0:00:02 > 0:00:04# Terrible Tudors, gorgeous Georgians Slimy Stuarts, vile Victorians
0:00:04 > 0:00:07# Woeful wars, ferocious fights Dingy castles, daring knights
0:00:07 > 0:00:09# Horrors that defy description Cut-throat Celts, awful Egyptians
0:00:09 > 0:00:12# Vicious Vikings, cruel crimes Punishment from ancient times
0:00:12 > 0:00:15# Romans, rotten, rank and ruthless Cavemen, savage, fierce and toothless
0:00:15 > 0:00:17# Groovy Greeks, brainy sages Mean and measly Middle Ages
0:00:17 > 0:00:23# Gory stories, we do that And your host, a talking rat
0:00:23 > 0:00:27# The past is no longer a mystery Welcome to...
0:00:27 > 0:00:32# Horrible Histories. #
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Hello, and welcome to the Horrible Histories Sports Special.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Hundreds of years of brutal historical sports
0:00:42 > 0:00:45crammed into one bone-crunching half hour,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48and I expect there'll be quite a few minutes of injury time.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57We ancient Greeks really loved our sports.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00We had javelin throwing, wrestling and archery,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and that was just in the war with the Persians.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06It was in those wars that a very famous sporting event
0:01:06 > 0:01:08had it's origins.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14It's 490 BC, you join us in Ancient Greece,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18for what should be a memorable long distance run.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21The course starts here at the Battle of Marathon.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Sorry. Can you keep the noise down? This is live broadcast.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26Thanks guys. Cheers.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30The course starts right here at the Battle of Marathon,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34where the heavily outnumbered Athenian troops look set to win
0:01:34 > 0:01:39an unexpected victory against the mass ranks of the Persian army.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Now, this is the first time a 25-mile distance has been run.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47- We should give it a name.- Well, the course runs from Marathon to Athens,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51so we should, obviously, call it an "Athens".
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Although, this is the Battle of Marathon.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59You're absolutely right, John, let's call it an "Battle."
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Unbelievable! I'm off to talk to the favourite to win.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Hello, Pheidippides.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07What do you think your chances of winning are today?
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Pretty good, given I am the only one running.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13That would stack the odds heavily in your favour.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Can you remind us why you're running to Athens?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19To take the message that we have beaten the Persians.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24The race hasn't begun and I notice you seem out of breath already.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Well, yeah, John, over the last couple of days,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I've done a 150-mile training run,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33- to Sparta and back, to ask for their help when the Persians landed.- Wow!
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Do you think you've got enough in the tank for another 25 miles?
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Well, there's only one way to find out. Wish me luck.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44- And they're off. Pheidippides making a great...- Wish me luck.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47- Good luck.- Thank you. - And they're off!
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Pheidippides in first and last place.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Can't wait to see what happens at the finish line.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56This is the first time the course has been run.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58What a challenging course it is.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Pheidippides has a mountain to climb,
0:03:00 > 0:03:05a big hill, anyway, as the route ends with a steep climb into Athens.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09That'll be a real challenge in the heat of the sun.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Athenian athlete Pheidippides
0:03:11 > 0:03:14is about to finish the first ever 25-mile Marathon run.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Oh, Marathon! That's a great name for it.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Really?
0:03:19 > 0:03:21And here comes Pheidippides.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23I have to say he looks exhausted.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28People of Athens, we've won a great victory.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32I think he's dead. That's going to make the post-race interview
0:03:32 > 0:03:34very, very difficult, indeed.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Ah, it's been such a great race, the crowd have been amazing.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44Please save the rhino, just give everything. Is he all right?
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- He's dead.- What?!
