Horrible Histories

Horrible Histories celebrates 100 years of the BBC with this special episode. What was the secret of looking great on a 1930s TV show? How did the BBC try to defeat the Nazis using regional accents? And just what was a kangaroo doing at the launch of BBC2? Plus our end song takes us through the history of children's TV.

BBC's Big Birthday Bonanza!

On Auntie's Big Birthday, Horrible Histories celebrates the corporation's past century. The first Director General, Lord Reith, reveals why he needed a postman's help with his job application. We find out why the Queen's Coronation made you the most popular house on the street if you had a telly, and how the launch night of BBC2 went awry, with not only a power cut, but also an escaped kangaroo.

We also hear how radio announcer Wilfred Pickles confounded the Nazis with his Yorkshire accent, and how the creators of Doctor Who thought they were making a history programme. And from Bill and Ben, to Tracy Beaker, Swap Shop to Blue Peter, how the BBC's children's department has inspired the imagination of generations of kids.