The Guardian view on Horrible Histories:
laughing to learn
Silly, subversive and scatological, the show has transformed children’s TV. It deserves its special Bafta award
Fri 6 Dec 2024 17.55 GMT
□ □ □
The Guardian view on Horrible Histories: laughing to learn
《卫报》对《可怕的历史》的看法：从笑中学习
Silly, subversive and scatological, the show has transformed children’s TV. It deserves its special Bafta award
这部剧集滑稽、颠覆、粗俗，彻底改变了儿童电视节目。它理应获得英国电影学院奖
Fri 6 Dec 2024 17.55 GMT
2024 年 12 月 6 日 星期五 17.55 GMT
“It must be horrible, funny and true,” the writer Terry Deary said of adapting his multimillion-selling children’s books series Horrible Histories for TV. First aired on CBBC in 2009, the show is now into its 11th series. Last week it added a Bafta Special Award to its nine children’s Baftas and two British Comedy Awards (the only children’s show to win in that category to date). The International Prix Jeunesse named it the best non-fiction children’s show of the last 50 years.
“我“它必须既可怕又有趣，而且真实，”作家特里·迪瑞在谈到将他畅销数百万的儿童读物系列《恐怖历史》改编成电视剧时说道。该剧于 2009 年首次在 CBBC 播出，目前已播出到第 11 季。上周，该剧又获得了英国电影学院奖特别奖，此前已获得九项儿童电影学院奖和两项英国喜剧奖（这是迄今为止唯一获得该奖项的儿童剧）。国际青年奖 将其评为过去 50 年来最佳非虚构儿童剧。
Silly, subversive and obsessively scatological, Horrible Histories is more successful than an educational comedy sketch show for kids deserves to be. An unholy mix of Blackadder and Monty Python, it has transformed children’s television. There have been spin-off films and plays across the country, two riotous Proms and a grisly river tour along the Thames.
《恐怖历史》愚蠢、颠覆性、令人着迷的猥亵，它的成功程度超过了一部面向儿童的教育喜剧小品节目应有的水平。它是《黑爵士》和《蒙提·派森》的邪恶结合，彻底改变了儿童电视节目。它还在美国各地上映了衍生电影和戏剧，举办了两次喧闹的逍遥音乐会和一次泰晤士河沿岸的恐怖河流之旅。
A generation of children can now recite the kings and queens of England thanks to the 2011 Monarchs’ Song, remixed for the coronation in 2023. Other greatest hits include Norman Style, in which William the Conquerer shows off his Gangnam Style moves and Born 2 Rule, sung by boyband the 4 Georges. Boudiccca has become a mini-feminist anthem, and Beatrix Potter, Enid Blyton, Jacqueline Wilson and Malorie Blackman come together in the Storyteller’s Little Mix sketch: “a hero can be a she-ro too!” No wonder kids give it full marks.
得益于2011 年的《君主之歌》，这一代儿童现在可以背诵英国国王和王后的歌曲，该歌曲在 2023 年的加冕典礼上进行了重新混音。其他最热门歌曲包括《诺曼风格》，其中征服者威廉展示了他的江南风格舞步，以及由男孩乐队四乔治演唱的《生来统治》。 《布狄卡》已成为一首迷你女权主义颂歌，比阿特丽克斯·波特、伊妮德·布莱顿、杰奎琳·威尔逊和马洛里·布莱克曼在《讲故事者的小混合》小品中齐聚一堂：“英雄也可以成为女英雄！”难怪孩子们给它满分。
It is undeniably horrible and funny, but is it true? It might not be AJP Taylor, but Horrible Histories prides itself on ensuring accuracy is never sacrificed for a good rhyme or gag. And it’s not just tights and togas. As the show’s executive producer, Richard Bradley, has said, “Horrible Histories has a political dimension with a small p.” At a time when the curriculum and literary canon are under intense scrutiny, the show gives a lighthearted take on the most serious issues.
不可否认，这部剧既恐怖又搞笑，但这是真的吗？也许不是 AJP Taylor 的风格，但《恐怖历史》引以为豪的是，它确保了准确性，绝不会因为押韵或搞笑而牺牲准确性。而且，它不仅仅是紧身衣和长袍。正如该剧的执行制片人理查德·布拉德利所说，“ 《恐怖历史》带有政治色彩，只是 p 有点小。”在课程和文学经典受到严格审查的时代，该剧对最严肃的问题进行了轻松的解读。
It is unafraid to take on the darker aspects of history, consistently championing the representation of women and diversity (with sketches on pioneering figures like Rosa Parks and Mary Seacole), and tackling Britain’s colonial legacy. Although Deary does not write the sketches, the books take a similar stance. In an interview for his first book for adults, A History of Britain in Ten Enemies, published in October, he said he loathed the British empire “with a passion”.
这本书无所畏惧地直面历史的阴暗面，始终支持女性形象和多样性（书中描写了罗莎·帕克斯和玛丽·西科尔等先锋人物），并探讨了英国的殖民遗产。虽然这些素描不是迪瑞写的，但这些书都采取了类似的立场。在10 月份出版的第一本成人读物《英国十大敌人史》的采访中，迪瑞表示他“非常”憎恨大英帝国。
In 2020, the Daily Mail accused Horrible Histories of “trashing Britain” after airing, on the day Britain left the EU, the archive song British Things, in which Queen Victoria’s servant sings: “Your British things are from abroad and most are frankly stolen.” (The sketch stars Sarah Hadland, who has swapped Victorian mourning dress for sequins as a contender in this year’s Strictly.)
2020 年，《每日邮报》指责《可怕的历史》节目“诋毁英国”，因为节目在英国脱欧当天播出了纪念歌曲《英国的东西》，维多利亚女王的仆人在歌中唱道：“你的英国东西都来自国外，坦白说大部分都是偷来的。”（该小品的主角是萨拉·哈德兰，她将维多利亚时代的丧服换成了亮片，作为今年《舞动奇迹》的参赛者。）
In fact, Horrible Histories is a very British phenomenon, part of a long tradition of self-parody. This may explain why the model hasn’t been copied abroad. Fifteen years after it first exploded on our screens, there is still nothing like it.
事实上，《恐怖历史》是一部非常英国化的影片，是英国长期以来自我嘲讽传统的一部分。这或许可以解释为什么这种模式没有被国外效仿。在它首次在银幕上爆红 15 年后，仍然没有一部影片能与之媲美。
Children’s television is in crisis. With more choices of entertainment at their fingertips than ever before, young viewers have been migrating to online platforms. But Horrible Histories continues to thrive. Next spring, the team is releasing Horrible Science – expect more blood, poo and death. Why change a winning formula? With its unofficial motto “laugh yourself smart”, the show is a tonic for our anxious times.
儿童电视节目正陷入危机。随着娱乐选择比以往任何时候都多，年轻观众纷纷转向在线平台。但《恐怖历史》仍然蓬勃发展。明年春天，该团队将推出《恐怖科学》——预计会有更多的血腥、粪便和死亡。为什么要改变成功的模式？这部节目的非官方座右铭是“让自己开怀大笑”，它是我们焦虑时代的一剂良药。
/////////