0:03:48 > 0:03:51And that is the story of where we get marathons from.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54The modern marathon is just over a mile longer
0:03:54 > 0:03:56than the original 25 miles.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00I completed last year's London Marathon in under three hours,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03although I did do most of it in a fast flowing sewer.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Hey, what do you want? It's a long way and I've only got little legs.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Anyway, I'm not the first person to cheat.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Welcome to our Rotten Rundown of the worst marathon cheats.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18At number three it's American Rosie Ruiz,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22who finished first in the 1980 Boston Marathon in a record time.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Here we are, half a mile from the finish,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27and Rosie should be along any minute.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Here she is now, jumping out of the crowd.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Why run 26 miles when you can just run the last half mile
0:04:33 > 0:04:35and still finish first?
0:04:35 > 0:04:39I should probably look a bit sweatier.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41She was busted and disqualified.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44At number two, it's American Fred Lorz,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47he finished first in the 1904 Olympics in St Louis,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50completing the course in three hours, 13 minutes.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53I put my success down to diet, training,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56and my manager who drove me half the race.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59I would have been even quicker if it hadn't broken down.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04- In fact, why am I telling you this? - You guessed it - disqualified.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07At number one, its South Africa's Fika Motsoeneng,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11who ran the country's gruelling 90-kilometre ultra-marathon in 1999.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14I couldn't have done it without Sergio.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18No, literally! We swapped over halfway.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20The identical twin brothers
0:05:20 > 0:05:23swapped over their shoes and timing chip in the toilet.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26We would have got away with it
0:05:26 > 0:05:29if idiot, here, hadn't worn his watch on the wrong wrist.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Oh, yeah. Different wrist.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I can't believe we are related.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39Disqualified. Talk about out of order!
0:05:52 > 0:05:55He caught a bus and then hid behind a tree
0:05:55 > 0:05:57until the first two runners had gone past.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59He too was disqualified.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Right, I'm just hearing details of a highly unusual boxing match
0:06:07 > 0:06:08in Ancient Greece,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12so, if you don't want to know how it all ended, look away now.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Oh, and cover your ears.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18# Stupid deaths, stupid deaths
0:06:18 > 0:06:20# They're funny cos they're true
0:06:20 > 0:06:23# Stupid deaths, stupid deaths
0:06:23 > 0:06:26# Hope next time it's not you Hee hee! #
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Next!
0:06:30 > 0:06:31And who might you be?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34I'm a boxer, yeah? From Ancient Greece.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Are you the Greek boxer, Theagenes of Thasos?
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Don't say that name!
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Keep your beard on!
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I promise I won't say that name again, the name Theagenes.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- Stop it!- Sorry, did I say Theagenes?
0:06:48 > 0:06:52I did say Theagenes, sorry. It turns out I did say Theagenes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56- Will you stop it, yeah? - Let's get on with your stupid death.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Does it by any chance involve a certain you-know-who,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and by that I mean Theagenes?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Yeah, it does.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Right, I hated Theagenes of Thasos,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10I really hated him cos he was the champion boxer.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13I fought him loads of times, but he always beat me,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17and he was famous in Greece, and guess what happens next?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19He dies before I can beat him
0:07:19 > 0:07:23- and then the people of Thasos build a huge statue of him.- Yes.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26So, every night, yeah? I creep down with a big stick
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and I beat the statue of Theagenes of Thasos.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Like, "Ha, I'm beating Theagenes." It made me feel so much better.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Any idea where he's going with this? I'm clueless.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40So, anyway, one night I crept down with my stick
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and I beat the statue of Theagenes of Thasos
0:07:43 > 0:07:48so hard that it fell down on top of me and it killed me.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I didn't see that coming.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57But then, neither did you.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Was the boxer's statue a heavyweight?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Get it? A heavyweight boxer statue.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Yeah, I don't get it.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08All right, off you go to the afterlife.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- Nice one, yeah? I'll see ya later. - Yeah.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Knockout. Next!
0:08:17 > 0:08:20# Stupid deaths, stupid deaths
0:08:20 > 0:08:23# Hope next time it's not you Hoo-hoo. #
0:08:23 > 0:08:28The Greeks may have invented boxing, but it was us Georgians who,
0:08:28 > 0:08:34in 1805, made some changes, which led to an incredible transformation.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Tonight is going to be a real cracker.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Let's meet the fighters.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45First up we're got London's finest, the huge,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49the undefeated, Jack "Tough Tom" Holmes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Let's look at Tough Tom in action.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55He's a real expert at classic Georgian bare knuckle boxing,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58where two rivals stand stock still and slug it out.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Yeah!
