Original subtitles

♪ Terrible Tudors Gorgeous Georgians

♪ Slimy Stuarts, vile Victorians Woeful wars, ferocious fights

♪ Dingy castles, daring knights

♪ Horrors that defy description Cut-throat Celts, awful Egyptians

♪ Vicious Vikings, cruel crimes Punishment from ancient times

♪ Romans, rotten, rank and ruthless Cavemen, savage, fearsome, toothless

♪ Groovy Greeks, brainy sages Mean and measly Middle Ages

♪ Gory, ghastly, mean and cruel

♪ Stuff they don't teach you at school

♪ The past is no longer a mystery

♪ Welcome to Horrible Histories. ♪

Horrible Histories presents...

In 1948, the British government invited

hundreds of us black men and women from the Caribbean

to come and work in the UK.

We famously sailed over in a ship called the Empire Windrush.

Although some people might think we were the first black people

to come here, there have actually been people of African descent

living in this country for thousands of years.

In fact, back in ancient Rome,

soldiers were sent all the way from warm north Africa

to protect the very chilly north of England.

Are you a Roman subject from one of the north African provinces?

Are you tired of the c-c-constant Mediterranean sunshine?

Then join me in the Aurelian Moors here at Hadrian's Wall.

I can't feel my hands.

You'll be part of this glorious unit,

and all you have to do is guard this wall

against the C-C-Caledonians on the other side.

CLANK

Can you not do that?!

MAN IN DISTANCE: Oh, sorry, pal!

Just let us know when you're ready to be skewered, OK?

Thank you.

Actually, do you have a j-j-jumper I can borrow?

I'm not really used to the cold.

CLANK

Ta!

You'll have the time of your life here in northern England,

learning about new things like...

..rain.

Y-You may think you've seen rain,

but you haven't. Not like this.

Join us - the Aurelian Moors.

THUNDER CRACKS

MAN IN DISTANCE: Oh, do you want another jumper now?

Over the centuries, many black people have helped make

modern Britain the country we live in today.

In Saxon times, there was a north African monk called Hadrian,

who helped to grow Christianity in England.

Hadrian came over when his mate Theodore

was made Archbishop of Canterbury.

But Hadrian could've had the job himself.

Check it out, Hadrian - Canterbury Cathedral.

It's got the big windows and the carvings

and the big chair with the...cushions.

This is an impressive room, Theodore.

And it's all mine, baby, thanks to the Pope.

Oh, this was so worth the wait.

Yeah, although did we really have to wait four months in Italy

for your hair to grow before coming?

Worth every day. This bangs. Well...

What does it do? It bangs, Your Excellency.

It bangs, he knows.

Oh, Archbishop of Canterbury - top job in the English Church.

All this, and the Pope Italian chose me. Number one on his list.

Well... Don't do it. It's just, you weren't really first.

He did ask me to do the job, but I said,

"No, Your Holiness, I'm happy about being an abbot in Naples."

"The man you want is Theodore." Well, yeah, thank you.

But anyway, I'm still top two. Well, I really should mention...

No, you shouldn't mention. There's no need to mention.

There was that monk called Andrew that I recommended first,

and he said no because he was too old.

I wasn't even the first person you recommended?

But I... Well, I-I was one of the first three people that...

Well... Oh!

The Pope did ask me a second time before asking you.

OK, so he asked three people before me. I'm OK with it.

That we know about. I'm top five?

I think top ten might be safer. Oh!

Did you turn it down, too?

I'd rather not say.

Carvings are very nice.

CHURCH BELL RINGS

By Tudor times, many black people had come to England,

like me, Catalina of Motril,

servant to Her Majesty, the Queen of England, Catherine of Aragon.

My mistress expects nothing but the best linens and silks,

and the best service.

So being one of her personal maids is an extremely important job.

But what did we have to do? Did we...

The answer is A. FARTING AND SPLASHING

CATHERINE OF ARAGON: Catalina, I'm ready!

