The Terrible Tudors (Horrible Histories)

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Horrible Histories is the perfect mix of learning whilst having fun. With witty contemporary nods – think Church of England vs. Protestant church portrayed like a Liverpool vs. Man City football match – it isn't just the youngsters who soak up new facts; everyone is in on the enlightening fun. Audience participation in historic rhymes, like "Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived,” provides a jaunty lesson for everyone. That’s fine, but you sense the franchise could be way more subversive if it made the effort: some brief asides about Elizabeth I’s hypocrisy regarding the slave trade feel way more troubling and genuinely informative than the five minutes devoted to explaining that yes, Henry VIII did indeed have his second wife executed. It’s technically a new show, but there have been other ‘Terrible Tudors’ shows before, and they can’t have been that different, given this one boshes through so many of the dynasty’s greatest hits: there’s even a ‘which-side-of-the-audience-can-make-more-noise?’-off to ‘divorced, beheaded, died’. One catchy lyric states: “Henry VIII was a big fat man, loves to stuff his face from the frying pan.” These tunes, including rap interludes, powerful ballads, and catchy show tune-style songs, are playfully scattered throughout the show in just the right doses. They give Horrible Histories zest without overtaking the performance.

Very unlike the beloved CBBC television series, this show only has a cast of two. A fantastic dynamic duo, Emma Swan as Drabb and Neal Foster as Dr. Dee, speed through the Tudor’s grisly history, starting from the murder of Richard III and ending at the death of Queen Elizabeth I. The pair are on stage the entire time, using their expert delivery and comedic timing to engage the audience. When most of the crowd are under the age of 12, it is a difficult feat to entertain them all for 70 minutes, but the pair does so with such ease.

Eines der Hautthemen dieses Bandes der "Horrible Histories" ist Henry Tudor, seine Frauen und seine Kinder. Nicht nur den britischen Schulkindern bereitet diese Patchwork Familie Kopfschmerzen. Hier nun ein witziger Versuch Ordnung in die verschiedenen Henrys, Edwards, Marys und Elisabeths mit Nummern zu bringen. Now let’s leave the filth behind – there’s a lot of that in Tudor England anyway – and return to Shakespeare. I won’t bore you with Shakespearean insults, because you might already know some of them from the multitude of articles found on the internet about this subject; but I’m sure that you haven’t heard of Shakespeare’s curse. Yes, King Tut is not alone when it comes to curses. Some people speculate that plays unknown to us might be buried with Shakespeare’s body, but nobody had the courage to open the tomb and put the curse to the test. Have I stirred your interest a little? Here is the epitaph the bard wrote himself:

In the end, Terry Deary asks the reader if one wants to live in Tudor times. Are we thankful that we live in a different and better era or do we agree with the history books that the Tudor period was the “Golden Age of Good Queen Bess and Jolly Old Henry VIII?” (Loc. 1540)Knowing my love of Tudor history my husband came home one day with this book for me. I was very excited as I had watched several Horrible Histories clips that had been done from the TV show about the Terrible Tudors. They always made me laugh and I was quite excited to learn more interesting facts.

Even I, an adult above the target demographic for the show, had an incredibly enjoyable time. No matter what age you are, you’ll learn and laugh in unison with everyone else. Horrible Histories is the perfect school holiday trip to the theatre: a great blend of absurd jokes and very horrific history.Included among these shows are multiple Barmy Britain shows (parts one to five and the best of!). Besides the Terrible Tudors, there have also been Horrible Histories plays about the Vile Victorians, Awful Egytians, Ruthless Romans, Blitzed Brits and Groovy Greeks. Nottingham and the First World War each have their own show and there has been a Horrible Christmas show! Terry Deary’s spicy histories for tweens are now a sprawling brand as much a coherent series –this latest stage spin-off literally ends with the actors plugging another ‘Horrible Histories’ show, the river-borne ‘Terrible Thames’. The target audience is unlikely to lose much sleep over this. But as an adult who has seen various stage versions over the years,I can’t help butfeel that each new ‘Horrible Histories’show from Birmingham Stage Company (who hold the theatre rights) basically rolls off an assembly line, rather than emerges from years of torturous artistic deliberation. It might be nice to really connect with history, feel like it was speaking to you. The trouble is, everyone’s already dead.

As the title suggests, this book covers the period of history when Tudor monarchs ruled the country. The information is livened up by discussing not just what they did as monarchs, but also their personalities. Interesting stories revealing their personalities are frequently told, and this gives the reader an idea behind the personal motivations of why they behaved the way they did. In addition to each chapter there are several fun and entertaining quizzes which you can take. I found these quite enjoyable and they really tested my knowledge about Tudor history. I especially liked the quiz in which you had to try and match the illness with the treatment that would be given. For example to cure gout a doctor would suggest boiling a red haired dog in oil, add worms, pigs marrow and herbs. Make a mixture and put it on the affected area. Delicious! There’s also a fun quiz at the end of the book in which you can test your overall Tudor knowledge (and yes all the answers are given in case you get stumped!) The duo recounts some horrible events, including Anne Boleyn’s lips moving after her head is chopped off, but the panto-esque humour allows for a lighthearted retelling of these rather gruesome stories. This levity, paired with some incredibly memorable tunes, meant everyone roared with laughter and sang along throughout the performance. Behandelt wird die Zeit von 1485 (Henry VII, Henry VIII Vater) bis 1603 (end of terrible Tudors - in come the Slimy Stuarts]).The Terrible Tudor timeline stretches from the end of The War of the Roses to the last day of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. Besides the Tudor dynasty, you will read about life and death in Tudor times, including awful doctors and remedies that didn’t work, school and rules, crimes, thieves’ slang and punishments, “terrible Shakespeare” (this is how Terry Deary gratulates the English bard), theatre, the mystery of Christopher Marlowe’s sudden disappearance, witches and superstitions, strange food and endless banquets, Sir Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada, life for women and so on. We’re handed leaflets listing Tudor insults (“beef-witted malt-worm” and the like), but the script is far less colourful. Some of the puns are pretty ruff. The Church of England’s split from the Catholic church is briefly replayed as a Liverpool v Man City match but never hits the net. Much better is a comic account of the sneeze that might have inspired Greensleeves. Plus, the wiper of the king’s bottom makes a splash. There is a lot of information presented in this book but it is always interesting to read, so children should find it engaging. You could use this book during a guided reading, where children could demonstrate their comprehension of the text. They could use this book during history or topic work and list key points on the monarchy or England during this period. Fear not, Horrible Histories have you covered. get ready for Terrible Tudors live on stage in the West End. Settle in and meet people from history. There are horrid Henries and an evil Elizabeth, pull up a seat and prepare to hear the lore (and the lies) surrounding the torturing Tudors. Abgerundet wird das Wissen durch kleine Rätsel und Quizfragen um den Lerneffekt zu überprüfen (Wer war Lambert Simnel?).