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Next up it's the newcomer,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04from New York in the USA,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07it's the comparatively smaller Bill Richmond.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Bill was born a slave in New York, USA,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and learned his trade boxing
0:09:11 > 0:09:14at the Duke of Northumberland's dinner parties.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18I have to say, he looks a lot smaller than Tough Tom.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22- This will be carnage. - Certainly looks that way, Steve.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Seconds out, round one.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Tough Tom is really fired up for this one.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Oh, I can't watch.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Hold on, what was that?
0:09:30 > 0:09:35Bill Richmond has got out of the way of one of Tough Tom's punches?
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- Is that allowed? - I guess.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41He's got out of the way of another one.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Nobody has ever done that in boxing history.
0:09:44 > 0:09:50Though, not letting your opponent hit you is not a bad idea.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54He's invented a new technique. Why did nobody do it before?
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Probably because their heads were mashed up by all the boxing.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Oh! He's floored him! He has floored him.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06It looks like Jack "Tough Tom" Holmes is out for the count.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07You're out!
0:10:07 > 0:10:12Bill "Get-out-of-the-way" Richmond is the winner. Back to the studio.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15The boxing move Bill Richmond invented
0:10:15 > 0:10:17isn't really called "the getting out of the way",
0:10:17 > 0:10:20it's known as "the bob and weave".
0:10:20 > 0:10:23I prefer the move known as "the scream and run away".
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Sporting events have always been popular in Scotland,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34but it wasn't until the Georgian era that the Highland Games
0:10:34 > 0:10:40became an annual event, with some pretty extraordinary contests.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Today's programme features a number of traditional
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Highland Game pursuits.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48There's the running race, the lifting a heavy stone competition,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and throwing a hammer, preferably in the direction of the bagpipe player.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54SCREAMING
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Oops! I feel a bit bad about saying that now.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Anyhow, there's one particular event that caught my attention,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and I have the winner here with me now.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06- Jamie, congratulations. - Thanks, Andrea.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11So, you won for the bizarrely-named "Twisting the Cow" competition.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Can you tell us exactly what that involves?
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Well Andrea, it involves twisting the four legs off a cow.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19A dead cow?
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Aye, a dead cow - we're not animals!
0:11:22 > 0:11:26And can you tell us exactly how you made it through to today's final?
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Well, I put in a lot of hard work, but mostly I did it on the hoof.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32HE LAUGHS
0:11:34 > 0:11:35On the hoof!
0:11:35 > 0:11:39I imagine twisting the leg off a cow is pretty difficult.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40Do you get many injuries?
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Aye, well I did tear a calf muscle during my warm-up,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46but I've never been injured myself!
0:11:46 > 0:11:49HE LAUGHS
0:11:50 > 0:11:52And what was your prize for winning?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54A fattened sheep.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00Great. And are you confident about winning next year's competition?
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Aye, I'm quite bullish about it.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05HE LAUGHS
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Good luck with that, back to the studio.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- Want some?- No, it's all right, I'm a vegan.- OK, fair enough.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27In the Middle Ages,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30people would slide down Heading Hill, in Stirling,
0:12:30 > 0:12:31on a horse's skull.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34They called the sport "Hurly Hacket".
0:12:34 > 0:12:37All righty, that's half-time. Oranges, anyone?
0:12:37 > 0:12:40They're fresh out of the dumpster.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43No? Good, that's all the more for me.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52We Victorians loved our football and founded lots of clubs,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56like Sheffield United, famous for its badly-behaved
0:12:56 > 0:12:58celebrity goalkeeper, "Fatty" Foulke.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01In this week's Two-Three-Five Magazine,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04we interview the Victorian footballer they all talk about -
0:13:04 > 0:13:07celebrity goalkeeper, William "Fatty" Foulke.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies?
