REVIEW
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
HORRIBLE HISTORIES LIVE ON STAGE!
BARMY BRITAIN - THE BEST BITS!
RETURNS TO THE WEST END FOR A SECOND SUMMER SEASON BY POPULAR DEMAND
The most beloved Horrible Histories stage spectacular is back playing the greatest hits!
Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London
30 July – 31 August 2026
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
HORRIBLE HISTORIES LIVE ON STAGE!
BARMY BRITAIN - THE BEST BITS!
RETURNS TO THE WEST END FOR A SECOND SUMMER SEASON BY POPULAR DEMAND
The most beloved Horrible Histories stage spectacular is back playing the greatest hits!
Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London
30 July – 31 August 2026
You will laugh out loud and learn some interesting facts
If you are having a day out in London with the children this school holiday then take them to see Barmy Britain. You won’t regret it, not only is it very funny for the kids but the grownups love it too. What’s more you might learn something.
Did you know that towns that end in ‘by’ like Derby are Viking names, towns ending ‘borough’ are Saxon and the more familiar ‘ester’ names are Roman? Well you do now.
The show based on the Terry Deary Horrible Histories on TV is a two hander with Emma Swan and Neal Foster who also directed the show. They launched into horrible facts, singing and whipping up the audience with Morris Dancing, tales of murder, death and that old children’s favourite ‘Poo.’ In fact, when the team asked if anyone wanted some poo for the garden the children’s hands couldn’t go up quickly enough.
Emma (Queenie) and Neal (Rex) bounced off each other with lots of ad libbing and interaction with the audience. Emma wanted to change the title to Happy Histories, but as the stories unfold you realise that wouldn’t fit the bill.
All the historical figures were there. Guy Fawkes participated in a Who Wants to be a Millionaire quiz asking a friend and going fifty fifty. There was a send up of The Only Way is Essex, jokes about women not being able to win anything (except football) which brought a cheer. Tales of body snatchers killing off their lodgers, Dick Turpin the highwayman hiding in York, who foolishly sent a letter home and the postman recognised his writing. We heard about William the Conqueror, King John and his Magna Carta and gory details of how to cure the plague with the exuberant fart jokes that had everyone, particularly the children, rolling in the aisles. They finally ended with Victorian night soil collectors ‘poo’ again.
One lad ended up in the stocks because he wore the wrong kind of clothing in Tudor times and there were many audience singalongs with songs like ‘Big Bad Boudicca,’ raps, street dances and others.
This high-energy show was over far too soon with everyone wanting more, as it is only 70 mins with no interval.
The performances are daily during the holidays at the Apollo Theatre, which is staging a production of the comedy, The Truth in the evenings, so look out for the Horrible Histories advert outside.
Review - Jacquee Storozynski-Toll
Booking Info
Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EZ
Thursday 31 July 2025 - Sunday 31 August 2025
Performances 2pm with some days 12pm and 3 pm
0330 333 4809
Groups
0330 333 4817
Access
0330 333 4815
The Apollo Theatre Box Office is open Monday to Saturday 10am – 12pm until the evening show starts (on performance days)
Ticket Pricing
Tickets From £19.50
Prices include a 65p restoration levy
Family ticket (4 tickets bought together)
Mon - Thu £94
Sat - Sun £114
@hhliveonstage, @chuffmediapr #barmybritain #westend #summerfun
Did you know that towns that end in ‘by’ like Derby are Viking names, towns ending ‘borough’ are Saxon and the more familiar ‘ester’ names are Roman? Well you do now.
The show based on the Terry Deary Horrible Histories on TV is a two hander with Emma Swan and Neal Foster who also directed the show. They launched into horrible facts, singing and whipping up the audience with Morris Dancing, tales of murder, death and that old children’s favourite ‘Poo.’ In fact, when the team asked if anyone wanted some poo for the garden the children’s hands couldn’t go up quickly enough.
Emma (Queenie) and Neal (Rex) bounced off each other with lots of ad libbing and interaction with the audience. Emma wanted to change the title to Happy Histories, but as the stories unfold you realise that wouldn’t fit the bill.
All the historical figures were there. Guy Fawkes participated in a Who Wants to be a Millionaire quiz asking a friend and going fifty fifty. There was a send up of The Only Way is Essex, jokes about women not being able to win anything (except football) which brought a cheer. Tales of body snatchers killing off their lodgers, Dick Turpin the highwayman hiding in York, who foolishly sent a letter home and the postman recognised his writing. We heard about William the Conqueror, King John and his Magna Carta and gory details of how to cure the plague with the exuberant fart jokes that had everyone, particularly the children, rolling in the aisles. They finally ended with Victorian night soil collectors ‘poo’ again.
