Horrible Histories maker, Lion Television and BBC Children’s and Education are launching a new addition to the ‘Horrible’ brand with Horrible Science.
Horrible Science is a new TV show with curriculum-linked education resources running across CBBC, BBC iPlayer and BBC Bitesize.
Horrible Science “will be packed full of the much-loved sketches, bringing people together to enjoy fun facts, silly songs and jokes which are synonymous with the hit series Horrible Histories. It will delve into the incredible science of the past, the present, and the future as we explore our planet and the universe beyond, to bring Horrible Science to life.”
Horrible Science will extend beyond a new TV show with episodes linked directly to the National Curriculum. Five of the episodes will be themed around key primary science topics: materials and states, forces and motion, light, sound and electricity, earth and space and working scientifically. BBC Bitesize Primary will feature 25 curriculum-linked sketches of these themes and songs taken from episodes. These sketches will support BBC Bitesize’s resources across the KS2 curriculum and form part of the Bitesize Primary guides, which include text, illustrations, photos, infographics, interactive games, quizzes and activities to be used in the classroom and at home.
Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children’s and Education, says: “We know children and adults love learning about the past with Horrible Histories and we want to bring that magic formula of comedic excellence and educational value to Horrible Science. And for the first time we’re creating education resources for teachers and students to use in classrooms together with a brilliantly entertaining show to enjoy at home – highlighting our commitment to entertaining and educating young audiences beyond what we’ve ever done before.”
Horrible Science will be made by Lion Television, part of All3Media, the team behind the multi award-winning Horrible Histories TV show, which has just celebrated its 15th anniversary. The new series is inspired by the bestselling and award-winning Horrible Science book series written by Nick Arnold, illustrated by Tony De Saulles, and published by Scholastic, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026.
Production of Horrible Science has begun, and the brand will launch in 2025.
Simon Welton, Director of Entertainment, Lion Television: “This is a fabulous experiment: creating a comedy chemistry that’ll help inspire the next generation of young scientists, by mixing a Horrible cocktail of silly humour together with awesome and gruesome science facts. We’ve been having a great deal of fun creating a host of new characters during the writing process, and I can’t wait to start filming.”
Nick Arnold, author of Horrible Science, says: “It’s amazing to think that nearly 30 years since Horrible Science revolutionised children’s science books – it’s crawling off the page and onto the screen for a new TV series. Since I began writing Horrible Science, I have been thrilled to hear from young and old that my yucky books sparked an enduring interest in science. I can’t wait to see the new TV comedy series bring Science alive for the new generation.”
Tony De Saulles, illustrator of Horrible Science, adds: “It has been an honour and a delight to be illustrator for the Horrible Science series since our first title in 1996. How exciting to think that parents who enjoyed our books when they were young will soon be able to watch Horrible Science on CBBC with their own children.”
The series was commissioned by Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children’s and Education and Sarah Muller, Senior Head of Commissioning and Acquisitions 7+ with Melissa Hardinge, Senior Commissioning Editor. Education resources were commissioned by Helen Foulkes, Head of BBC Education.
Picture shows: (L-R) Richard David-Caine and James McNicholas (Image: Eleanor Howarth)
Jon Creamer
Share this story