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I did. I once ate my entire team's dinners.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15And I was still a bit peckish.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17We've got all the man-mountain stats.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20He's nearly two metres tall, and 150 kilograms.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Yes, that's right, a whopping 150 kilograms.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27He recently moved to Chelsea for a record transfer fee of £50.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30He's the most expensive footballer ever.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33We've got Fatty's top tips on keeping goal. Tip one...
0:13:33 > 0:13:35I find the best way to stop the opposition from scoring
0:13:35 > 0:13:37is to fill the goal - literally!
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Oh! A few more pies should do it!
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Tip two...
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Do try not to lean on the goalposts. I find you can easily break them.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48- GOALPOSTS CREAK - Ooh.
0:13:48 > 0:13:49Tip three...
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Get angry. REALLY ANGRY!
0:13:51 > 0:13:54The only thing I like to see in the back of my net
0:13:54 > 0:13:55is an opposition striker!
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Sometimes I like to throw them in!
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Ah!
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Yes, read the inside story on Fatty's famous temper,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05as we meet the referee who was so scared of him he hid in a cupboard.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06Don't tell him I'm in here!
0:14:06 > 0:14:10And that's not all! Enter our spot-the-ball competition,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and you could win a genuine pure leather Victorian football.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Be warned, they get a bit heavy when it's been raining.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Argh! Ah!
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Two-Three-Five Magazine -
0:14:19 > 0:14:23everything you need to know about Victorian football. Buy it now!
0:14:23 > 0:14:28Or I'll get ANGRY!
0:14:30 > 0:14:31Really angry.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Coming up next on this Horrible Histories Sport Special,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39it's time for Tudor football.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41There's nothing like football,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43and Tudor football is nothing like football.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48Let's go over live to the 1500s to join our commentator pitch-side.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I'm here with Alan, captain of the Roxbridge Village Team,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54who's here to tell me a little bit more about the sport.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I understand it's a very important match here today.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59It's nice to see the whole village has turned out...
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Yeah, great to see so much support for the team.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04They're not support - the whole village plays for the team.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07It's our village versus the neighbouring village.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09I see, and what's the score?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Oh, it's still nil-nil, but we did come close to a goal.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- Thrilling. How close exactly? - About two and a half miles.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- Two and a half miles?! - Yeah, we play between two villages.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22The winners get the ball through the other village's cemetery gates.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- Urgh! And this is your ball? - Yeah, it's made of pig's bladder.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29It looks like a pig's... Oh! Argh!
0:15:29 > 0:15:30Oh, now...
0:15:32 > 0:15:34..that is inexcusable!
0:15:34 > 0:15:35Where is the referee?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38There's no referee, there's no rules.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Oh, that does explain the black eye, the broken finger,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43and what appears to be a bitten ear.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Yeah, well it's just a gentle game today, Gary.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Last game, I dislocated my arm and broke my jaw.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Nasty. Is it possible to have a word with the captain of the opposition?
0:15:52 > 0:15:53- Yeah, go ahead.- Thank you!
0:15:53 > 0:15:56So, how's the game going from your point of view?
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Hi Gary. Yeah, pretty good.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I think it'll be a long one, could go on for hours.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04I think some of the lads will end up flat on their backs by the end.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- Exhausted?- No, dead.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09This is how brutal the game can be, you know.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13- Do you want to be on our side, cos...?- I'll certainly give it a go!
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Oh!
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- Urgh!- Yep, still got it.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Henry VIII needed lots of young, fit men for the English Army,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27and so many people were getting injured playing Tudor football,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30that in 1540, Henry made it illegal.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33In any case, you shouldn't play football with pigs' bladders -
0:16:33 > 0:16:36you should eat them - they're delish!
