Reel History

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The Odyssey (2026) | Bronze Age Collapse (1200 BCE) Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has finally arrived and we’ve got a lot to say about it. We start with the film itself — what works, what doesn’t, and how this new adaptation compares with Homer’s epic poem. Then we get into the good stuff, like how a simple concept like hospitality helped spread Greek influence across the Mediterranean. Why was mistreating a guest not merely rude, but potentially a serious offence against the gods? We explore how the concept of xenia becomes a way of defining who is “civilised” and who can be treated as a barbarian — and how the Odyssey tests the dangers of both breaking and trusting it.

From there, we step back and ask the bigger question: who and when was this Homer guy, anyway? We journey from Mycenaean Greece and the Late Bronze Age to the mysterious Greek Dark Ages and the emergence of the Archaic Greek world. Along the way, we untangle how much of the world described in the Odyssey reflects a genuine memory of the Bronze Age and how much belongs to the society that eventually wrote it all down. Which brings us to the Late Bronze Age Collapse that Nolan heavily alludes to – what do we actually know about it, and how might the collapse have survived in Greek cultural memory?

Grab your oar, avoid the sirens, and join us as we sail into the real history behind The Odyssey.

The post The Odyssey (2026) | Bronze Age Collapse (1200 BCE) first appeared on Shows What You Know.

Vive la Révolution (1789) | Marie Antoinette (2006) 2/2 Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

(This is part two of a double episode – listen to part one here. We also just released our Guillotine Special bonus episode at patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast Join for as little as 2.5 EUR and get access to dozens of bonus eps!)

The powdered parties are over, the pastry crumbs swept aside, and the gates of Versailles are about to be kicked in. Join us for the explosive second half of our Marie Antoinette double bill as we leave the perfumed salons of the palace and step into the hungry, furious, rapidly radicalising France that Sofia Coppola’s film mostly keeps beyond the frame. If episode one was all silk slippers and scandal sheets, episode two is bread riots and bayonets!

Having charted Marie Antoinette’s rise from teenage archduchess to the most notorious woman in France, we now turn to the crisis consuming the kingdom itself. Why did one of Europe’s richest and most powerful states collapse into bankruptcy, paralysis and revolt? How did the ancien régime of privilege and feudal dues stagger into the constitutional age? We’ll trace the great turning points of the Revolution, including the famous Women’s March on Versailles that dragged the royal family from their gilded isolation and into the uneasy captivity of Paris. From there, we follow two years of humiliation, suspicion and dwindling authority before the fateful attempted escape to Varennes — a bungled flight that shattered what little trust remained between crown and country.

As Europe’s monarchies close ranks and revolutionary France lurches into war, the stakes grow bloodier still. In the middle of it all stands Marie Antoinette: widowed, demonised and facing the same merciless machinery that consumed so many others. Was she a vain symbol of a rotten system, a stubborn political actor who helped doom the monarchy, or a tragic scapegoat caught in forces far beyond her control? Join us as we sort fact from legend one last time and follow Marie Antoinette from the Hall of Mirrors to the guillotine.

Sources

‘Marie Antoinette -The Journey” – Antonia Fraser
‘The Ancien Régime and the Revolution’ – Alexis De Tocqueville
‘Citizens – A chronicle of the French Revolution’ – Simon Schama
‘The History of Modern France’ – Jonathan Fenby

The post Vive la Révolution (1789) | Marie Antoinette (2006) 2/2 first appeared on Shows What You Know.

Versailles Vibes (1770) | Marie Antoinette (2006) 1/2 Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

(This is part one of a two-part episode. Join patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast to support the show and access part two immediately!)

Powder your wig, lace-up your corset and try not to lose your head as we cordially invite you to dine at Versailles and feast on Sofia Coppola ‘Marie Antoinette’ (2006)! Kirsten Dunst mesmerises as the divisive Habsburg who took 18th century France by storm when her marriage (in 1770) to the future Louis XVI sealed an alliance between erstwhile continental rivals, Austria and France.

Over two roller-coaster episodes, we seek to do justice to this highly contentious character and fashion icon who continues to split opinion to this day. Did Marie Antoinette really deserve her reputation as a perverted, oblivious Austrian toff whose lavish lifestyle earned her the nickname ‘Madame Déficit’? Or was she simply a concerned mother who fell victim to fevered, dehumanising propaganda which made her a convenient scapegoat for all the ills of pre-revolutionary France?

