Horrible Histories and Sorry I've Got No Head

Horrible Histories and Sorry I've Got No Head are both shows on CBBC, a children's network run by the BBC. Yes, they are intended for kids. They are also genius.

Let's start with Horrible Histories. It sort of has the same feeling as Bill Nye the Science Guy, except it's about history and more sketch based. But, like Bill Nye, it presents educational material in such a fun and entertaining way that you almost forget you're learning something.

For example, The Wives of Henry VIII:


Go on, tell me you're not going to be humming,"Divorced, beheaded and died... divorced, beheaded, survived..." for the rest of the day.

Want some more? Here are a few more of my favorite clips from Horrible Histories:
New! Victorian Child! (with the shouty man)
The 4 Georges: Born 2 Rule
Stupid Deaths: Edmund II
Wife Swap: Spartans and Athenians
Crazy Caligula
Anglo Saxon Ordeals
Prisoner of War Escape
Stone Age Tools
There are a ton more as well... just search for Horrible Histories on YouTube and go nuts!


Sorry I've Got No Head feels like Kids in the Hall for... well... kids. It's extremely clever and funny. It's also better than any episode of Saturday Night Live I've seen in the last decade.

Here's a sketch with a recurring character; the Witchfinder General:

WITCH! WITCH! WITCH! WITCH!

Here are a few other sketches, for your perusal:
A Thousand Pounds!
French Exchange Student
The Fearsome Vikings
Waveman
Billy the Imaginary Friend Sketch
Footballers Speech Disorder
Blueberry Woman
More of the Witchfinder General
I've also found a full episode (one I haven't seen yet!)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

And of course, as with Horrible Histories, there are a lot more clips available via YouTube.

So there you have it. Two excellent bits of children's programming that adults can enjoy as well. I wish we'd had these in the States!