NEON: The Real History Behind Popular Culture: Recent Episodes
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NEON is a different way of sharing historical knowledge. NEON takes a pop culture phenomenon and turns it on its head by revealing lesser known facts, real-life events and history behind your favourite Netflix shows, movies or video games.From how the A-Team took inspiration from Vietnamese history and resistance leaders, to the Aryan purity and Harem breeding programs behind the Handmaid’s Tale. Even some of the most successful video games – Assassins Creed, God of War, and Fortnite – are steeped in history.NEON has already uncovered historical references in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Black Panther, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, The Greatest Showman and the musical, Hamilton.Presented by Jem DuducuProduced by Dan Morelle
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Special Guest: Tom Holland
Producer: Dan Morelle
Tom Holland is a writer and popular historian who has published best-selling books on topics including classical and medieval history and the origins of Islam.
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: Kinuyo Yamashita and Satoe Terashima - Battle of the Holy
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NEON Patreon Supporters
Curly Hooligan
David Robertson
Greg Chapman
Katie Douglass
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Therese Prieur
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This episode originally aired in 2018.
How can an unscripted reality show, largely filled with vacuous individuals teach us history? For this one NEON goes way back and talks about the biological reason for finding a mate as opposed to the way strawberries or starfish can do it on their own. Finding a mate defines most of the natural world and a lot of human history too and Love Island shows us this. Add to that the dark under belly of human emotion enjoying mocking those less fortunate and you find out a lot about how the show works and about your own psychology in this episode.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Kwabs - Wrong or Right
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: The Herbaliser - The Sensual Woman
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NEON Patreon Supporters
Curly Hooligan
David Robertson
Greg Chapman
Katie Douglass
Luna Pixie
Therese Prieur
Fredrick Shumate
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COMPETITION TIME: Win a pair of Apple AirPods. Enter now: neonpodcast.com/win
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: The Herbaliser - The Sensual Woman
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NEON Patreon Supporters
Curly Hooligan
David Robertson
Greg Chapman
Katie Douglass
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Therese Prieur
Fredrick Shumate
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The TV show Lucifer is back on Netflix. One of the few hit movies Keanu Reeves has done that doesn’t involve gunplay is the devils advocate. So it’s the perfect time to talk about the devil. In this episode of Neon we take these 2 pop culture views of satan and explore this most ancient of evils. It takes us to areas that will genuinely surprise.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil
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Curly Hooligan
David Robertson
Greg Chapman
Katie Douglass
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Therese Prieur
Fredrick Shumate
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The TV show Lucifer is back on Netflix. One of the few hit movies Keanu Reeves has done that doesn’t involve gunplay is the devils advocate. So it’s the perfect time to talk about the devil. In this episode of Neon we take these 2 pop culture views of satan and explore this most ancient of evils. It takes us to areas that will genuinely surprise.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: Jidenna - Long Live The Chief
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NEON Patreon Supporters
Curly Hooligan
David Robertson
Greg Chapman
Katie Douglass
Luna Pixie
Therese Prieur
Fredrick Shumate
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American gods is a supernatural drama set in contemporary America, and yet its characters date back thousands of years from across the globe. Allow Neon to take you on a journey from the dark forests of central Europe to the Savannah grasslands of Africa.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: Brian Reitzell - Main Title Theme
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American gods is a supernatural drama set in contemporary America, and yet its characters date back thousands of years from across the globe. Allow Neon to take you on a journey from the dark forests of central Europe to the Savannah grasslands of Africa.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: Romare - Work Song
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With the army of the dead baring down on Winterfell Jon Snow finds it’s hard to get the houses to fight for a common goal. Realistic? Yes, there have been many occasions in history where factions squabble as the real danger is on the horizon. This episode of Neon looks at real examples of the challenges Jon Snow faces.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
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With the army of the dead baring down on Winterfell Jon Snow finds it’s hard to get the houses to fight for a common goal. Realistic? Yes, there have been many occasions in history where factions squabble as the real danger is on the horizon. This episode of Neon looks at real examples of the challenges Jon Snow faces.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: Chemical Brothers - Lost In The K Hole
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Today Thor is a superhero but a thousand years ago he was worshipped. Thor takes us into the meaning of our calendar and how legends evolve. Allow Neon to guide you through more than a millennia of history, culture and religion.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: Incredible Bongo Band - Apache
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Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: Tom Rogerson, Brian Eno - Motion in Field
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In space no one can hear you scream - oh wait, that was last week wasn't it? Right! This time around Jem explores the real history behind movie posters and an artist whose work your probably love but whose name you probably don't even know.
