Blog / Theatres & Shows Blog - Horrible Christmas 17 December 2019 by Visit Blackpool Christmas in Blackpool is offering up a little of something different this year, and your kids will love it! The Horrible Histories books have been the balm to encourage stubborn readers to get their nose in a book for more than twenty years. They've been brought to life on children's TV and the silver screen, and now it's hit the stage! The Horrible Histories provide a meaningful insight into the past in a fresh and funny way, and Horrible Christmas was no exception, with toilet humour and pop culture gags aplenty! We are introduced to Watson, a young boy who witnesses Sydney Claus stealing all his presents left there by Father Christmas as part of a wicked plot to get people to hate Christmas and stop celebrating altogether! With the help of Shirley Holmes (who perplexingly appears from nowhere), Watson and Shirley travel back through Christmases gone by after Sydney Claus to stop him from indelibly altering the past so that our best-loved Christmas traditions never form. The format is really simple, and the show succeeds as a result because the goals are clear and the pair travel through history in reverse chronological order right to the origins of Turkey's St. Nicholas (our favourite part of the show. There are only a few songs. However, the small number allow for good pacing given that the story is a race through time, and the ones in the show are equal parts funny and silly. The performances are energetic and each eccentric character is fully-developed and clearly well-researched when it comes to the historical source material. It's fun, teaches us plenty about our cultural beginnings and has enough panto palava to charm the audience and get them in the festive mood. What a treat! The show is sunning until 29 December, and you can book your tickets here.