It takes quite a lot to raise King Rameses of Egypt from his grave — after all, he’s been there since around 1300BC — but some English explorers have managed it, as they try to make off with his best gold treasures.

Then there’s the matter of the blundering tourist, who knocks over a priceless vase: “Whoops, sorry” hardly seems an adequate response to this disaster. “I will crush you all like insects,” rages the King, his cruel laugh resembling a panto baddie. Eventually he becomes a bit more friendly: “You may call me Pharaoh,” he graciously decrees, as he embarks upon a scheme to build a new pyramid.

The Awful Egyptians is one of six adaptations by the Birmingham Stage Company from the Horrible Histories books. These are designed to “get children interested in history by concentrating on the unusual, gory, or unpleasant”, and the stage shows clearly follow suit.

Bits of a human body fly across the stage following an encounter with a crocodile, and organs from another body are extracted in full view of the audience. One or two youngsters around me went “Oh, yuk”, but I didn’t see anyone walk out — far from it, the audience seemed engrossed in the action.

The atmosphere could be described as panto meets Spamalot. Horses are represented by clopping coconut shells, and corny jokes abound: “We’re going to build houses out of animal poo,” announces a group of peasants, “We’re going to call them bungaloos”.

The action is delivered with evident relish and split- second timing by a multi-tasking cast of five — Luke Broughton, Michael Moulton, Lauryn Redding, Gary Wilson and Daniel Thomas. The production benefits greatly from high-quality, moving video backdrops — in the second half they’re all in 3D: I certainly ducked as huge rocks flew off the stage, aimed precisely in my direction.

Awful Egyptians alternates with Ruthless Romans until Saturday. Tickets 0844 847 1588 (www.newtheatreoxford.org).

Giles Woodforde