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: Portishead - Cowboys
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In space no one can hear you scream. In this episode Jem discusses the history of cinema, human phobias and fears and how disgusting creatures have been reproducing for millions of years!
Producer: Dan Morelle
Music: DJ Shadow, Nils Frahm - Scars
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Jem discusses how humans have stored and consumed information over the millennia.
Order Jem's new book, Echoes here.
Producer: Dan Morelle
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Curly Hooligan
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: DangerDoom - Sofa King
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Halsey - Don't Play
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Run the Jewels - A Report to the Shareholders/Kill Your Masters
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Alpinestars - Burning Up
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Aesop Rock - Rings
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Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Leftfield - Phat Planet
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See us at HistFest for a screening of 300! http://neonpodcast.com/300
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2001 A Space Odyssey asked the big questions and took the cinema goer on a million year journey of the fate of humanity. NEON responds to this challenge, rolls it’s sleeves up and shows how accurately this sci-fi movie portrays ancient hominid behaviour as well as influencing pop culture and even NASA to this day.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Deodato - Also Sprach Zarathustra
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Akira introduced the world to the best of Japanese Anime 30 years ago. NEON goes beyond the fabulous animation and reveals how this cyberpunk dystopia explores fundamental fears in Japanese society as well as it being a natural evolution of 2,000 years of Japanese culture.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Kaneda's Theme - Tsutomu Ōhashi
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Fresh back from our holiday to the future. Like Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, we're playing power chords of history - riffing on the historic parallels between the uber popular video game, Fortnite. We're also walking with a bit of a swagger after being chosen by the London Evening Standard as one of the BEST EDUCATION PODCASTS OF 2018!! Do us a favour, tell all your friends about your favourite new podcast. Leave us a 5 star review on iTunes and pop over to Twitter and say HELLO! Just like our old friend Dr Seuss told us when we visited him in our time machine: And then things start to happen, don't worry. Don't stew. Just go right along. You'll start happening too. See you in the funny pages.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Imagine Dragons - Believer
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The A Team was one of the most beloved series of the 1980s (and a fairly average 2010 movie). It made a star of Mr. T and reminded the world of George Peppard, creating an unlikely behind the scenes rivalry. However the question has always been what kind of army unit would ever have this group and rank of people ...including a pilot?
NEON rolls it’s sleeves up and does it’s job, stripping away the 80s glitter to reveal the real history. The discussion turns from 80s frivolity to the Vietnam War, and then onto America’s complex relationship with the men who served there.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: John Swihart - A-Team Theme
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The video game is over 10 years old now but it started a hugely successful series that is still massively popular today. This episode looks at the game that kicked everything off. The game itself is set during the 3rd crusade it allows NEON to look at these religiously motivated campaigns. Jem explores what they were and what they weren’t and that why everything after 9/11 has been tainted by that event leading to all kinds of misconceptions about the crusades. This episode features the real assassins, rampaging Mongols, violent pagans and the Pope comparing the attempted assassination of Queen Elizabeth I with a crusade.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Black Sheep – Counting Sheep
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Again you get two for the price of one in an episode. Arnie’s 80’s action fest and the modern thoughtful TV series about women’s rights are eerie echoes of each other. While there can be little doubt as to which is more morally complex, better shot and acted, that may not mean that it is pulling from history as effectively. Because these are dark stories, the history is equally brutal, from Nazi breeding programmes to the rise of fascist regimes this is a horrifying but fascinating episode. NEON walks a tight rope with this one, trying to entertain but also enlighten about some of the worst moment from human history.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Sunset Lover - Petit Biscuit
