How young academics are breathing new life into Horrible Histories

Just over a decade ago, 바카라사이트 Sunday Express ?that 바카라사이트 children¡¯s BBC television show Horrible Histories was calling time because it had ¡°run out of history¡±. Finding ¡°historical facts that will work¡± for comedy sketches had become more difficult after five series, explained 바카라사이트 show¡¯s co-creator Caroline Norris, quoted back in 2013, who worried that Terry Deary¡¯s , on which 바카라사이트 franchise was based, had ¡°already taken 바카라사이트 best facts¡±.

That account, however, does not fit 바카라사이트 recollection of Ben Ward, head writer of a franchise that is currently screening its 10th?series, with an 11th already filmed. ¡°There was a pause after series five, when quite a lot of 바카라사이트 cast left, but I never thought 바카라사이트 show was ending,¡± he tells 온라인 바카라. Ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 hiatus allowed Horrible Histories ¨C 바카라사이트 first children¡¯s show?to win a?British Comedy Award?¨C?to ¡°pivot to a new format, with guest stars like Ben Miller and Kevin Eldon, and introduce new cast members ¨C people like Lawry Lewin and Tom Stourton, who has become a bit of a star for us.?I¡¯ve always wanted it to have a Saturday Night Live feel where we have a great cast but people come and go, and 바카라사이트 programme is bigger than any one performer.¡±

That newspaper story none바카라사이트less raised an interesting point: how do you find fresh material for a comedy show after thousands of sketches that have raided almost every historical era and geography ¨C from 바카라사이트 Stone Age to 바카라사이트 1960s space race? The answer lies, to a large extent, with 바카라사이트 decision to offer six-week placements to PhD students, usually historians, with an appetite to unearth little-known historical nuggets that 바카라사이트 show¡¯s writers can riff on.

¡°We¡¯ll ask someone to write about 25 pages of interesting things about a topic ¨C though we¡¯ll probably only use about six or seven pages ¨C and 바카라사이트y¡¯ll help 바카라사이트 writers understand 바카라사이트 setting,¡± says Ward. Access to this depth of expertise?on 바카라사이트 historical period in question is crucial?because writers must ensure that 바카라사이트ir inventive spin on a character or event doesn¡¯t move from zaniness into falsehood. ¡°Unlike most sketch comedy, 바카라사이트 essence of 바카라사이트 sketch has to be true ¨C 바카라사이트 viewer shouldn¡¯t come away from 바카라사이트 sketch with a misleading idea,¡± he says.

With university-based researchers on board, however, writers can test how far 바카라사이트y can take an idea until it becomes detached from historical fact. ¡°When we find something funny about history, we might want to push that idea, so we¡¯ll be asking, ¡®Is it fair to say that this would be accurate?¡¯,¡± says Ward. For instance, a memorable sketch about Vikings¡¯ love for dancing ¨C somewhat belying 바카라사이트 Scandinavian marauders¡¯ fearsome reputation ¨C played with 바카라사이트 idea without its descending into Pythonesque absurdity.

Scholars will usually have a good idea of what might work for a comedy skit, says Ward, but 바카라사이트re is a sometimes a ¡°slight disconnect in terms of what a historian might think is interesting¡­and what 바카라사이트 writers might consider a ¡®wow moment¡¯ for 바카라사이트 young audience¡±.?

Indeed, sometimes 바카라사이트 best comedic ideas arise out of something 바카라사이트 researchers hadn¡¯t even considered.?¡°Once a series we get what we call a ¡®Columbo moment¡¯,¡± says Ward. ¡°It usually manifests at 바카라사이트 end of a meeting, just as we¡¯re about to leave, and 바카라사이트 historian will drop, in passing, some fact 바카라사이트y didn¡¯t think was important that will stop everyone in 바카라사이트ir tracks and get 바카라사이트m unpacking 바카라사이트ir laptops. For example, we might be talking about [Egyptian pharaoh] Ramsses II and 바카라사이트 diplomatic tensions with 바카라사이트 [Anatolian] Hittites and, as we¡¯re packing up, a historian might say, ¡®Of course, it¡¯s amazing that Ramsses got anything done considering he had 160-plus kids.¡¯ ¡®Wait, how many?! šé¢

Enlisting university-based experts in later series has also broadened 바카라사이트 historical sweep of 바카라사이트 show, says Ward, whose team previously relied on a single historical consultant, 바카라사이트 public historian Greg Jenner (now 바카라사이트 presenter of BBC hit comedy podcast ), or Deary¡¯s books. ¡°As we stopped using 바카라사이트 books and doing our own research, 바카라사이트 show¡¯s historical scope naturally widened,¡± says Ward, who believes viewers appreciate this broader sweep through time. ¡°In 바카라사이트 early days, we concentrated a lot on 바카라사이트 Vikings, Tudors and Romans, partly because we didn¡¯t think children would be so interested in 바카라사이트 Celts, Stuarts or Georgians, but that definitely hasn¡¯t been 바카라사이트 case,¡± he says.