And B. FARTING CONTINUES

I'd really rather not talk about the dog.

LOUD FART

I don't even know if that was the dog or her.

Some black Tudors had great jobs, though,

like expert diver Jacques Francis,

who was so highly skilled he was employed to help King Henry himself.

CATHERINE OF ARAGON: And I've lost my rubber ducky! Come and find it.

I am one of the top west African divers.

I can nip down to the harbour floor and be back in a moment.

What are you looking for? Oh, you know, a few coins,

some trinkets and 76 cannons.

I'm sorry, did you say cannons?

The smaller stuff is great, but our employer...

Whoa! ..Henry VIII, is going to want those cannons sooner or later.

See, I'm mostly trained to dive for little things like pearls.

Well, you're lucky I'm not asking you to raise the whole ship, no?

Whoa. The King's flagship, the Mary Rose,

she sank here off the coast of Portsmouth.

They already tried and failed to raise the ship.

Now the King just wants all his cool stuff back.

How am I supposed to lift a cannon?

Er, you're the expert.

Whoa!

Whoo! That wasn't easy. Only 75 more to go.

Oh! And while you're down there, see if there's any other valuable stuff.

I can sell it, and the King need never know.

Ah, Corsi, there you are! Oh, hello, Your Majesty.

Ha! Yo, what's up? Pretty psyched about the whole boat thing.

Your Majesty... Whoa! A talking fish.

What? I'm not a fish.

Yeah, you must be. I just saw you swimming.

People don't swim. If God had meant us to swim,

he'd have given us flippers, or oars, or sails, or fins.

I know it's unusual here in England.

But where I'm from, west Africa, swimming is quite common.

I can swim right to the bottom of the sea.

Oh, ho, ho, ho! Whoa! Man who swims!

Yes, Your Majesty. Anyway, I should really get back to work,

because he wanted me to find some stuff he could sell

without you knowing.

Actually, that reminds me.

Some people were looking for you.

Something about someone selling someone else's things

from a shipwreck or something.

I wasn't really listening, to be honest.

Swim for it!

Rod! Thank you, Rodney.

Argh, argh!

Francis. Your Majesty.

Do I have the bod for swimming?

Huh? Yeah, I thought so.

By Tudor times, we were living and working in England

at many levels of society.

But I'm afraid it was also the start of one of the most shameful periods

in British history.

The English began to get involved with the slave trade,

and even Elizabeth I was encouraged to take part by a sea captain

called John Hawkins.

Will you be pitching a new venture to the Queen today, Captain John?

Why, yes, Tudor servant person.

I have a most wonderful business opportunity

that Her Maj would be crazy to pass up on.

You want to do a run-through with me before you go in?

Erm...sure. Er, a little practice can't hurt, can it?

So, my merchant ships will travel between these three points

in a sort of triangle formation, making a profit at each stop.

It's a win, win, win...lose.

Erm, sorry. Did you just say "lose"?

Yes. Anyway, we'll start off taking fun stuff like pearls,

ginger and sugar from the new world here.

Oh, that's wonderful. Her Majesty just loves sugar.

I know. And then we'll bring them here to Britain.

And then we take metal, gunpowder and guns from here in Britain

and sell them in Africa here.

And on the final leg from Africa to the New World,

we make a huge profit selling... HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

S... Er, I was with you, but I'm a bit lost now.

What exactly are you picking up in Africa? Oh, was...was...

Wasn't I clear? Oh, I'm sorry. In Africa we will be collecting...

HE CLEARS HIS THROAT ..and selling them in the New World.

You just did it again. What are you getting in Africa?

Erm...people.

What?! So you want to capture people, pack them in ships,

take them across the Atlantic in horrible conditions,

then sell the ones that survive? And their children.

And their children?! To work without pay in the New World

for the rest of their lives? Erm...yeah.

I mean, when you put it like that, it sounds quite horrible.

Ugh, you're a tankard-half-full kind of guy, aren't you?

Her Majesty will not go for this.