Join us in this first episode as we sort fact from fiction and chart her descent from carefree, youthful princess to care-worn, scandal-ridden bête noire by the eve of the storming of the Bastille (1789). Mark will kick us off with a potted history of the Habsburg royal dynasty whose spider web of influence (and distinctive jaw!) dominated Europe for centuries. Then, we will learn how the 14 year old Marie Antoinette adjusted to life under the coercive control of the French court which resembled a Disneyland for the nobility dominated by Madame Etiquette. We will see how the overwhelming pressure to produce an heir and a daily life ruled by stifling tediousness would lead Marie Antoinette to seek solace in distraction and possibly the comfort of friends like Swedish stud-muffin Count Axel Von Fersen! However, this would only sow the seeds of her unpopularity, as such secretiveness would provide ample fodder for the propagandists of Paris who churned out endless outrageous allegations against her.

Likewise, we will see how her apparent penchant for gambling, cakes and shoes would make it only to easy for others to portray her as a spendthrift. Such a reputation for selfish obliviousness would only be further compounded by her cosplaying as a peasant in her idyllic ‘Queen’s hamlet’ while millions suffered severe poverty outside the gates of her gilded cage. All this disastrous PR would then be crowned off by the Shakespearean farce of the ‘Diamond Necklace Affair’ (1785). These factors all combined to ensure that Marie Antoinette was derogatorily known as ‘L’Autrichienne’ by the time the blades of the first guillotines were being sharpened.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! Join us next time as we explore the absolute state of France and follow the momentous revolutionary events that would become intertwined with Marie Antoinette’s life and ultimate death.

Sources

‘Marie Antoinette -The Journey” – Antonia Fraser

‘The Ancien Régime and the Revolution’ – Alexis De Tocqueville

‘Citizens – A chronicle of the French Revolution’ – Simon Schama

‘The History of Modern France’ – Jonathan Fenby

The post Versailles Vibes (1770) | Marie Antoinette (2006) 1/2 first appeared on Shows What You Know.

House of Guinness (2025) | Brewing Rebellion (1868) Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Come with us down the pub. This is our longest episode ever – which probably isn’t surprising given that we live in Ireland, the subject matter is close to home, and, yes, a few pints of Guinness helped lubricate proceedings.

In this episode of Reel History, we use Netflix’s House of Guinness as a jumping-off point to talk about something much bigger: Ireland in the long shadow of empire. Creator Steven Knight – the man behind Peaky Blinders and, of course, Who Wants to be a Millionare, I guess? – has put together a Victorian era melodrama that almost works as a standalone miniseries, even if it ends on a frustrating cliffhanger that’s clearly hoping for a second season that may never come.

We break down what the show gets right, what it gets wrong, and where it becomes aggressively ahistorical. House of Guinness prioritises sex, scandal, and drama over historical clarity – and that’s a valid creative choice! However, it doesn’t always feel like a choice, and at times the series falls short. For example, the rebellious “Fenians” are central to the story but hardly explained. Why are they so angry? Why are they willing to risk everything for independence? The show largely declines to answer, stripping away centuries of context and leaving viewers with the impression that Irish nationalism emerged out of nowhere. So we step in to fill the gap!

To understand 1868, we rewind and talk land theft, penal laws, cultural erasure, and a society systematically dismantled over centuries. We explain why the effects of British rule in Ireland aren’t “ancient history,” but rather still present today, and of course we have to touch on the Great Famine – or rather, the fact that there was no famine (in the way it’s usually presented). We unpack how starvation was weaponised as a policy and Ireland continued to export food under armed guard while its population died. When House of Guinness gestures vaguely toward “the poor” without reckoning with why that poverty exists, it muddies the central conflict it’s trying to dramatise.

But we also chat about more cheerful topics, like beer! Starting with the first (of many) Arthur Guinness, the empire built by Benjamin Guinness, and the four heirs wrestling with money, power, and loyalty in a country on the brink of rebellion. We trace the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the currents of resistance beneath polite society, and follow those threads forward toward 1916.