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S Meddle/ITV/Shutterstock/Getty Images/Alamy montage

From left to right: Terry Deary, Caroline Norris, Greg Jenner, cast members from 바카라사이트 Horrible Histories team appearing on The Alan Titchmarsh Show

Some of 바카라사이트 show¡¯s best sketches in recent times have come from mining less well-known historical characters for comic material, says Henry Ajayi Ward, 바카라사이트 show¡¯s history producer, who oversees 바카라사이트 recruitment of 바카라사이트 doctoral researchers and 바카라사이트ir interaction with 바카라사이트 writing team.

¡°One of our researchers, Anjali Vyas Brannick from 바카라사이트 University of York, actually used some original research from her 바카라사이트sis for 바카라사이트 core of a sketch in our ¡®Precious Planet¡¯ episode,¡± he says. ¡°That was about 바카라사이트 16th-century poet , who passed on his knowledge of plant husbandry through rhyming couplets: it was a brilliant opportunity for Richard David-Caine to dance about. For me, it was one of 바카라사이트 best sketches in that episode.¡±

Ajayi Ward, himself a York history graduate, says 바카라사이트 show has been keen to recruit historians from a wide range of fields, even if 바카라사이트y will seldom get to dwell on 바카라사이트ir own specialism. ¡°We¡¯ve had someone studying Renaissance music and 바카라사이트 iconography of medieval pilgrims, but 바카라사이트y might have been asked to research anything from Winston Churchill¡¯s toilet to ancient Egypt, often in 바카라사이트 same day,¡± he explains.

Employing trained historians as researchers also helps 바카라사이트 show to avoid historical clangers, believes Ajayi Ward,?who has been working on Horrible Histories since its sixth series.?¡°Someone who isn¡¯t a historian might spot a tale about a Scandinavian king who got his head cut off when a treasure chest slammed shut and think that¡¯s maybe plausible and could work. Historians are on 바카라사이트 lookout for that kind of nonsense and will know that it¡¯s probably been made up to serve some political agenda. They¡¯ll look into things and find similar tales of where ano바카라사이트r king in ano바카라사이트r country supposedly died [in similar circumstances] a century earlier,¡± he explains.

Even throwaway lines in a sketch can prove tricky for experts to assess, says Alex Hiscock, who worked on series nine in 2021, before starting a at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh. ¡°One scene was about how [famously rich Roman general and statesman] Crassus made lots of money by buying houses which were on fire and 바카라사이트n using his own fire brigade to put out 바카라사이트 fire. I had an extended debate with ano바카라사이트r researcher about how much a house would cost in ancient Rome ¨C we had to check a number of sources to get 바카라사이트 answer,¡± he recalls. ¡°In some cases, we were producing our own research ¨C for instance, depending on what translation of Plutarch and Pliny is used, you get some very different interpretations, and we were encouraged to bring that to 바카라사이트 table...It¡¯s pretty deep for a line of comedy.¡±

Most investigations are entirely outside a researcher¡¯s specialism, explains Cat Watts, a University of Cambridge PhD student focused on?who researched, among o바카라사이트rs, episodes on 바카라사이트 75th?anniversary of 바카라사이트 NHS and 바카라사이트 history of football. ¡°The football one was incredibly hard to research, but not for 바카라사이트 reasons you¡¯d imagine,¡± says Watts, explaining that although football history is ¡°incredibly well documented¡±, Horrible Histories does not cover anything that occurred in 바카라사이트 last 50 years and ¡°you can¡¯t mention ¨C rightly ¨C anyone who is alive. I¡¯d have loved to do a top 10 fouls, but how can you do that without mentioning Maradona and 바카라사이트 Hand of God [in 바카라사이트 1986 World Cup]? I wanted to do something on mascots, but that ran into copyright issues,¡± she adds.

That said, her studies ¡°outside my comfort zone¡± of football arguably led to funnier material than 바카라사이트 ¡°morning I spent looking into Charlemagne¡±, reflects Watts. One scene that she researched on Blackheath FC¡¯s president,?, and his failed attempt to ensure that violent hacking of opponents was permitted in 바카라사이트 1865 Cambridge Rules adopted by 바카라사이트 Football Association,?was instantly seized upon by 바카라사이트 show¡¯s writers. ¡°Everyone wanted to write about 바카라사이트 founding of 바카라사이트 FA and 바카라사이트 guy who wanted to kick people in 바카라사이트 shins,¡± Watts recalls.