She's well-known for being against the idea of forced enslavement.

What you are suggesting is both evil and reprehensible.

Thank heavens our ruler is one of sound moral compass.

She stands to make £10,000 from each trip we make.

She's going to go for it, isn't she?

Hm, methinks yes. DOOR OPENS

FROM BEHIND DOOR: Oh, John! Nice to see you.

Your Majesty!

The misery people will inflict for money.

And that misery continued for hundreds of years,

with millions of people being taken from their homes in Africa.

But some people thought it was terrible to treat human beings

like property. And by the late 18th century,

there was a growing campaign against slavery.

A number of MPs led by William Wilberforce

worked to stop this dreadful practice.

And outside Parliament, campaigners included a group

of brilliant black political writers known as the Sons of Africa.

♪ We are not putting down our pens We are not putting down our pens

♪ We're the same as the white guys We're smart, dapper and baptised

♪ And we're not putting down our pens

♪ Imma send a letter to the Prince of Wales

♪ I could shout or punch but I prefer to use Royal Mail

♪ The trouble is I write a lot of words to no avail

♪ Gain supporters, get press And every night a boat sails

♪ I'm a black guy in Britain A free man, once a slave

♪ Hope my actions form a pave My book, man, it's a fave

♪ Got power in my pen and my speech won't falter

♪ We Sons of Africa get bolder

♪ I shouldered that I was kidnapped Sold to bondage

♪ The empire's hostage I built upon my knowledge

♪ Not been easy if I'm honest

♪ The plan - make abolition cool among the dames

♪ A lot of letters floating round So let me spell out my name

♪ I'm the...

♪ No, we're not meant to be

♪ A group of brothers kept from opportunities

♪ Meanwhile, Britain keeps stealing us endlessly

♪ Yo, slavers, we're fighting back Yo, slavers, we're fighting back

♪ You're so behind with the times Your actions will be crimes

♪ Yo, slavers, we're fighting back

♪ They can't go

♪ Don't you see?

♪ I'd have less money if the slaves were free

♪ Tell them, "No, we'd have to pay"

♪ We must not let our conscience get in the way

♪ Nah-da-da-da-da

♪ Hey! Da-dee-da-dee-da-dee-da-da

♪ Writer and barber, I lead Sons of Africa and schmooze in the parlour

♪ We make the economic case to abolish the slave trade

♪ Stop the ships now Then we all get paid

♪ Cruelly, they make us work for free

♪ And we're banned from taking part in democracy

♪ They ain't gonna let kids of Africa just be

♪ So we write letters to stop ships going out to sea

♪ Geniuses, keep up the writing

♪ Maintain the pressure in the law We'll keep fighting

♪ Are you not a man and a brother?

♪ We'll get the votes we need

♪ If not this time then another

♪ We are the Sons of Africa

♪ You can't deny our lives matter The slave trade we will shatter

♪ We're the Sons of Africa

♪ We are the Sons of Africa

♪ You can't deny our lives matter The slave trade we will shatter

♪ We're the... ♪

Thanks to dedicated people like the Sons of Africa and Wilberforce,

in 1796, Parliament finally decided to call for a vote

on ending the slave trade.

But some MPs had more important things to do.

Thomas, fancy seeing you here.

A production of The Two Hunchbacks. I wouldn't miss it.

I love opera. Oh, me too.

Love a bit of opera!

But I thought you'd be at Parliament,

the important anti-slavery vote. Yeah, well, you're not there either.

Besides, I'm not going to miss The Two Hunchbacks

just to end slavery in the British Empire.

We'll have plenty of votes without the two of us. Four.

There's George and Simon in the box opposite.

Yeah, well, they're still only missing four votes.

This night will be famous as the night

that the slave trade was ended in Britain for good.

And for a jolly good production of The Two Hunchbacks.

You don't think they might lose the vote without us?

No! Every MP with a conscience will be there.

There'll be, erm, Toby. Oh, there's Toby.

Yeah, well, Stephen, Bartholomew. Over there.