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Football nearly came home, but “the boys did us proud”. When the World Cup coms around, other forms of entertainment run and hide. The sense of togetherness, the millions spent on advertising, the prestige of hosting the games. All of this is part of the concept of “soft power”. NEON delves deep looking at past historical examples of how money and marriages can sometimes get you more than an army ever could. As well as the current battle for hearts and minds carried out by the two giants of soft power in the world today, America and China.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: House of Pain - On Point (Beatminerz Instrumental)
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How can an unscripted reality show, largely filled with vacuous individuals teach us history? For this one NEON goes way back and talks about the biological reason for finding a mate as opposed to the way strawberries or starfish can do it on their own. Finding a mate defines most of the natural world and a lot of human history too and Love Island shows us this. Add to that the dark under belly of human emotion enjoying mocking those less fortunate and you find out a lot about how the show works and about your own psychology in this episode.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Kwabs - Wrong or Right
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Battlefield 1 is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA DICE and published by Electronic Arts. Despite its name, Battlefield 1 is the fifteenth instalment in the Battlefield series, and the first main entry in the series since Battlefield 4. It was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 21, 2016.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Cavern - Liquid Liquid
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Westworld is an American science fiction western television series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Produced by HBO, it is based on the 1973 film of the same name (written and directed by Michael Crichton) and to a lesser extent its 1976 sequel, Futureworld. The story takes place in Westworld, a fictional, technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populated by android "hosts". The park caters to high-paying "guests" who may indulge their wildest fantasies within the park without fear of retaliation from the hosts, who are prevented by their programming from harming humans.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Barry 7's Contraption - Add N To (X)
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The History Channel’s biggest home grown hit Vikings is now on its 5th series. It started as a historical drama but by season 3 it was clearly trying to be Game of Thrones with longships. NEON takes this to task, if you have a degree in medieval history you can tell when they change the tone, but could the average viewer. Is this kind of disregard for real events dangerous? Are some of the real events left on the cutting room floor even more entertaining than fiction? Have a listen to find out.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Massive Attack - Teardrop
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How can a podcast about the real history behind pop culture resist a Victorian era Batman? This one gets as dark as the dark knight. We have Jack the Ripper, H.H. home’s murder hotel and an animated movie not suitable for kids. There’s even a story of a filed concept in early forensic science that will leave you scratching your head how anybody could think it was likely to work. On the more fun side we find out about Chicago’s rivalry with Paris and how America accidentally invented a common theme park ride in an attempt to rival the Eiffel Tower.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Bat For Lashes - Prescilla
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This time around NEON gives you two for the price of one. Two musicals about real people from history, but can you get real history from a musical? If so, which one does it better? The Greatest Showman was a surprise smash hit and Hamilton is the awards laden mega hit from Broadway. If you are looking for historical accuracy in a movie where everyone spontaneously bursts into song and dance, that’s not reality but the story it is telling may well be sneaking in real history to learn from. And finally who would you trust with real history Lin-Manuel Miranda or Hugh Jackman?
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Hamilton Instrumentals - Cabinet Battle #2 - Instrumental
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Is hip-hop the most socially aware form of modern music? Will Public Enemy or Ice-T in 100 years’ time be thought of a black America’s Chaucer or Dickens? Jem reminisces about being a white middle class boy growing up in suburban London listening to some of the most “dangerous” music coming out of America, and loving it. This NEON episode is a love letter to the best from a maligned genre and also makes an important point, that at its best hip-hop tells stories as dark and as honest as any of great literature from the past.