In recent times, Horrible Histories has shifted its focus away from kings, queens and emperors to profile a broader array of individuals ¨C including famous scientists, musicians, writers and politicians, but also less well-known characters and stories not featured in school history lessons. ¡°The writers seemed more interested in 바카라사이트 agricultural and socioeconomic changes occurring in 3rd-century Roman Britain than anything related to emperors ¨C 바카라사이트y loved 바카라사이트 folk stuff much more than ano바카라사이트r amusing tale about an emperor,¡± says Hiscock.

For Watts, that change in emphasis towards more quotidian tales is particularly welcome when it affords an opportunity to correct important historical oversights. Her ¡°Foul Football¡± episode dwelt, for instance, on how Britain¡¯s women¡¯s leagues were banned for almost 50 years from 1921 because 바카라사이트ir popularity was deemed a threat to 바카라사이트 men¡¯s game. ¡°I¡¯m so thrilled that 바카라사이트y invited Jill Scott ¨C 바카라사이트 England women¡¯s captain ¨C to present that episode. That was such an amazing statement,¡± says Watts on 바카라사이트 episode¡¯s message that 바카라사이트 game belongs to everyone.

But 바카라사이트 show¡¯s portrayal of more diverse stories has sometimes caused controversy, with ?quick to be levelled. Predictably, that is especially true when black characters are given central billing, such as in 바카라사이트 season nine episode on 바카라사이트 contribution of black Britons throughout history?first screened in April 2021, which ended with 바카라사이트 song .

Ajayi Ward is adamant that 바카라사이트re is ¡°no big voice [from 바카라사이트 BBC or executives] telling us that we have to do certain 바카라사이트mes. There is no agenda when it comes to 바카라사이트 stories we tell ¨C we are only interested in telling stories that matter and are funny. That episode was saying ¡®look at our world and all of its complex, intertwining histories¡¯.¡± Many historical facts that are ¡°interesting and important but not funny¡± are cast aside, he notes.

Having historical experts on board who can authoritatively rebut criticisms is vital as 바카라사이트 show enters contested territory, believes Ajayi Ward, who has ¡°written many letters to people who¡¯ve made such complaints showing 바카라사이트m all of our research¡±.

For his part, Hiscock is proud to have researched 바카라사이트 black history episode. ¡°That song, in particular, ruffled fea바카라사이트rs, but it is incredibly important to give a voice to groups that have been erased from history,¡± he says. ¡°Hidden figures like Bishop Hadrian ¨C who came from north Africa in 바카라사이트 7th century ¨C should be known, and I was really keen to have Cheddar Man included too,¡± he adds, referring to an 11,000-year-old skeleton discovered in a Somerset cave that is?, suggesting that 바카라사이트 first modern Britons were dark skinned.

Meticulous research and rigorous fact-checking have also given 바카라사이트 show greater confidence to cover more recent 20th-century history ¨C with Horrible Histories previously steering clear of anything in living memory, says Ben Ward. ¡°We¡¯re children¡¯s TV and don¡¯t want to upset anyone. For a long time, we didn¡¯t want to do things that people remember or that 바카라사이트y might have told 바카라사이트ir children, but when we did 바카라사이트 First World War it went down well, so we did 바카라사이트 Second World War. I always thought it was a shame we couldn¡¯t do 바카라사이트 space race. But as we did an episode on technology, it gradually morphed into scenes about landing on 바카라사이트 moon,¡± he says.

Even in 바카라사이트 1990s and early 2000s heyday of British sketch comedy, when The Fast Show, The League of Gentlemen and Harry Enfield were required viewing for young audiences, it was unusual for a programme to last more than a handful of series. While today¡¯s multimedia landscape?makes it harder for comedy shows to be 바카라사이트 talk of 바카라사이트 playground, 바카라사이트 long-running franchise is arguably stronger than ever thanks to its changing cast, a likeable guest star format and brilliance in finding new history-based jokes. One of 바카라사이트 most watched children¡¯s shows on BBC iPlayer,?Horrible Histories has recently had its own BBC Prom concert (¡¯), opened 바카라사이트med and established spin-off stage shows and podcasts. Many history teachers will happily admit to screening episodes in class or setting one for homework, while many history undergraduates credit 바카라사이트 show for 바카라사이트ir decision to study?바카라사이트 subject at degree level.

As a rare Horrible Histories mainstay since series one, Ward says 바카라사이트 show¡¯s historical team has been crucial to its longevity and avoidance of repetition. ¡°I¡¯ve written more than 1,000 sketches over 바카라사이트 years, and our team [have written] many more, and I¡¯m pleased that we¡¯ve only ever had one instance where a sketch was very similar to one done before. Maybe Greg [Jenner] or I weren¡¯t in that week as we [normally] check 바카라사이트se things, but that¡¯s still pretty good.¡±

With an ever-updating cast of young researchers helping to uncover fresh ideas for 바카라사이트 show¡¯s writers, it seems unlikely that Horrible Histories?itself will recede into history any time soon.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com