“The revolution is over… I AM the revolution!” proclaimed Mark dramatically as we recently sat down to record this second sortie into our trilogy on the man behind the myth – Napoleon! No, but seriously, these were the confidently spoken words of a 30-year-old 1st Consul Bonaparte in 1800 as he presented himself as saviour to the war-weary French at the dawn of a new century. But cessez-le-feu and let’s not be getting ahead of ourselves; we first take a rapid-fire look at the key events that...

Load the canon, survey the battlefield and hold onto your bicorne as we take aim at Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ (2023)! Much like Napoleon’s Grande Armée in Russia, we’ve bitten off more than we can chew (in just one episode) so will be delivering up a thrilling trilogy to do justice to the triumphs and follies of the French Emperor who Churchill described as the greatest man of action since Julius Caesar. Naturally, any person whose name alone is used to describe an entire era (1799- 1815)...

“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” catapults audiences into the heart of medieval England, where the legendary outlaw Robin Hood leads a band of merry men in a daring revolt against tyranny and injustice. Directed by Kevin Reynolds and starring Kevin Costner in the titular role, this epic adventure weaves together action, romance, and heroism in a timeless tale of courage and camaraderie. OR, as Mark prefers to describe it: “Nottingham” catapults audiences into the fascinating life of the...

“That’s too much power for one man to have,” said police Captain Green when, with a mere wave of his hand, Malcolm X dispersed an entire crowd of the Nation of Islam. It’s time we took in a Spike Lee joint! “Malcolm X” tells the gripping story of one of the most influential figures in the American civil rights movement. Directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington in an Oscar-nominated performance, the film chronicles the transformation of Malcolm Little, a small-time criminal who...

In episode 4 of Season 4 we’re diving into the 2004 film adaptation of King Arthur, marketed as the epitome of historical accuracy but leaving much to be desired. With a star-studded cast led by Clive Owen and Keira Knightley, the film aimed to elevate the Arthurian legend to new heights but ultimately stumbled in its execution. Join us as we dissect the discrepancies between cinematic portrayal and historical reality, using this film as a launchpad to explore the enigmatic legend of King...

This is a Patreon preview – find the full Rasputin Special at patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast We delve deep into the world of Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian mystic whose influence over the last Tsar of Russia and his family altered the course of history. Adding onto our Anastasia episode on the main feed, the Rasputin Special takes you on a journey through the life, legends, and controversies surrounding one of history’s most enigmatic figures. Join us as we explore Rasputin’s humble...

This is our PATREON’S CHOICE of Season 4 – a vote was put to our Patrons and Anastasia was the top pick! If you want to influence future topic selection, and get a Fabergé egg’s worth of bonus episodes for a mere 3 rubels, head to patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast Step into the fantastical world of animated royalty and historical intrigue as we take on the tall tale of Anastasia Romanov. Hold onto your tiaras, because this isn’t just a fairy tale – we’re diving deep into the tumultuous history...

Welcome to another Reel History Patreon Preview! You can find the full 1 hour bonus show at patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast, along with a dozen additional bonus shows, all available for merely 3 drachmas per month! This time we’re exploring the rediscovery of the ancient city of Troy by amateur archeologist/dynamite enthusiast Heinrich Schliemann. Forget about your modern-day archeology brushes and bring out the explosives, as this is a trip back in time to the 1800s. Heinrich Schliemann...

What awaits you on this episode? GLORY! TAKE IT! ITS YOURS! Yes, we are paraphrasing the awful dialogue delivered haplessly by Brad Pitt in the 2004 Wolfgang Petersen epic, Troy. Loosely (very loosely) based on the Homeric poem, the Iliad, the movie explores the legendary Trojan War, a conflict sparked by the love affair between Paris, Prince of Troy, and Helen, Queen of Sparta. Starring Brad Pitt as the warrior Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, and Orlando Bloom as Paris, the film boasts a...

Parrots, peg legs, jolly rogers and rum! Join us for a Patreon Preview that explains which of these tropes have a basis in reality and which are utter parrot’s guano. This is a preview and you can find the full bonus episode at patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast Our Patreon has bonus episodes to go along with our main show; you can think of these as the director’s cut, as they cover topics we didn’t have time for on the main feed. So for example, for the first episode of season 4, Pirates of the...

Ahoy and welcome to the highly anticipated Season 4 premiere of Reel History! We’re back with another 10-episode season, releasing biweekly on Thursdays. Beyond our usual eps you’ll find bonus discussions delving deeper into these topics on the Reel History Patreon – thank you to our Patrons for bringing this season to life! Join now and get immediate access to over a dozen bonus episodes for as little as three doubloons a month: https://www.patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast In this episode, we...

Hey history fans! My name is Jakob Burrows and, as you know, I don’t know anything about history, but I do know that production on Season 4 is in full swing and until it we’re able to launch it you’ll be able to find additional episodes at patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast where we’ve most recently been putting out some pirate themed podcasts, going over our top 5 pirate women thorughout history and as well as Reel History After Dark where we covertly record in various pubs around Ireland, so to...