Written & Presented by Cool J-Dee
Produced by The DZA
Music: The Next Episode - Dr. Dre
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This is one of the greatest action films of all time. It has Arnie at his prime. It has Stan Winston at his most creative and it has John McTiernan making the mistake of going to a seasonal rainforest where the leaves were falling off. It’s action cinema at its purest, and yet as scary as the Predator is, what the film is really about is one of America’s fears, jungle warfare and America’s obsession in the 20th century of fighting in them. NEON not only talks about the most manly hand shake in history, but also the traumas of fighting in the Philippines and Vietnam.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Alan Silvestri - Predator Main Title
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Far Cry 5 is an action-adventure first-person shooter game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the eleventh entry and the fifth main title in the Far Cry series. The game takes place in the fictional Hope County, Montana, where charismatic preacher Joseph Seed and his cult Project at Eden's Gate holds a dictatorial rule over the area. The story follows an unnamed junior deputy sheriff, who becomes trapped in Hope County and works alongside factions of a resistance to liberate the county from Eden's Gate.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: DJ Shadow ft. Nils Frahm - Scars
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It’s 1977 and a tiny blockade runner is chased by the scariest triangle in film history. The movie is not just part of cinema history, it leans on the history of cinema. NEON takes you from a galaxy far far away, to feudal Japan and the films of Akira Kurosawa. This episode also looks at how much World War II shaped the look and feel of this sci-fi film. It also has an interesting story of how we nearly ended up with a very different and far worse version of the film.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Nas - Hip Hop is Dead
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Sony had allowed Kratos some well-deserved rest from his series of games until 2018 when a new one came out for the PS4. But this time they went from the legends of Greece, to the tales from Norse mythology. NEON looks at the evolution of the games as well as the evolution of the legends they are inspired by. Jem also points out the fact that a video game character was able to switch from one mythology to another tells us something else, the similarity of beliefs and storytelling from around the world.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Run the Jewels - Legend Has It
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George RR Martin's epic tale of a Song of Fire and Ice has been turned into the hottest TV show (in every sense of that phrase) of the last decade. Jem loves it and thinks it’s not only a great story, an epic TV show but also hiding real history amongst the dragons and the bedrooms. Its fantasy, but it can teach us important lessons about real history, and not just the Wars of the Roses. Come with NEON on a journey to the world of Scottish medieval politics, European dynastic clashes and of course the Wall, what is and what it isn’t.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Orbital - Copenhagen
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Steeped in 80's pop culture, try tearing us away from giving NEON's take on Steven Spielberg's latest blockbuster!
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Jump - Van Halen
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The oldest story from the West is unsurprisingly one of the most famous. Who hasn’t heard of the Trojan Wars, the Trojan horse and how Helen’s face launched a thousand ships? The BBC spent millions on the series Troy: Fall of a City, only to receive mixed reviews. NEON applauds its ambition and then looks at the myth versus the potential historical reality. There is an argument for historical accuracy, resignation that drama sometimes comes first and a debate about could it be that everything you know about that horse is wrong? And how long could a siege go on for?
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Gary Numan - Films
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Possibly the most perfect action movie of all time, a classic that even the sequels couldn’t better. NEON is not about to challenge the supremacy of such an iconic movie, but it does start some interesting conversations. Firstly is the Ark actually “lost”? The Ethiopians don’t think so, want to know why? NEON explains all. Then there’s the fight around the weird German airplane, NEON reveals that the aircraft in question may not be all that fictional. Add to that bonus information about another classic movie Das Boot and you have another must listen to episode.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Critical Mass - College
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Is it possible to create a medieval life simulator? If it is, does anybody want one? Warhorse studios decided to find out with their highly complex and inventive game this year. The comparison to Skyrim is inevitable and yet both games stand on their own as champions of the publisher’ vision. It also is a chance to look the game versus the reality of medieval life. NEON starts asking you morale questions not only about your actions in real life but how you may play video games in a way that isn’t quite cheating, but probably isn’t what the publishers had in mind either.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Beastie Boys - Piano Jam
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One of the biggest hits, from the biggest movie franchise on the planet, and yet the Last Jedi is also very divisive. This doesn’t deter NEON as the deep dive reveals parallels with another sci-fi franchise Warhammer 40,000 and of course real history. Napoleon gets a look as do Ancient Rome. Perhaps the best scene in the movie involves Snoke and his Praetorian Guard and NEON compares the action of this fictional body guard to the real Roman one, who comes out of the comparison better? Add to that some dark facts about the Nazis and you have a truly epic episode.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: The Prodigy - Diesel Power
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One of the biggest movie hits of 2018 is about an African superhero. NEON starts with Wakanda and then shows parallels that stretch all the way back to the Middle Ages. It’s a great movie that full of fun and action, but also with an important message underlying all the bright colours and CGI. But NEON digs deeper, comparing the fictional country to a real, and fabulously wealthy, African Empire. Then showing how General Okoye had similar dilemmas to a knight living in the 12th and 13th centuries called William Marshal.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
Music: Tricky - Christiansands
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In 1977 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune, excavating popular culture and extracting the DNA of history and producing a podcast like you’ve never heard. If need a podcast, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire … the N-Team.
Written & Presented by Jem Duducu
Produced by Dan Morelle
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