Barty! Stevo!

FROM BELOW: What up?!

Well, Peter, Alexander, Jacob, John?

Yeah, they're all here, too.

Do you think we need to go and vote?

Hm...

Ending slavery...

Tickets to The Two Hunchbacks...

They'll probably win without us.

MAN: We lost the vote 74-70.

The slave trade is still legal in the British Empire.

Yeah, well, there'll be another vote soon.

Oh, dear. Wilberforce won't be happy. We'll need to cheer him up.

Tickets to the opera. Great idea!

I am Olaudah Equiano.

I was kidnapped and enslaved in Africa, taken to Barbados,

then to America, then England, then the West Indies.

Then finally, in 1766, I was able to buy my own freedom

with the money I managed to earn.

I became a sailor,

a traveller,

hairdresser and an activist.

My autobiography was a huge success.

I became a free man in 1766,

but the trading of slaves continued until 1807,

and the slaves themselves weren't freed in the British Empire

until 1833.

So tell me - what happened to the slave owners

when the slaves were freed? Were they...

The answer's C! In total, the owners were given £20 million,

because the enslaved people were considered the owners' property.

And guess how much the newly freed 800,000 ex-slaves got?

Nothing.

I mean, I know freedom is priceless, but come on!

Even though the slave trade was outlawed in Britain

and things were starting to improve for us,

over in America, slavery continued.

It's no wonder many black Americans found it easier to make their mark

here in Britain.

Britain's first black boxing superstar!

I was born into slavery, but I fought my way out!

He escaped America for the UK.

He is Bill Richmond!

King George IV hired me to be a doorman at his coronation.

I don't care if you are the Queen. This list says no.

So this boxer...bouncer says you are not going in

to see your husband crowned. Now off you go.

Next!

I am the pugilist with the flying fist.

But don't ask me about my fight against my big rival, Tom Cribb.

Oh, actually, can I ask? What did happen in your fight with Tom Cribb?

Oh, right. I see.

Ow!

Hi, I'm Phillis Wheatley. Welcome to the launch of my book -

Poems On Various Subjects, Religious And Moral.

I'm in London, as people didn't seem keen

on publishing my book in America.

Not at all angry about that.

Poet Pete says, "Did you really write the book?"

OK, I know some of you have a problem with the idea

that a black woman could write a book,

because a black woman's never had her poems published before.

So let me be clear - I wrote the poems myself.

Cribbage Daemon asks - "Who really wrote the book?"

I just explained that. I wrote it.

I and my work have been examined by a panel of experts in America

and it has been confirmed. So can we please move on?

Abolition says - "I bet she didn't write it."

I wrote it. Black women can write poems.

Deal with it!

Monsieur Voltaire - blue tick. The most famous French writer ever.

I am honoured.

"As a fellow writer..." Yes.

"..I am enormously impressed by your work."

Thank you.

"You are an example to us all."

Stop it.

"But some people were asking, is it absolutely true that you wr..."

I don't know why I bother.

And another famous American who came to Britain to make his name

was Ira Aldridge.

♪ I did so much way back when

♪ Started acting in the States But they didn't want men like me

♪ Oh, no, except for slavery

♪ So I travelled on a boat across the Atlantic sea

♪ Was 17 and the Brits had no problem with me

♪ Oh, no, their law said I was free

♪ Acted in London, Liverpool and Brighton

♪ Edinburgh and London Hull and London... ♪

There were more theatres in London.

♪ Oh, I did so much Was on an acting spree

♪ I toured the whole country but I settled in Coventry

♪ Oh, yes, they really liked me

♪ My acting so impressed everyone

♪ Round Coventry Theatre aged only 21

♪ Oh, I done so much and not done dough

♪ I went back on the stage when I played Othello

♪ Oh, yes, in the West End-o

♪ But I did more than that as a matter of fact

♪ Campaigned passionately against all slavery

♪ Changed our society for black people like me

♪ And that wasn't easy. ♪

Hello, there. I'm Ignatius Sancho,

and despite being born on a slave ship in 1729,

I became the first black male writer

to have my work published in England.