** Visit PATREON.COM/REELHISTORYPODCAST for exclusive bonus podcasts between seasons *** Welcome to the finale of Season 3 of Reel History! In this episode we look back at our past season, answering listener questions and handing out the Mel Gibson Awards to the least historically accurate films. Michael and Jakob also face off in a historical quotes quiz (it’s tense, see image) and we celebrate the completion of this season with a mandatory gâteau. But besides looking to the past, we also...

Do you love the smell of napalm in the morning? It’s episode 9 of season 3 of Reel History and much like the Americans we have been bogged down in the dense jungles of Vietnam! Last episode Michael gave you a whistle-stop tour of Vietnamese history, leading all the way up to the period that saw it step onto the world stage as the latest and deadliest theatre of the developing Cold War! We continue our examination of Coppola’s crazed adaptation of Conrad’s famous novel, its peace brokering...

This ain’t no USO show so hold on to your cavalry hat and jump onboard a Huey for episode 8 of Season 3 of Reel History! In a new departure, we’re delivering up our first double-barrelled episode in honour of Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam war masterpiece ‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979). There really was was just too much to squeeze into one episode and that’s even before we heard Michael struggle to pronounce the names of Vietnamese emperors 😊. What started out with an infamously chaotic 3-year...

Fáilte go dtí Reel History! We’re finally going local – this week we dive into the wild forests of Irish history with Wolfwalkers, our first Irish feature film and first animated film. Come along on a mythical romp thorugh oppressed Cromwellian Ireland and learn how puritanical Christianity clashed with Irish mythology and tradition! Wolfwalkers concludes director Tomm Moore’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy”, following his previous films The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014), and it...

Oh, you want more Vikings? We’ve got more Vikings. In this third (and final) installment about the History Channel’s drama series Vikings, we’re talking about the main characters and their real-life counterparts… er… if they in fact existed. Join as we discuss the man, the myth, the legend – Ragnar Lodbrok! Was he a simple farmer from Denmark who had visions of glory or a divine hero, inspired by Odin the all-father to slay dragons, wander to distant lands and marry witch-princesses? And...

We’re halfway through season 3 of Reel History! This week we’re taking a deeper look at Vikings, using the TV show as a basis to explore the real history of the Viking age. In this second installment (out of three) we zoom through a rapid fire timeline, dropping in on key events that shaped the development of the Viking age. Come along on a journey where Anglo Saxon kingdoms find some friendly and useful mercenaries to use against one another in their struggle for supremacy! Learn the truth...

Today we start a trilogy; three episodes tackling the smash-hit historical drama Vikings! The show features historical (?) characters such as Ragnar Lothbrok, Rollo, the first ruler of Normandy, and the easily pronounced Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson. These friendly travellers traipse across the entire Viking age so we thought we might do the same and take a crack at summarising one of the most mysticised and iconic periods of European history in three episodes. The Reel History crew has not one...

It seemed so perfect. We had Oliver Stone, the filmmaker behind JFK & Nixon; the auteur director of Wall Street, Platoon and the Doors. We had a monstrous budget, a huge cast and locations from India to Morocco. We had one of history’s most interesting characters. We even had an excellent historical consultant on hand to keep the filmmakers honest. We finally had the follow up to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator! And then it all went so wrong. Join us this week as we discuss Oliver Stone’s epic...

Lances at the ready for episode 2 of season 3 of Reel History! In this week’s journey into the mists of time, Michael struggles with his French pronunciation and hopes no one will notice as we muster our forces to give battle to 2021’s ‘The Last Duel’ (now streaming on Disney +). With Ridley Scott at the helm and a screenplay written in part by the Oscar winning duo of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, this film seemed destined to fill post lockdown cinema seats everywhere. Despite basking in a...

Welcome to Season 3 of Reel History! We’ll be releasing 10 new episodes, aiming for a bi-weekly releases on Thursdays. Follow @reel_history on Twitter to find out what historical films/shows we’re covering in advance so that you can watch along with us. We’re back, and it seems that nobody is safe from the inaccurate madness of Mel Gibson. That’s right, in our first season 3 episode we’re finally talking about Gibson’s opening gambit in the field of ahistorical epics — Braveheart. Michael...

What’s this?! A Reel History spin off? A special feature? Well, whatever we’re calling it, we’re dropping one or two experimental episodes between seasons. We’ve been busy cooking up season 3 and it’s creeping closer by the day, so it’s well past time to start releasing these! First off is a breakdown of the Top 5 Schemers throughout all of history. From lascivious to vicious and back again, listen to find out the true meaning of “Machiavellian”. In the Season 2 finale we mentioned that...

“What’s this! I thought season 2 was over!” It is but we’re going to sneak out some content between seasons, starting with this quick take on the trailer for Ridley Scott’s new The Last Duel, coming out in October! We will most likely do a full episode on this film but since we’re between seasons we thought we’d chat about our hopes, hype and expectation. Watch the trailer and let us know what you think @reel_history on Twitter or in a review on Apple Podcasts!