Jaysus, we’ve quite a bit to get through, don’t we? And no wonder, because this is a conversation about how Irish history is framed, caricatured, or avoided on screen, and why that still matters. If you want to focus on drama instead of history, fair enough – but if you’re going to set a story in colonial Ireland, you need to understand the fire you’re brewing beneath the stout.

Pull up a stool. Wait for your pint to settle. And let’s talk about Ireland.

The post House of Guinness (2025) | Brewing Rebellion (1868) first appeared on Shows What You Know.

Gangs of New York (2002) | The Five Points (1863) Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

‘Mulberry Street… and Worth… Cross and Orange… and Little Water. Each of the Five Points is a finger. When I close my hand it becomes a fist. And, if I wish, I can turn it against you.’ – Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting

Jeeez…chill Bill, we were only asking for directions. We’re all friends here, so join us for the latest episode of Reel History!

Clearly, the chillingly charismatic Bill Cutting could never be accused of mincing his words or shying away from confrontation. Portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York (2002), this is one of the actors most iconic on-screen achievements. He delivers up a scene-stealing (glass-eye-tapping) tour de force with rich dialogue and a large serving of gratuitous violence. So far so Scorsese, you might say!

Written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian & Kenneth Lonergan, the star-studded cast is complemented by Leonardo DiCaprio’s plucky Amsterdam Valance and Cameron Diaz’s crafty pickpocket Jenny. Filling out the ranks further are comically inept John C. Reilly as Happy Jack and Jim Broadbent’s corrupt kingpin of Tammany Hall Boss Tweed. However, we found that it was Brendan Gleeson’s mercenary/barber/sheriff for hire Walter ’Monk’ McGinn who eclipsed all but Day-Lewis. After all, it was he who reminded us using the old Irish proverb that “An té nach bhfuil láidir ní foláir dó a bheith glic”. (He who is not strong better be clever!)

Wise words indeed for anyone wishing to survive and thrive in the feverish cesspit of vice, poverty and corruption that was New York’s 19th century Five Points. Loosely based on Herbert Asbury’s 1927 book of the same name, Scorsese conjures up a grimy, riotous Civil-War-era lower Manhattan. He vividly reveals its underbelly of crime-ridden slums, gambling dens and sectarian gang rivalry, all concentrated into a few stifling streets. These were bitterly fought over by supremacist nativist protestant gangs, such as the Bowery Boys, who were determined to crush the challenge laid down by the largely Irish catholic Dead Rabbits who had flooded into New York escaping destitution across the ocean.

Sounds compelling, but did any of this actually happen? Accompany us as we lift the lid on the real history behind the film. Who was the real Bill ‘The Butcher’ William Poole and the gangs which dominated the period? What exactly was the corrupt political machine of Tammany Hall where ‘the appearance of law must be upheld, especially while it’s being broken’? Along the way we will dive into many of the other factors which forged this melting pot of modern America from the New York Draft Riots, religious/race tensions and even rival police forces and fire brigades!

Feel free to support the show on patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast for more bonus content between main episodes.

The post Gangs of New York (2002) | The Five Points (1863) first appeared on Shows What You Know.

The Greatest Knight | William Marshal 2/2 Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

William Marshal returns from crusade older, wiser, and with silk burial cloths from Jerusalem tucked under his arm. But death is still a long way off.

In part two of our special, we trace Marshal’s rise to power across three reigns — Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, and finally King John — watching him navigate some of the most dangerous politics in medieval Europe. This was a time when kings were made and unmade on battlefields, oaths could shake empires, and being loyal could get you exiled just as fast as being treacherous.

Marshal fights Richard in single combat (kind of), survives King John’s paranoia, and ends up regent of England, charged with saving the kingdom for a 9-year-old boy while half the nobility sides with a French invader. And at the age of 70, he still leads a cavalry charge that changes the course of English history.

From political power plays to crusader pacts, courtroom drama to siege warfare — this is a medieval epic that needs to be on screen yesterday. William Marshal’s story is Wolf Hall meets A Knight’s Tale, what’s not to love? SPOILER: he really does end up buried as a Templar, wrapped in the shroud he brought home decades earlier. What a finale!

Listen to William Marshal Part 1 first, if you haven’t already!

The post The Greatest Knight | William Marshal 2/2 first appeared on Shows What You Know.