And as a landowner, I was the first black Briton ever

to be able to vote in a British election.

I'm awesome.

So, why did I remove my clothes in a London club?

Was it...

The answer is C.

I lost them in a card game. MAN: Come on, and the socks.

I did a lot of great stuff. I just had a bad night playing cards, OK?

I said socks! I'm doing it, Your Highness.

There were many black celebrities in Britain

in the 18th and 19th centuries.

But one of the most famous was the nurse Mary Seacole,

who risked her life tending to wounded soldiers

during the Crimean War.

♪ Me name Mary Seacole Famous nurse to the Crimean boys

♪ No, me not Florence Nightingale That mix up, me annoys

♪ Me learned my skills in Jamaica where my mother nursed the sick

♪ And I think it's my destiny, child, to be a war medic

♪ If you need it put a massive plaster upon it

♪ If you're bleeding shouldn't be disaster for it

♪ If your leg broke going to need a cast on it

♪ If you're constipated take oil of castor for it

♪ Whoa, oh, oh Whoa, oh, oh

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh

♪ Once here in Crimea Me became a pioneer

♪ Me carpenters engineered a hotel at the new frontier

♪ Set up on the front line in 1855

♪ Independent woman saving soldiers' lives... ♪

Welcome to the British Hotel.

♪ Me boarding house became the haunt

♪ Of the great and good

♪ Though it wasn't glamorous

♪ It was built of old bits of wood

♪ Supplied the troops with kit and clothes

♪ Served both the rich and poor

♪ Me nursed right on the battlefield

♪ While Florence worked far from the war

♪ I'm a fierce lady Never fazed by it

♪ Wrote a book and earned funds raised by it

♪ Me hotel Men owe their lives to it

♪ Going down in history That's me prize for it. ♪

Unfortunately, when Mary came back from the Crimea, she was penniless.

But she was loved by the soldiers, and they insisted on trying to help.

Mother Seacole, we know you've had financial problems.

This Seacole Fund Grand Military Festival

is us saying thank you for everything you did

to nurse our soldiers during the Crimean War.

Thank you. I'm touched.

Just one thing. Would you mind if I organised it?

Certainly not. It's a benefit concert for you.

Yes, but I see how you organised things in the Crimea,

and I'd rather everyone didn't die.

Ha, nonsense. You put your feet up and leave everything to us.

OK. But this day you're talking about... Ooh, not one day.

It's a four-day festival, and you get all the profits.

A small event might be better. A few thousand tickets, a band?

Poppycock. We'll have 40,000 tickets,

ten brass bands and nearly a thousand performers.

Oh, dear. It's going to be another Crimea, isn't it?

CROWD CHANTS: Mother Seacole, Mother Seacole, Mother Seacole!

Gentlemen, I must apologise for doubting you.

Oh, the generosity that you and the people here have shown me

is too much. I won't need to worry about money ever again.

Yeah...a bit optimistic.

But 40,000 people paying as much as

five shillings a ticket, you must have made...

228 quid. You could buy 15 horses for that.

15 horses? How would I feed 15 horses?

Oh, ooh, ooh! We could raise money with another festival.

But this time with added horses.

I'm certainly grateful for the £228.

Although, I am surprised we didn't make more if 40,000 people came.

How much did you make on the sandwiches? Oh, sandwiches!

I told you we should have done sandwiches.

And the souvenirs? Souvenirs! All seems so obvious now.

Badges? No. Hats? No.

Posters? No. Did you have a collection plate?

Ooh...no. Look on the bright side.

At least you had £228. What do you mean, "had"?

The venue just went bust and they can't give us the money.

I shouldn't be surprised.

These are the same geniuses that went to war

without enough hospitals.

Mary certainly earned her place in the history books.

And almost 100 years later, when World War II broke out,

we black men and women from Britain and all around the world

were once again ready to do our bit, fighting the Nazis.

