Last Updated on August 12, 2025
Christmas entertainment for all the family
A Christmas theatre trip played a huge part in my own childhood and is a family tradition that I have continued to keep with my children, usually in the form of pantomime. This year however we ventured out to see something a little different – Horrible Christmas – Horrible Histories. This show ticks all the festive entertainment boxes with a refreshing combination of historical facts about Christmas along with classic pantomime fun. Our family are great fans of the Horrible Histories series. Author Terry Deary has written over 100 Horrible History titles, now recognised as one of the world’s bestselling non-fiction books for children. These classic historical tales have also been turned into a CBBC television series, and a movie and the Birmingham Stage Company, who are one of the leading theatre companies specialising in family theatre, have collaborated with Deary to bring an exciting slice of history to the stage.
Our family have previously enjoyed seeing the Terrible Tudors and the brilliant Barmy Britain series in London’s West End. The latest show Horrible Christmas has been visiting the Barbican Theatre London over Christmas, as well as Birmingham Symphony Hall and The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.
The show is directed by Birmingham Stage Company’s founder Neal Foster who also plays the role of Dad in the show. It is simply set with four giant Christmas trees dressed in sparkle and a backdrop of twinkling lights. The story begins on Christmas eve when Wendy (Lydia-May Ashton) takes a sneaky peak at her presents from the under the tree, where she discovers a “boring” book and a much-desired meerkat toy. However, the book opens a whole new chapter, one in which Christmas comes under threat from a not-so-jolly man dressed in red – Sydney Claus (Benedict Martin) and Buster (Jake Lomas) his reindeer henchman, who are determined to get the festive holiday cancelled forever.
Wendy with the help of detective Shirley (aka Sherlock) Holmes travels back in time to try and save Christmas. On their journey they discover everything from Victorian villains to Medieval monks, Puritan parties to Tudor treats. First stop the Victorians who have lost interest in Christmas, here they find themselves in the company of Charles Dickens, who manages with their help to write the heart-warming tale A Christmas Carol – a book of hope which brings back the festive spirit. Next, they come face to face with Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans who don’t believe in fun, however, King Charles II brings back the merriment with his rapping. On to King Henry VIII with his wife Katherine Howard some serious feasting and finally to a monk named St Nicholas in 300AD, where it all began in a place named Patara which is now known as Turkey.
Time travel is depicted with very garish and unpleasant flashing lights which unfortunately washed out the projections at the rear of the stage which counted down the years. Regardless of this, my young companions loved the madcap antics performed by an energetic cast who deliver silly jokes and catchy tunes, with lots of audience participation and some interesting historical facts about Christmas. Horrible Christmas is the perfect festive treat for all the family…and it’s bound to be back next Christmas!
If not, we also recommend the ongoing ‘wicked river tour’ from Horrible Histories – Terrible Thames.
Barbican Centre, Silk St, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS
https://www.birminghamstage.com/shows/terrible-thames/about-the-sho
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