The Angevin Empire | William Marshal 1/2 May 09, 2025

Show notes

Before he was called “the greatest knight,” William Marshal was nearly used as a human catapult projectile. In the first of our two-part special, we follow the astonishing early life of William Marshal – a man who rose from near-execution as a child hostage during the Anarchy to become a knight of international renown and a trusted retainer to the heirs of the Angevin Empire.

We begin in the chaos of civil war before heading to Normandy for a classic knight’s education, where William learns the brutal economics of chivalry, the importance of a good warhorse, and how to survive when all you’ve got is charm and a secondhand cloak.

As we tell his story, we’re also exploring the life of a medieval knight, separating Hollywood fantasy from historical fact. How were knights actually trained? What was a tournament really like in the 12th century? And how do you go from being a penniless, horseless squire to the most feared fighter in Christendom?

Along the way, we unravel the complex and ruthless politics of the Angevin realm – a dynastic snake pit that stretched from Scotland to the Pyrenees and was held together by sheer force of will, questionable parenting, and the occasional high-stakes rebellion.

Serving under the ill-fated Young King Henry – son of Henry II – Marshal finds himself at the heart of a brewing storm: rival heirs, political betrayal, an epic tournament run, and a final, almost mythic vow to carry his fallen friend’s cloak to Jerusalem.

And yes, we make repeated attempts to cast this as a prestige miniseries. Because William Marshal’s life really was that cinematic.

This is part one of a two-part series, part 2 is already available on our Patreon!

The post The Angevin Empire | William Marshal 1/2 first appeared on Shows What You Know.

Reel History Season 5 Announcement Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

Hey Reelists!

You might be wondering what’s going on with Season 5 of Reel History. Well, wonder no more – we’re here to fill you in!

For our first four seasons, we spent a year recording ten episodes, then released them on a bi-weekly schedule in one big history blitz. It built hype and gave you a regular release rhythm – and for a while, it worked beautifully.

But let’s be real: the last couple of seasons have taken more like two years to record and release. Real life got in the way. And while we love our deep-dive approach, often spending months researching for a single episode, we don’t want to keep you waiting that long – especially when we’ve got loyal Patrons supporting us every month (thank you!!), and especially when we cover timely releases like Gladiator II.

So, heading into Season 5, we’re switching things up.

Instead of waiting until an entire season is in the can, we’ll be dropping episodes on the main feed as soon as they’re recorded and edited. That means less waiting, but it also means a more irregular schedule – occasional quiet spells, followed by bursts of new episodes.

We’re also experimenting with the format. We’ll still be covering historical films and TV shows, but our Patreon bonus pods have opened the door to all kinds of fascinating historical topics – and we’re bringing some of that energy to the main feed. So in Season 5, you’ll find both our classic film & TV episodes and “Specials” where we explore real history that hasn’t (yet) been adapted into a blockbuster or prestige miniseries.

Season 5 is already underway!

Last year we released part one of our Brian Boru Special and a full episode on Gladiator II. Part two of the Brian Boru Special is out right now, alongside this post – go check it out on our main feed!

Next up: a two-part Special on the fascinating life of William Marshal, a.k.a. “the Greatest Knight.” His story is absurdly cinematic – and we’ll be using it as a way to separate fact from fiction about medieval knighthood, exploring the chaotic politics of the Angevin realm, and arguing for why that man needs his own miniseries.

Here’s how it’ll work:

Part one of our William Marshal Special will be available to Patrons later today – which means if you’re a Patron, you get two new episodes right now (Brian Boru Part 2 on the main feed, and William Marshal Part 1 on Patreon). If you’re not already supporting us, you can join up for as little as €2.5/month and get early access, bonus episodes, and help shape what we cover next.

In two weeks, William Marshal Part 1 will go live on the main feed – and Part 2 will go live on Patreon.

The trade-off with our new approach is that we can’t promise exact dates for upcoming episodes. But we can confirm the full season structure for Season 5, which will still consist of 10 episodes:

Brian Boru Part 1
Gladiator II
Brian Boru Part 2
William Marshal Part 1
William Marshal Part 2
Historical Film/TV 1
Historical Film/TV 2
Historical Film/TV 3
Patrons’ Choice
Season Finale

As you can see, the Patrons’ Choice is back! We’ll be running a poll on Patreon where you can vote for the film, show, or topic you want us to tackle – and yes, that could be a film or a straight-up historical deep dive. There’s an unlocked, public post on our Patreon (patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast) where you can comment options you’d love to see in the Patrons’ Choice poll, even if you’re not signed up as a paid member. Feel free to also comment there and let us know what you think of these changes!