One of the first black women to join the British Armed Forces

was Lilian Bader.

I can scarcely believe it's true. I'm married.

Believe it, Lilian. Or should I say Mrs Ramsay-Bader?

Oh, Ramsay! I haven't exactly had a straightforward life.

Orphaned at nine... AIR RAID SIREN WAILS

Brought up by nuns in a convent.

Darling, I think maybe we should... No, darling, I must tell you this.

When the Second World War broke out, I left my career in domestic service

to join the Armed Forces because I wanted to make a difference.

They stopped me working in the military canteen

because my father wasn't born in the UK.

So I joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force instead.

I was one of the first black women to join the British Armed Forces

But the best day of my life... GUNFIRE, BOMBS EXPLODE

..was the day I met you, my funny, handsome, tank driver.

PLANES WHIR And now we're married.

Look! Gosh! Exactly.

You arranged fireworks! Not me, Hitler!

Let's get out of here. Happy wedding day!

Hi, I am Sam King MBE, and I was mayor of Southwark in the 1980s.

I was originally from Jamaica,

and after serving as an RAF engineer during the Second World War,

I decided to move to Britain for work.

And so in 1948, I boarded His Majesty transport ship

Empire Windrush.

The Windrush brought a lot of passengers like me

from the West Indies.

We'd seen adverts asking for workers to move to Britain.

That was one of the first of many similar journeys

and helped create what people call the Windrush generation.

But tell me! When we discovered a stowaway on board the ship,

what did we do? Did we...

The answer is B.

We held a concert on board

and the money raised paid for her ticket

so she can join us in our new home in Britain.

We still celebrate Caribbean music and culture to this day

in the famous Notting Hill Carnival every summer.

Ha, ha, ha, ha! You missed me that time!

Yes, Britain wouldn't be the place it is today

without the extraordinary contribution

of the Windrush generation. And, as we've seen,

black people have made history here for thousands of years.

In fact, archaeologists have now worked out the appearance

of one of the earliest known Britons.

He's called Cheddar Man, after the place in Somerset

where his remains were discovered.

And they reckon he looked like this, with dark hair and dark skin.

So I guess you could say we've been here from the start.

Thanks for watching!

♪ Please lend me your ears for this news I shall impart

♪ You may not have been told we have been here from the start

♪ We worked in the Stone Age

♪ Went to war with Bonaparte

♪ Before these isles were British

♪ Black people played their part

♪ Cheddar Man was Mesolithic

♪ 10,000 years from now

♪ When the animals were terrific

♪ You should see his giant cow

♪ And the Roman Emperor General and the brave Aurelian Moors

♪ Were just a few of several who walked upon these shores

♪ Listen to the tales and these words I shall impart

♪ Before Harold lost at Hastings

♪ Black people played their part

♪ Queen Catherine and Henry had a trumpeter called John

♪ And a maid called Catalina

♪ But from history books they're gone!

♪ Of naked Georgian writers and the stars of boxing rings

♪ To the battlefields of Europe

♪ And the Windrush I can sing

♪ Please lend me your ears for this news I shall impart

♪ Before Harold lost at Hastings

♪ Black people played their part

♪ These histories are just stories

♪ There's truths for us to see

♪ That for 10,000 British years some Brits have looked like me

♪ And today the future's hopeful

♪ Rashford and Stormzy light the way

♪ Evaristo, Blackman

♪ Hamilton, Kaluuya and many more names to say

♪ Listen to the tales There are words to fill your heart

♪ You may not have been told We have been here from the start

♪ Try to map our journey You will need a bigger chart

♪ Before these isles were British

♪ Black people played their part. ♪

I graduated first class with an instrument repairer.

As an instrument repairer, not with one!

I was one of the first black women to...

..I can't remember the rest! SHE SHRIEKS WITH LAUGHTER

♪ The past is no longer a mystery

♪ Hope you enjoyed Horrible Histories. ♪