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Coming up later, it's Christians and lions
0:16:43 > 0:16:45in our Maul of the Day competition.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47But first, we've got gladiator fights,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51which as well as ending in death, also began with death,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54since they had their origins in Roman funerals.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58And above all, Messinus was a wise and a noble man,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02who only ever beat his slaves when it was absolutely necessary.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08He will be sorely missed by us all.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11And now for the fight.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15ALL: Yeah! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Go on! Kick his head in.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19What on earth's going on?
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Oh, it's the latest Roman thing. You get your two favourite slaves
0:17:23 > 0:17:26to fight to the death in front of your graveside.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28- Whatever for?- Oh, it's very noble.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31The loser's like a sort of sacrifice to the dead man.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33You know, keep his soul company.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37But mostly, it's really good fun to watch.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39So this is catching on, then?
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Oh yeah. A friend of mine died last month.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Had three fights.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47That means three more funerals, and three fights at each one -
0:17:47 > 0:17:49that makes nine funerals.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53I tell you, it's been wall-to-wall funerals for weeks now. Brilliant.
0:17:53 > 0:17:54HE GROANS
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Which one was that?
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Erm, Marcus.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06We are gathered here today to mark the passing of Marcus.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09He was a good slave.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11- I can't believe all this. - Ah, this is nothing.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14My uncle Centillus had it written into his will that he wanted
0:18:14 > 0:18:17a fight to the death between two beautiful women.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18Seriously?
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Yeah. His funeral's in ten minutes.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24It's disgu... Can I come?
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Yeah, but you've got to pretend to be sad until the fight starts.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Oh, yeah - no problem.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33ALL: Fight! Fight!
0:18:33 > 0:18:35That's right!
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Slaves were made to fight to the death at Roman funerals.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Then someone had the bright idea of putting them in an arena,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and gladiator games were born.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45They really had guts, those gladiators -
0:18:45 > 0:18:49you could usually see them on the arena floor!
0:18:49 > 0:18:52And if gladiators weren't gory enough for your liking,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55there was always Roman chariot-racing.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Enjoy the thrills and spills, but chiefly the spills,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06at chariot-racing at the Circus Maximus,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10with celebrity charioteer, Scorpus, winner of over 2,000 races.
0:19:10 > 0:19:122,000 and counting!
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The most brutal and deadly race of all time.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Good choice.
0:19:35 > 0:19:36Choose team colour.
0:19:41 > 0:19:42Yeah, green's good,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44although red doesn't show up your opponent's blood so much.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46HE LAUGHS
0:19:48 > 0:19:49Let the race commence!
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Oh-ho-ho!
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Do you have what it takes to survive the seven laps?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56- Oh yeah!- Well, he doesn't.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Watch out for the fallen charioteer, you don't want to miss him.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- Nearly missed you!- And watch out for the flying horse poo.
0:20:03 > 0:20:04HE LAUGHS
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Avoid the broken chariots, known as "shipwrecks".
0:20:06 > 0:20:09If you do crash, don't forget to let go of the reins.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Oh, unlucky, you can't, they're wrapped around your waist.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14So long, sucker!
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Scorpus wins.- Yeah!
0:20:17 > 0:20:21And I live to race another day, unlike my winning horse,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23who is to be sacrificed to the gods.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26I shall miss you, Dobbinus. I'm not crying.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Go away. I'm not crying.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I'm not!
0:20:42 > 0:20:45The original Olympic Games were just for Greek competitors.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48It was one of us Victorians who dreamed up
0:20:48 > 0:20:51the modern international sporting event. Good day.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Ah, bonjour, gentlemen. My name is Baron de Coubertin.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Ah, Bonjour Monsieur. Ca va?
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Ah, vous parlez francais?