One lad ended up in the stocks because he wore the wrong kind of clothing in Tudor times and there were many audience singalongs with songs like ‘Big Bad Boudicca,’ raps, street dances and others.
This high-energy show was over far too soon with everyone wanting more, as it is only 70 mins with no interval.
The performances are daily during the holidays at the Apollo Theatre, which is staging a production of the comedy, The Truth in the evenings, so look out for the Horrible Histories advert outside.
Review - Jacquee Storozynski-Toll
Booking Info
Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EZ
Thursday 31 July 2025 - Sunday 31 August 2025
Performances 2pm with some days 12pm and 3 pm
0330 333 4809
Groups
0330 333 4817
Access
0330 333 4815
The Apollo Theatre Box Office is open Monday to Saturday 10am – 12pm until the evening show starts (on performance days)
Ticket Pricing
Tickets From £19.50
Prices include a 65p restoration levy
Family ticket (4 tickets bought together)
Mon - Thu £94
Sat - Sun £114
@hhliveonstage, @chuffmediapr #barmybritain #westend #summerfun
Ask the Audience
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Wren Aged 6 years
It is very good for children. The best bit was when they put that boy in the stocks. I loved singing the songs. |
Arya Aged 9 years
I would love to come and see it again. It was very funny and I loved the poo jokes best. |
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“The Horrible Histories stage shows have become a bit of a British institution” The Guardian
***** “History’s never been more gruesome or full of fun!” London Theatre 1
**** “A fun, fact-filled summer treat – it’s a scream!” Broadway World
***** “History’s never been more gruesome or full of fun!” London Theatre 1
**** “A fun, fact-filled summer treat – it’s a scream!” Broadway World
This summer, Birmingham Stage Company returns to London’s West End with the funniest, fearsome and most farcical facts from British history in Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain - The Best Bits! a non-stop romp through our nation’s remarkable past.
Celebrating 21 years of Horrible Histories Live on Stage and an incredible 15 years in the West End, this special anniversary production brings together the greatest hits from the legendary Barmy Britain series for a riotous month-long run at the Apollo Theatre.
From Thursday 30 July to Monday 31 August, it’s the perfect treat for families looking to make the most of the school summer holidays before school sneaks back in!
Audiences can expect all the glorious gory highlights: from gunpowder Guy to the notorious Nightsoil Men. Will you survive the putrid plague? Dare you stand up to cruel King John? Or escape the clutches of villainous Burke and Hare? It’s a wild ride through Britain’s barmiest moments, packed with facts, fun and fabulous figures!
A perfect first theatre trip for young audiences and a treat for grown-ups who love their history horrible, the show is recommended for ages 5 to 105 (please note 106-year-olds may not like it)!
Celebrating 21 years of Horrible Histories Live on Stage and an incredible 15 years in the West End, this special anniversary production brings together the greatest hits from the legendary Barmy Britain series for a riotous month-long run at the Apollo Theatre.
From Thursday 30 July to Monday 31 August, it’s the perfect treat for families looking to make the most of the school summer holidays before school sneaks back in!
Audiences can expect all the glorious gory highlights: from gunpowder Guy to the notorious Nightsoil Men. Will you survive the putrid plague? Dare you stand up to cruel King John? Or escape the clutches of villainous Burke and Hare? It’s a wild ride through Britain’s barmiest moments, packed with facts, fun and fabulous figures!
A perfect first theatre trip for young audiences and a treat for grown-ups who love their history horrible, the show is recommended for ages 5 to 105 (please note 106-year-olds may not like it)!
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Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain - The Best Bits! is directed by Neal Foster, featuring Emma Swan and Neal Foster, designed by Jacqueline Trousdale, with lighting by Jason Taylor, sound by Nick Sagar, music by Matthew Scott and choreography by Kenn Oldfield. Based on the bestselling books by Terry Deary – the world’s top-selling non-fiction author for children – Horrible Histories has sold over 36 million copies in 45 languages. Deary’s delightfully dreadful stories have come alive on stage thanks to the Birmingham Stage Company, one of the world’s top theatre companies for families. They have produced all the Horrible Histories live stage shows since 2005 both in the UK and worldwide, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They are currently touring their acclaimed production of Horrible Histories – The Concert. X: @HHLiveOnStage / Facebook: birminghamstage / Instagram: @HHLiveOnStage Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain - The Best Bits! Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7EZ Box Office: 0330 333 4809 barmybritain.com Nimaxtheatres.com Tickets from £19.50 (excluding fees), Premium & Family tickets available |