World War One has been relocated to a wrestling ring and the 1605 Gunpowder Plot reimagined as a TV gameshow - get ready for a history lesson like no other.

Terry Deary's enduringly popular children's book series Horrible Histories has already been adapted as a BBC television series to great acclaim and sold out stages across the world.

The riotously funny productions appeal to both kids and adults alike, and the latest - a fantastic romp through British history - looks set to be the most boisterous yet.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain starts off with the Romans and plots a wildly imaginative journey through to the 20th century.

Expect cameos from some of the most memorable and notorious characters in British history, including Queen Elizabeth I, Guy Fawkes and Boudica.

Neal Foster, manager and actor at Birmingham Stage Company, which produced the show, says: "It is finding a way of making the history fun and interesting and teaching you a huge amount, probably by accident.

"The way Horrible Histories works is you don't realise you are learning quite as much as you are.It is partly because you remember things when you laugh.

"We have got six and seven-year-olds sitting there and absorbing two hours of history. It is difficult to imagine how else you would do that.

"It is the genius of Terry Deary and Horrible Histories."

But the show is not just aimed at people young enough to still be learning history at school.

Neal says: "Sometimes we hear adults saying it they think they enjoyed it more than the children. We want enjoyment all round. I think that's true of any good theatre.

"It's about finding a joke or a bit of silliness that works on every level and everyone can enjoy in their own way, so we can genuinely entertain a six-year-old and an 86-year-old."

Among the madcap highlights of the show are Guy Fawkes competing for a chance to assassinate the king in the gameshow Who Wants to Blow Up Parliament?, hulking wrestlers causing the First World War and, er, the entire audience being executed.

Neal adds: "The secret weapon on this show is the 3D that we have got. For the whole of the second half, the audience put on 3D glasses and things are flying out at you and making you duck for the whole of the second half.

"It is a real adventure, like bringing the show into the audience. You are no longer safe in the auditorium with our shows!"

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain; Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon; March 4-8, times vary; £8-14; 020 8688 9291 or fairfield.co.uk