Horrible Science Coming to CBBC

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Lion Television, producer of Horrible Histories, has been commissioned to produce Horrible Science for CBBC, BBC iPlayer and BBC Bitesize.

The new show, similar to Horrible Histories, will feature sketches that bring together fun facts, silly songs and jokes to delve into science of the past, present and future. In a first for BBC Children’s and Education, Horrible Science will also have episodes linked directly to the U.K. 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. In addition, BBC Bitesize Primary will feature 25 curriculum-linked sketches of these themes and songs from the 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.

Horrible Science is inspired by the best-selling and award-winning Horrible Science book series written by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles. It is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026.

Lion Television, part of All3Media, has already begun production on Horrible Science, and the brand is set to launch in 2025.

“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,” said Patricia Hidalgo, director of BBC Children’s and Education. “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.”

“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 humor together with awesome and gruesome science facts,” commented Simon Welton, director of entertainment at Lion Television. “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.”

Arnold said, “It’s amazing to think that nearly 30 years since Horrible Science revolutionized 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.”

De Saulles added, “It has been an honor 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.”