0:21:05 > 0:21:07No, don't ever do that.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11OK, so I would very much like to pitch the story
0:21:11 > 0:21:13of the first Olympic Games.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14Ah, Greece, the Acropolis.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Clash of the Titans, this could be interesting.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18Get your sunblock, Greece is hot.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Apologies, I think there is some confusion.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24I don't want to pitch the story of the Ancient Greece Olympics.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Whatever! So long as you're wearing togas.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27There won't be any togas.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30It is not the Olympics from thousands of years ago.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34The games I started is the modern Olympics, from 1896.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- Is anyone else here like really confused?- Always.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I think I get it. You created the modern Olympics?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- Yes!- The first Olympic Games since the original Ancient Greek ones.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Well, no, because I have a friend, William Penny Brookes.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49He created an Olympics in 1850,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53in the small Shropshire village of Much Wenlock.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55It is what I based my Olympics on.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00So what you set up was the third version of the Olympic Games?
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Well, no, because I think there is another one -
0:22:03 > 0:22:06the Cotswold Olympics, in the early 1600s.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08But you know, it was more traditional,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11quirky English games, not a serious sporting event.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- OK - quirky, English - I'm thinking Hugh Grant.- Hugh Grant!
0:22:14 > 0:22:18What you're trying to pitch is the unique story of the founding
0:22:18 > 0:22:21of the fourth different version of the Olympics.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23"Olympics four - the disappointment"!
0:22:23 > 0:22:25My Olympics changed the world.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28It shows what mankind can achieve when pushed to his limits.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- Think of erm... Usain Bolt. - Bolt! I love that movie!
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- Is there a cartoon dog in the story? - No, it is a serious sporting event.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Winning an Olympic gold medal
0:22:37 > 0:22:40is one of the highest achievements you can make.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44I know, because in the 1912 Olympics, I win one. Look at this.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- Bling!- Impressive.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- For what particular sporting event did you win that?- Literature.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- OK, I think we're done here. - On your marks, get set, get out!
0:22:53 > 0:22:55THEY HUM CHARIOTS OF FIRE
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- # Da-da-da-da-da-na - # Doo-doo!
0:22:57 > 0:22:58# Da-da-da-ni..
0:23:00 > 0:23:03# Da-da-da-da-da-na
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- # Doo-doo! - # Da-da-da-da-da-na
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- Oh, reservoir!- Nice guy.- Mm.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Time now for some sporting action from Ancient Greece.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Not from the Olympics, but from the Isthmian Games.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18There were lots of games in Ancient Greece
0:23:18 > 0:23:20that were just as good as the Olympics.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23And you join us here in Isthmia, for this,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27the final race in this year's thrilling Isthimian Games.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30And, here about to cross the finish line in first place,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32it looks like, yes, it's Armando of Kos.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Armando, congratulations, that was a truly astonishing victory.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37Ah, thanks.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39It was really hard work,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42but it's worth it for such a fantastic prize.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Of course, and here is your prize - the incredible crown of celery.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50What? Celery?
0:23:50 > 0:23:51The prize is celery?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Yes, didn't you know?
0:23:53 > 0:23:57No, I thought it was salary - a yearly wage.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Cash, dosh, wonga - I'm in it for the money.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Ah, well, the bad news is your prize is, in fact, just a celery hat.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06And what's the good news?
0:24:06 > 0:24:10The good news is I bought this delicious Greek dip.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Mm, now that is rich!
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Sorry.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31# In 776 BC Olympics were begun
0:24:31 > 0:24:34# Greece was the only country So naturally we won
0:24:34 > 0:24:38# Cheats built bronzes of god Zeus Were we honest winners?
0:24:38 > 0:24:42# The answer's no - we had more statues than you've had hot dinners
0:24:42 > 0:24:45# Our games meant truce was called in war a peace every four years
0:24:45 > 0:24:49# But wrestling was so violent that bouts could end in tears
0:24:49 > 0:24:52# No girls allowed to watch or run - that might sound rude
0:24:52 > 0:24:56# But makes sense when I tell you we competed nude
0:24:56 > 0:24:58# Flame!
0:24:58 > 0:25:01# It's going to burn forever
0:25:01 > 0:25:03# Love for Olympic heroes
0:25:03 > 0:25:05# Flame!
