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Reel History

Welcome to Reel History! On this podcast we talk about historical movies and television shows, anything that claims to be based on a true story, and we check – how bad did they mess it up? What was life actually like during that time period? That’s why we’re here – to separate the real history from the Reel History!

Hosted by two Irish history buffs and a Swede who doesn’t know anything about history. Part of the Shows What You Know podcast network. Follow us @Reel_History and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple Podcasts!

Vikings III | The End of the Viking Age (1066)

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…

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Vikings II | A Timeline of the Viking Age (794 – 1065)

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…

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Vikings I | Life During the Viking Age (793)

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…

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Alexander (2004) | The Great (323 BC)

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…

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The Last Duel (2021) | The Death of Trial by Combat (1386)

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…

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Braveheart (1995) | William Wallace (1297)

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…

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History Top 5 – Schemers

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…

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The Last Duel (2021) | Trailer Reaction

“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…

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Reel History Season 2 Finale

If this is your first episode, you might want to pick a film you like and listen to that ep first – this is a special one, the finale of season 2! We’re answering listener questions, taking on a musical challenge and giving a sneak peak of what’s coming next in the history of Reel…

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ROME IV | Rise of the Empire (42-27 BC)

Ave, citizen! It’s Episode 4 of our Roman epic and the ailing Republic is divided in two. It’s East vs. West, brains vs. brawn and man vs. woman (okay that’s a stretch) as Gaius Octavius steps into the limelight to face off against Mark Antony and his Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. It’s been a long haul…

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