We Speak to Neal Foster About Horrible Christmas, the Festive Horrible Histories Extravaganza at the Royal Concert Hall

Hi Neal. So, what can audiences expect from the show?
It's the story of how Christmas came to be what it is today. There are an awful lot of traditions at Christmas time but most of us have no idea why we do them or where they came from. Horrible Histories is coming to take people on a journey through history covering the pivotal moments that created Christmas as we know it.

We meet Sydney Claws who pretends to be a bad Santa. Following a bad experience of Christmas he goes back through history to the moments that shaped our modern Christmas traditions, to see if he can destroy Christmas forever. There are lots of horrible facts along the way and the show is very funny and rude in places. You’ll laugh, but you’ll also leave knowing an awful lot about why we celebrate Christmas the way we do.

My nine year old is a huge fan of Horrible Histories and one of her questions, ‘when is it set’ but it sounds like it's a broad sweep of history?
Exactly. We examine many Christmas traditions and how and when they first came about. For example, we go to Charles Dickens' house to see him having the idea for A Christmas Carol. We go back to the Puritan times when they banned Christmas, then forward to Charles II to see him restore it. In Tudor times we find out that Henry VIII championed the eating of turkey, and if you’ve ever wondered why we exchange presents at Christmas, you’ll discover that we have Saint Nicholas to thank for that. We even end up back in Bethlehem, where it all started. We visit these glorious historical periods with all these extraordinary characters (and some fantastic costumes, I might add).

Am I right in thinking you're both directing and acting for this production?
That's right. It's a challenge but I’m surrounded by people who I can trust, so you're not on your own, you're doing it with a team. I recently did the BBC prom at the Royal Albert Hall over the summer, called ‘Orrible Opera which I directed and acted in. That was a major challenge because I was dealing with an orchestra, chorus and opera singers. But the key is to bring everybody with you. It's worked so far and it's really, really enjoyable because it stretches you to the max.

You mentioned the ensemble, the team. Can you tell us a bit about Birmingham Stage Company?
Well, we've been going for 31 years. We've got some actors in this show who've been with me for over twenty years but also three new actors. But most of our actors have been in Horrible Histories shows, so they really know how it works. But established or new, they are all lovely people with a real sense of fun, who really understand the style, because Horrible Histories is a very specific style.

An entry point for a lot of people will be the CBBC series, although the books obviously pre-date that. Is it quite faithful to the spirit of the TV series?
Yes, I think it is. The opera we just did at the Albert Hall was the first time we've worked together as a cast. But because we started with the books, we matched up very neatly in understanding how we wanted to tell the stories through the medium of Horrible Histories. Everything we do is very, very similar because we're all hugely inspired by Terry's great books.

What’s Terry (Deary – the creator of the Horrible Histories series of books) like?
He's one of the most remarkable people. His enthusiasm and dedication, and the sheer energy he puts into every Horrible Histories project are remarkable. He's always been that way. Age has done nothing to diminish his enthusiasm and his care.

Are there any Nottingham connections amongst the cast or crew?
Well, I only live forty minutes away from Nottingham, in north Warwickshire. Actually, when I first launched my company - before it became Birmingham Stage Company - I toured Nottinghamshire with a show about DH Lawrence, who of course was from Eastwood in Nottingham. Does Mapperley ring a bell?

Just up the road from me…
Well, prior to the DH Lawrence show, Mapperley hosted my first ever play. I recently found a poster for it which reminded me that I put it on at Mapperley village hall. So, Nottingham has always been an important place for us. As a company we regularly perform at the Theatre Royal. We’ve performed there consistently for the last twenty years. We love Nottingham audiences.

Do you have a favourite Horrible Christmas fact?
Can you believe that the Puritans - who really didn't like Christmas because they thought it was blasphemous - banned mince pies?! I think that's quite strict. I mean, ban Christmas by all means, but leave our mince pies alone. I also like the fact that Henry VIII banned all games on Christmas Day. The only games you were allowed to take part in were archery and leaping and vaulting.

Your version of Horrible Christmas has become a bit of a Christmas institution I hear?
Yes, it all started with the production at the Derby Playhouse in 2013, and we’ve toured it virtually every year since then. We even managed to tour it during Covid. We were the only show that toured the whole of Christmas on that first year of Covid because we toured it outside, in car parks and at race courses.

Thankfully lockdowns and tiers are distant memories now, but as the tier system started to creep up around Christmas, they started shutting down the South, then the Midlands. We were the only show left performing on New Year's Eve because we managed to be further North and we were outside. Everyone came and sat in their cars and watched the show, listening through their car radios. We performed it on the back of a big lorry with a big video screen.

So in some ways this show, which is all about saving Christmas, saved Christmas for us in 2020 and 2021. Literally tens of thousands of people saw it, and it was their only theatre experience during that difficult time. It was amazing how the public came out. I think we completely sold out the whole tour in about two days. It was a fantastic experience. So yes, it's been with us more than ten years now and it's a very important part of our experience as a theatre company.

Over the last decade, have you had any memorable audience moments?
Keir Starmer came to see the show in London. He enjoyed it! We've had the royal family come to see some of our other shows. We sometimes interact with our audiences and during one show we go into the audience with a water pistol. I think Elton John got a liberal squirt in the face. So yes, even if you're famous you're still not safe at our productions.

What's next for the company?
We’re off to Bahrain with our West End production of Terrible Tudors. And we're doing our big production next year which is David Walliams’ Awful Auntie which we’ll be touring and, almost certainly I think, bringing to Nottingham.

Obviously you’re bringing the show to Nottingham during Panto season. Could it be an alternative to going to a panto this year?
Definitely. There are lots of pantomime elements. There's a Christmas sing along and it's full of jokes and songs. It's got a lot of the fun elements you’d expect from a Christmas show. But because it’s the story of Christmas, I think in many ways it’s the quintessential Christmas show. You’re hearing the story of Christmas and you're meeting these extraordinary historic characters through the lens of Horrible Histories.

Well, I’ll be there with two very excited young fans.
I’ll ask Henry VIII to say hi - though don’t expect him to save you a mince pie. See you there!

Get your tickets for Horrible Christmas at the Royal Concert Hall on 27 December 2023

trch.co.uk/whats-on/horrible-christmas