cured their writing block - did you know Tennyson used to pretend to go the loo as a party trick? Also, of course, our trusty host Rattus guides the way.
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11. The Grisly Great Fire of London
30 minFor the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, Horrible Histories returns for a one-off special looking at the disaster and the events that surrounded it. On the night of 2 September, a spark from a baker’s oven in Pudding Lane ignited a fire which roared through the tightly packed streets of London, tearing up the timber-framed houses and destroying up to a third of the city. In true Horrible Histories fashion, this special episode explores London and Britain before the fire, full of plague and party in the raucous Restoration atmosphere personified by King Charles II. We see how London’s Mayor preferred to stay in bed during the fire because been partying the night before, and how Samuel Pepys rushed to bury his parmesan cheese for safety.
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12. Savage Songs Special (2013)
30 minSome of history's greatest characters serenade us with tales of their lives. Featuring the all-conquering Alexander the Great, the cash-loving Crassus, the feisty Joan of Arc, the brilliant but miserable Charles Dickens and the very determined Rosa Parks.
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13. Savage Songs Special (2012)
30 minIn a special musical episode of the award-winning Horrible Histories, host Rattus Rattus chooses his favourite songs from the fourth series to entertain his young nephew.
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14. Top 5: 1. Football with Alex Scott
30 minEngland footie star Alex Scott delves into the Horrible history of Soccer. From the Middle Ages, when whole villages would play against each other, with dire injuries as a consequence - to the famous Christmas truce in World War 1, when British and German troops put down their guns and spoke the universal language of football.
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15. Top 5: 2. Back to School with Emily Atack
30 minBack to School??! Ugh! It could be worse, though – in honour of everyone going back to school, Emily Atack takes you through the Horrible History of what school days were like in the past…
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12 minIn celebration of Black History Month, Oti Mabuse brings you a selection of Horrible Histories sketches and songs featuring Rosa Parks, Civil War spy Mary Bowser, pioneering boxer Bill Richmond, plus Mary Seacole and Martin Luther King Jr.
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17. Brexit
9 minNish Kumar brings us a selection of sketches about European Historical figures, featuring the dance stylings of the Normans, Italian fashion, Leonardo da Vinci, Louis XIV’s bottom problems & the vocal stylings of the Four Georges…
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minChronological compilation of the standout music videos from the third series, as chosen by the producers. An encore is omitted this year to make room for the slightly longer "Monarchs' Song".
▶ Watch Episode102. Song - The Wives of Henry VIII. Divorced Beheaded & Died
30 minNo description available.
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513. Science with Dara Ó Briain
minIn honour of Science Week, Dara Ó Briain brings you some of his favourite science-themed sketches, including the music of Charles Darwin, the serious goings-on at The Royal Society, Historical Paramedics, Victorian Inventions and Vaccinations…
▶ Watch Episode517. Stuff We Couldn't Fit In (S03)
minMore cut or extended scenes and sketches from the third season
▶ Watch Episode518. More Bits That Went Wrong (S03)
minMore hilarious outtakes and gag reel from the third season.
▶ Watch Episode520. More Stuff We Couldn't Fit In (S04)
minExtended scenes and cut sketches from the fourth season.
▶ Watch Episode521. Stuff That Didn't Make It
minFinished work that had content that didn't match the themes.
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526. Animated Specials: 1. Gruesome Guide to Growing Up
minLife wasn’t always fun for children in the past. Horrible Histories delves into the not-so-easy lives of children throughout history, from the strict parenting of ancient civilisations, to the terrible fights the young King Louis XIV had with his little brother - even weeing on each other's beds! And find out just why Henry VIII was so keen for his son Edward VI to stay inside.
▶ Watch Episode528. 'Orrible Opera
73 minHenry VIII, Queen Victoria and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are our hosts for a special live concert as part of the BBC Proms season at London’s Royal Albert Hall, introducing us to the world of opera. Mozart is sure that the Horrible Histories audience will love opera, with all its grisly and gruesome stories. But Queen Victoria is not so sure, thinking opera is totally unsuitable for children. In fact, she thinks the audience need to leave at once! Can Mozart change her mind?
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