Horrible Histories Live (and Dead)!: The Concert – Sunderland Empire

Based on the books by Terry Deary

Writers: Ben Ward and Claire Wetton

Music and Lyrics: Richie Webb

Director: Neal Foster

There’s a slightly frantic edge as the crowd fills the stalls. The last days of the Easter holidays bring frazzled parents to the Sunderland Empire for a whirlwind tour through time.

Horrible Histories Live (and Dead) is in town, and it feels like every primary school in the area is represented in the audience. Word perfect in the songs, excited to see familiar TV faces in the flesh, the kids know what to expect.

The show absolutely leans into that anarchic atmosphere. While there is a plot of sorts, conjured up by none other than the “Tudor Taylor Swift” himself, William Shakespeare, that’s nothing to dwell on. Like a junior version of a jukebox musical, it’s merely a vehicle to lead us from one smash hit song to the next.

If you’ve managed to escape the Horrible Histories phenomenon – where were you? the Dark Ages? – you’ll quickly learn that writer Terry Deary favours a loud, irreverent poke at the past. No nobleman gets away without being undermined, no cheap fart gag is beneath us. The emphasis is on fun facts, ideally involving outrageous cruelty or bodily functions. Next to your reviewer, junior spends a couple of hours giggling heartily as we hop from Henry VIII to Queen Victoria via Vikings and the 14^th-century Mali Empire.

Which is where older viewers get a surprise. Your reviewer would expect to laugh, but hadn’t anticipated learning much. And while I Like to Spend It, Spend It might not have been on Sunderland Uni’s history syllabus, it gave a quick insight into Mansa Musu and the rise of West African culture. Meanwhile, a larger than life performance from Inel Tomlinson, one of many much-loved names from the CBBC shows, had the kids dancing in the aisles.

Tomlinson wasn’t the only stand-out. Richard David-Caine is one of the longest-serving Horrible Historians. His Shakespeare is a polished performance that manages to feel largely improvised – a trick that keeps the whole show carefully treading an exhilarating tightrope. Ethan Lawrence as Henry VIII has the best role in the show (and possibly in English history) as the royal with the most romp-tastic tale to tell. Harrie Hayes, whose Elizabeth I channelled a big slice of Blackadder II seasoned with a splash of Cate Blanchett, also produced a neat cameo as Death in dad’s favourite Stupid Deaths section (they’re funny ‘cause they’re true!).

Amid all the giggles, Richie Webb’s music deserves special mention. For the kids, it’s the engaging daftness of the lyrics that strikes; mums and dads can enjoy picking out references from their own hit parades. And it’s not always the obvious: if Dick Turpin stands and delivers a hint of Adam Ant, Boudica’s discreet nod to M’s Pop Muzik – Colchester, St Albans, London, everybody talk about dead Romans – draws a wry smile from the older generation.

But while the show is about the oldies, it’s not really for them. To achieve Victoria-like longevity rather than a run shorter than Lady Jane Grey’s, it all depends on capturing the imagination of the primary school crowd. So the last word goes back to year four. Breathless, eyes shining: “That was amazing, dad! Even better than the panto.”

Runs until 18 April 2026