A NORTH-East author has called time on his best-selling Horrible Histories books, saying they had “naturally come to an end”.

Terry Deary, who was born in Hendon, Sunderland, and now lives in Burnhope, County Durham, has written around 60 books in the phenomenally successful children’s series, including Ruthless Romans, Cut-Throat Celts and Terrifying Tudors.

More than 25 million copies have sold worldwide since 1992 and the series has been turned into a hit television show, live production and video game.

But the 67-year-old told the Times: “It has naturally come to an end, the way things do.

“It has had a good run – it’s had a better run than most children’s series. Things do have a saturation point after which they become taken for granted. It would be a shame if that happened.”

The son of a butcher and a clothing shop manageress, Mr Deary attended Monkwearmouth Grammar School but thoroughly disliked his education.

He has since said schools have “no relevance” in the 21st century, were just a Victorian idea to get kids off the street and have become “pits of misery and ignorance”.

The outspoken former actor has also criticised historians as being seedy and devious, history teachers as sending children to sleep and public libraries as having been around too long and had their day.

Despite this, last year he was the tenth most-borrowed author in British libraries.

Away from Horrible Histories, he has written many other children’s books.

Mr Deary, married with one daughter, was given an Honorary Doctorate of Education by Sunderland University in 2000 and he is an official ambassador for the city.

But he continued to court controversy. In 2007, he said Durham Cathedral was a monolith created to the glory of the Normans and suggested it could be turned into student accommodation.

Later this month, he will run the Half Marathon of the North in aid of Grace House children’s hospice, which is set to open in the next few months.