Did you know that the Victorians invented films? Not only that, but one of the first stars of the moving image was Queen Victoria! Using real footage recently restored by the BFI, this special show takes a Horribly Historical look at the Victorians’ obsession with film. We see some of Queen Vicky’s very first filmic appearances (also featuring an initially reluctant Tsar Nicholas I), and also how the Victorians became obsessed with filming everything, from their holidays abroad to strapping cameramen to the front of a moving train (using only ropes) to make ‘Phantom Ride’ films.\n\nAlong the way we also meet the Lumiere brothers (one of whom looks a lot like First Dates' Fred Sirieix), Kaiser Wilhelm II, notable Victorian actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree, and we see that the Victorians were also early adopters of Fake News. The episode ends with a show-stopping song that traces the evolution of film from the Victorians’ first forays through to the blockbusters we see in the multiplexes today.
Source: CBBC
Series 9: 12. Henry And Liz's Family Face-off
Terrible Tudors King Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I bicker about who was the best ruler. Henry had a mechanical dragon kite, but Liz had a flushing toilet.
04-07-2025
CBBC
Series 11: 7. Monstrous Mothers
From terrifying Spartan mums to hidden Victorian mums, via Queen Victoria and Cleopatra, Horrible Histories looks at some of history’s most monstrous mothers.
04-07-2025
CBBC
Series 9: 11. Monstrous Myths
Count Rattula guides us through some of history’s greatest myths and monsters, including Henry VIII’s Robin Hood obsession and ancient ghostbusters.
03-07-2025
CBBC
Series 11: 6. Enormous Empires
With everything from mid-battle diarrhoea to a warlord taking over a geography class, take a journey charting the rise and fall of some of history’s biggest empires.
03-07-2025
CBBC
Series 9: 9. Diabolical Daily Life
Daily life can be a bit of a grind, but not as much as it was in the past! Rattus takes us round the clock, revealing daily routines throughout history, from waking in Ancient E ...
02-07-2025
CBBC
Series 11: 8. Rat-o-vision Song Contest
If you watch one Song Contest this year, then make sure it’s the Eurovision Song Contest! But if you watch two, then look no further than this Rat-o-vision special, as Rat ...
17-05-2025
CBBC
Series 3 - Episode 9
Historical sketch show. The Vikings launch an advert, Queen Elizabeth I surprises her court with some very odd laws and the Aztec priests sing their gruesome disco song.
30-11-2023
CBBC
Series 3 - Episode 4
Historical sketch show. A modern detective tries to solve a series of murders in Emperor Caligula's house, King George IV meets his dead relatives and other historical high jinks.
23-11-2023
CBBC
Series 11: 7. Monstrous Mothers
From terrifying Spartan mums to hidden Victorian mums, via Queen Victoria and Cleopatra, Horrible Histories looks at some of history’s most monstrous mothers.
04-07-2025
CBBC
Series 5 - Episode 9
Historical sketch show. Mighty Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramesses II, meets some smelly peasants on Historical Wife Swap.
31-05-2025
CBBC