Ever wondered what it would look like if Cleopatra, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and a whole bunch of storming Vikings attempted to put on a Shakespeare at the Beacon? If your answer was yes, you’re in luck: Horrible Histories – The Concert is on its way to Bristol, celebrating 20 years of Horrible Histories live on stage. And if your answer was ‘hmm… not sure, that sounds like total madness’, then … well, you’d be completely right. India Farnham catches up with Harrie Hayes, star of Horrible Histories and former Bristol local, to discover why this new live show promises to be “the best kind of chaos”.
Elizabeth I is well known for being the Queen of England with blackened, decaying teeth: a product of her obsession with sugar and a signifier of her wealth. But do you know which sugary snacks were her favourite? Well, as she (played by Harrie Hayes) tells viewers in season 11 of Horrible Histories in a gameshow-esque monarch playoff with her old man, Henry VIII, she thoroughly enjoyed gingerbread, and once asked her chefs to make her gingerbread versions of all her courtiers.
This is exactly the kind of delightfully unnecessary, slightly bonkers and often overlooked historical information that CBBC’s BAFTA-winning live-action sketch show Horrible Histories has been delivering to our screens since 2009. It’s the stuff that humanises these iconic historical figures, their silly interests, their disgusting habits, their hilarious failures – the “stuff they don’t teach you at school”, as the theme song promises.
It’s a winning concept. Horrible Histories, based on the bestselling novels of the same name by Terry Deary, is an absolute institution of British children’s TV. Now onto its 11th series, the programme is still one of CBBC’s most popular brands. Never underestimate the force of poo and wee jokes. Deary’s gorgeously grotesque stories have also come alive on stage thanks to the Birmingham Stage Company, who have produced the incredibly successful Horrible Histories live stage shows since 2005.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Horrible Histories Live on Stage and to celebrate such a theatrical milestone, for the very first time, the TV cast and the theatre cast will be joining forces Avengers-style for an all-singing, all-dancing stage production written by the TV series’ writers Ben Ward and Claire Wetton.
Harrie has been part of the TV cast since 2019, and in that time has played countless classic characters such as Anne Boleyn and Marie Antoinette (the latter being one of her favourites, “her whole look is pretty iconic”), as well as appearing in Horrible Science.
With all that experience, doing it live should be a piece of cake?
“Well, a big room full of excited kids who’ll be joining in, singing along and interacting with the show is very different from making TV,” she tells me, mid-rehearsals.
But despite there being theatre-specific challenges to overcome (“rapid costume changes, full choreography and no chance to re-do it if we mess up the lines!”), she’s looking forward to the new element of audience interaction: “The live shows are going to be chaos in the best way with the kids there. I reckon it’s going to feel like a massive Horrible Histories-themed party. It’s a celebration of the much-loved characters and songs, as well as the loyal fans who are the reason we make it in the first place.”
A royally good laugh
For the show, Harrie will be trying her hand at some new roles, but also dusting off the aforementioned sweet-toothed Elizabeth I. Harrie is excited to bring her back: “I love playing Elizabeth I because she is just so childish and bossy, but also funny and silly. I love the costume, I love doing the voice, and I love being annoying, which I think she was a lot of the time.”
Speaking of costume, Elizabeth I had a very strong, erm, look, what with her halo-like auburn hair and painted white skin. I wonder what part of the get-up eases Harrie into character the most?
“For Elizabeth I it’s always the ruff and ‘wings’; they restrict your movement and vision in such a way that you are forced to focus only on what’s in front of you. It all makes me move in a different way than normal and I’ve been told it can be quite intimidating.”
Queen Liz also happens to be one-half of a musical duet that Harrie is particularly looking forward to with King Phillip of Spain, Ruinous Rivals, who originally appeared in series 10 of the show; “Ethan Lawrence and I had so much fun shooting the version for TV and the stage version has all the original rock energy with added oar choreography. ‘Oarography’! They both loved their ships so we thought it’d be nice to incorporate that.”
Now, I think I’ve kept this fairly chill so far, but I’m actually somewhat of a Horrible Histories stan myself, particularly the early series. I was seven when the TV show first aired, making me pretty much the ideal target market for a toilet joke.
Naturally, I still know all the words to Born 2 Rule, the Westlife-esque power ballad sung by King George IV, III, I & II in series one, and am very excited about Dick Turpin’s return to the stage, which obviously has absolutely nothing to do with my childhood crush on Matt Baynton, who played him.
For this reason, I was delighted to hear that Harrie will be bringing some true Horrible Histories icons to the stage, who were originally played in the early TV series by some legendary cast members (Stupid Death, originally played by Simon Farnaby and Boudica, originally played by Martha Howe-Douglas, to name but two). So, I simply had to ask her how much does she use the original actors’ representations of these figures as inspiration for her own interpretation?
“Recreating much loved characters is obviously a bit intimidating,” she tells me. “But as a fan of those earlier series myself,” she continues, “I hope I’ll be channelling some of the brutal tough girl performance Martha brilliantly gave as Boudica. Then with the character of Death, we’ve decided that there’s no topping Simon’s hilarious take, so for the live show his ‘sister’ will be stepping in and she’s just as tickled by people dying in stupid ways, especially if they involve poo…” Well, thank goodness for that.
Harrie is speaking to me with about two months until Horrible Histories – The Concert begins its UK-wide tour, beginning in Darlington before heading our way. Rehearsals are very much underway, and Harrie tells me there’s “a lot of laughter” involved with perfecting the show. I ask her if there’s been a priceless blooper moment in rehearsals that she’d like to share with us?
“Absolutely! The place we’re rehearsing has chickens living in a big pen just outside. One day, someone cracked the door open to get some fresh air. When we arrived back in the room, a couple of brazen chickens were strutting their stuff on the dance floor. We’re still working on a way to incorporate them in the show but between you and me, their agents are being very difficult.”
Bizarre Bristol
When the tour stops in Bristol (30-31 January) it’ll be something of a homecoming for Harrie, who, like all the best people, lived here for many years and also studied acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Where did she like to hang out in the city, I wonder? “I moved around a bit while I lived in Bristol. I started in Redland then Bedminster and Easton. I was a big fan of the Sweet Mart when I lived in Easton. I also spent a lot of time at the Watershed watching indie films. I worked at Papadeli on Alma Road for years and every single thing they cooked or sold there was absolutely delicious.”
To state the obvious, Bristol is of course a deeply historical city, with its past of maritime trade, street art and activism. And some of its history is probably a bit horrible (Colston, that’s you mate). Harrie suggests that the show could probably do a whole Stupid Deaths sketch just about Southmead’s Pen Park Hole cave: “I don’t know what’s going on down there but it sounds like a lot of people met untimely ends inside”.
I ask Harrie if she could bring one of her characters on a day out in Bristol, who would she choose and where would she take them?Perhaps she’d take Anne Boleyn up to Clifton Observatory, or Boudica to the pub on busy King Street?
“What a brilliant idea; let’s take Boudica down to King Street! You know what would be really fun though, taking her up to some of the lovely establishments in Clifton Village, I think she’d ruffle a few feathers. She could take her army up to the Downs for a bit of marching practice and all.”
I can’t help but wonder if fans of both show and series can look forward to any more collaborations between the Horrible Histories stage and screen team? “A one woman show,” Harrie jokes, “Elizabeth I on stage!” Well, lock up your gingerbread courtiers. Liz is coming for ya.
Horrible Histories – The Concert will be at Bristol Beacon from 30-31 January. Tickets are available from bristolbeacon.org