0:25:05 > 0:25:07# We'd like one next, however
0:25:07 > 0:25:10# Sadly, it's Emperor Nero.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Hey watch it, you two, all right?
0:25:13 > 0:25:17# I went from Rome to Greece so I could play them at their games
0:25:17 > 0:25:20# In 67 AD, you know I won Olympic fame
0:25:20 > 0:25:24# I told them to include a contest based on poetry
0:25:24 > 0:25:28# Not much good for sportsmen, no But brilliant for me. Ha-ha!
0:25:28 > 0:25:31# Crashed my racing chariot But still awarded gold
0:25:31 > 0:25:35# Hey, my Olympics, my rules To argue would be bold.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38# I won every medal that was up for grabs
0:25:38 > 0:25:40# The crowd loved it Well, they had to
0:25:40 > 0:25:42# Or I would have had them stabbed, OK?
0:25:42 > 0:25:44# Flame!
0:25:44 > 0:25:50# Olympic champion, that's me My Games were Emperor's own brand
0:25:50 > 0:25:52- # Flame! - Think I was bad?
0:25:52 > 0:25:57# In 393 Christian Rome had them banned
0:25:57 > 0:26:02# It's over, it's over, it's over It's over, it's over, it's over
0:26:02 > 0:26:03# Shame! #
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Wait! Not so fast!
0:26:05 > 0:26:08# I'm Baron de Coubertin A famous French historian
0:26:08 > 0:26:12# I read of the Olympic Games Thought I should try restoring them
0:26:12 > 0:26:15# They'd be just like the old days I said, but did propose
0:26:15 > 0:26:19# That unlike Greeks, Victorians should do them wearing clothes
0:26:19 > 0:26:23# In 1896, re-launched the Games in dear old Greece
0:26:23 > 0:26:27# Hoped it would make men more moral As well as less obese
0:26:27 > 0:26:29# Rebuilt a stadium so we could start to play
0:26:29 > 0:26:33# Games of the modern Olympics Which we still have today
0:26:33 > 0:26:35# Flame!
0:26:35 > 0:26:37# I'm owed my personal glory
0:26:37 > 0:26:40# But no-one remembers my name
0:26:40 > 0:26:42# Flame!
0:26:42 > 0:26:44# So here to finish our story
0:26:44 > 0:26:48# A man who has gold-plated fame
0:26:51 > 0:26:54# I'm Jesse Owens Fastest man in 1936
0:26:54 > 0:26:58# I took home four gold medals, yeah But that's just the basics
0:26:58 > 0:27:01# What you should know about the fact I was victorious
0:27:01 > 0:27:04# Is it made Herr Hitler mad Ha, it made him "Fuhrer-ous"
0:27:04 > 0:27:08# Hitler said Berlin should be the Games' Germanic base
0:27:08 > 0:27:12# So he could show the world Aryans were the master race
0:27:12 > 0:27:15# I won in four events He had to back pedal
0:27:15 > 0:27:19# His evil theory destroyed with every medal
0:27:19 > 0:27:23# Flame! It's going to burn forever
0:27:23 > 0:27:27# Olympics are never in doubt
0:27:27 > 0:27:30# Flame! A fire of sporting endeavour.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33You realise it's actually gone out?
0:27:33 > 0:27:35# Olympic, Olympic
0:27:35 > 0:27:37# Flame! #
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Well, that's all we've got time for
0:27:39 > 0:27:41in this Horrible Histories Sport Special.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43They think it's all over, it is.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46No, it isn't. There's just time for me to say,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49"They think it's all over, it is now", one more time.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52They think it's all over, it is now.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54See, told you.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55# Tall tales Atrocious acts
0:27:55 > 0:27:57# We gave you all the fearsome facts...
0:27:57 > 0:28:00If you enjoyed that, why not come and play?
0:28:00 > 0:28:05Go to the CBBC website and click on Horrible Histories. See you there!
0:28:05 > 0:28:07# The past is no longer a mystery
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- # Hope you enjoyed - Horrible Histories. #
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd