Horrible Histories: Gory Games

Horrible Histories: Gory Games

Title logo
Genre Game show
Directed by Dominic Brigstocke (2011 - 2013)
Presented by Dave Lamb
With
John Eccleston
Scott Brooker
Starring Simon Farnaby (Series 1 - 3)
Jim Howick (Series 1 - 3)
Terry Deary (Series 1 - 2)
Laurence Rickard (Series 1 - 3)
Martha Howe-Douglas (Series 1 - 3)
Ben Willbond (Series 1 - 3)
Theme music composer Richie Webb
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 3
No. of episodes 41
Production
Producer(s) Candida Julian-Jones
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Citrus Television/Lion Television
Release
Original network CBBC
Original release 30 May 2011
External links
Website

Horrible Histories: Gory Games is a children's game show, co-produced by Citrus Television and Lion Television for CBBC, that debuted in 2011. It is a spin-off of hit children's sketch comedy Horrible Histories and is a product of the same creative team.

Game play

Gory Games is co-hosted by comedian Dave Lamb and Rattus Rattus, the rat puppet who also "hosts" the parent series. The show revolves around "horrible facts".[1] Gameplay involves three child contestants (called "Horrible Historians") trying to obtain "Year Spheres" by completing either an historically-themed physical challenge or a quiz. Each Year Sphere contains a year which is either A.D. or B.C.. If it is A.D., the year is added to the player's score at the end of the show; if B.C., it is subtracted from it. The player with the highest overall score after three rounds is the winner.

The games are divided into six categories: "Brainy", "Messy", "Scary", "Silly", "Death" (hosted by Death himself) and "Gory". Quiz questions manifest as either multiple-choice or true-or-false questions and may be asked either by Lamb, Rattus, a live-action or animated character from that period, or—in Series 3 and Series 4—Death. "Prop questions" are also asked.

Similarly to its parent series, the games are grouped under randomly selected historical eras or civilisations based on Terry Deary's original books. To date the eras used in Gory Games are:

Cast members from the parent show make frequent cameo appearances as the historical questioners, as does Horrible Histories author Terry Deary.[2]

Episodes

To date three series have been aired across 2011-2013.[3][4]

Series 3 was re-edited in 2014 under a play-along format with an accompanying downloadable app from the CBBC website. Series 1 was also re-edited in 2016 under the play-along format.

Series 4 has been announced.[5]

Reception

Julia Raeside of The Guardian commented that the show has "no bleepy, flashy nonsense", and added that it "would have enthralled 20 years ago and is all the better for it."[6]

Awards and nominations

In 2013, the show was nominated for a Children's BAFTA award in the category of Entertainment.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Preston, John (5 June 2011). "Terry Deary interview". London: The Telegraph.
  2. ↑ "Horrible Histories writer Terry Deary to be torchbearer". BBC News. 9 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "Episodes from Horrible Histories: Gory Games: Series 1 broadcast in 2011". Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  4. ↑ "Episodes from Horrible Histories: Gory Games: Series 1 broadcast in 2012". Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/gory-games-2015-be-on-a-show
  6. ↑ Raeside, Julia (30 May 2011). "Tonight's TV highlights". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
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