We’re always grateful for the support, feedback, and enthusiasm from our listeners, and we’re excited to try this new approach with you. Thanks for reading — now go enjoy Brian Boru Part 2 or William Marshal Part 1 (or both!). We’ll be back in your ears again soon.

Long may the reel continue.

The post Reel History Season 5 Announcement first appeared on Shows What You Know.

The Battle of Clontarf | Brian Boru 2/2 Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

In part two of our special on Brian Boru, we chart the extraordinary reign of the most ambitious king in Irish history — from regional warlord to the first ruler with real, island-wide power.

(Listen to part one at showswhatyouknow.com or scroll back in the podcast feed!)

Brian’s ascent didn’t end with Munster. Through ruthless warfare, savvy alliances, and a string of political marriages (including to the formidable Gormlaith), he steadily brought Connacht, Leinster, and even the Viking cities under his control. In 1002, he forced the High King of Tara, Máel Sechnaill, into submission — breaking the ancient Uí Néill monopoly on kingship and forging an uneasy peace that we’ve decided to call the “Pax Boru.”

But Brian’s authority, hard-won though it was, rested on shaky foundations. Discontent simmered among his vassals, and when old enemies in the north and east sensed an opportunity, rebellion flared once more. Dublin and Leinster rose again, bolstered by Viking reinforcements from Orkney, the Isle of Man, and beyond. It all came to a head on Good Friday, 1014, in a battle that would echo down through the centuries.

The Battle of Clontarf was no simple tale of Ireland vs. the Vikings. It was a bloodbath of tangled loyalties, shifting alliances, and dynasties fighting for survival. Join us as we unpack the chaos: from Prince Murchad’s heroic charge to Brian’s final moments in prayer, to the brutal fate of Brodir of Mann and the devastating losses on both sides. It may have ended in a technical victory, but with Brian, his son, and his grandson all slain, the cost was staggering, and the dream of a united Ireland died with him.

This is the real history behind the legend — the story of a king who nearly changed everything, and the battle that ended it all.

Intro music is Lamentation by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under CC BY 3.0

The post The Battle of Clontarf | Brian Boru 2/2 first appeared on Shows What You Know.

Gladiator II (2024) | Geta, Caracalla, Macrinus (200) Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

Surprise! A rogue Reel History appears like a fistful of sand to the eyes! We covered Gladiator in our second episode, almost exactly 5 years ago. Ridley Scott took 24 years to return with Gladiator II and while the Reel History HQ usually operates at a similar glacial pace, we have – thanks to our Patrons – had a chance to watch and break down this hotly anticipated blockbuster! There are a lot of inaccuracies to cover and, more importantly, a lot of fascinating characters, so let’s dig in.

Join us as we separate fact from fiction in Gladiator II and learn why a… sea siege? on Numidia in 200 AD would have been absurd. Learn about the real “twin emperors” Geta and Caracalla (they weren’t emperors at the time) and the true story of Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus Aurelius (there wasn’t much of a story). Denzel Washington steals the show and the empire as Macrinus – how does the scheming of reality’s Marcus Opellius Macrinus compare? Pedro Pascal’s General Acacius might not have existed at all, but the character was most likely inspired by Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus, Lucilla’s husband who refused the imperial throne multiple times. And, speaking of Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen, reprising her role), she would have been dead a long time, but there’s still plenty to say about why underestimating the women of Rome was rarely a good idea.

Oh, and the year is wrong too. There’s no way this is 200 AD.

Also: Sharks?!

It’s Ridley Scott, it’s Gladiator; there’s gonna be a lot to talk about. Join us for this special episode and consider supporting the show on patreon.com/reelhistorypodcast for more bonus content between main episodes. If you want to stay in the world of Rome you might enjoy our trailer breakdown and theories ahead of Gladiator II and a 2-part series on the most underrated Roman Emperors.

Note that this is not the start of a new bi-weekly season, we simply wanted to get this out as quickly as possible and we’ll be back with part 2 of our Brian Boru special in early 2025!

The post Gladiator II (2024) | Geta, Caracalla, Macrinus (200) first appeared on Shows What You Know.

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