Illuminati-R-Us

I’m hate watching this just now and rageposting. Some breathless fucknugget is taking us through hidden Constantinople, starting with Hagia Sophia, which he repeatedly refers to as “The Hagia Sophia”. News to me it’s invisible since it is on every poster of th city. Apparently you need 3D computer mapping to know how the dome is stressed, I thought I’d known that for thirty years (and the Turks for about 500) but what do I know.

Then we get a funky computer overlay showing us the Imperial Palace, except it isn’t, it is the area next to it.

The introduction breathlessly informed us that we’d be shown the “long forgotten chariot racing track” as our hero stood in the area known then and now as “the hippodrome”. It’s called the fucking hippodrome and everyone has known since the fucking 4th century at least where it is and what is was. I repeat, it’s called the hippodrome, even the Turks called it the hippodrome.

I may not last much longer.

I avoid shows like that for precisely those reasons.

ETA - at least it didn’t have Dan Fucking Snow or Neil Bastard Oliver in it.

The lack of DFN and NBO were the only redeeming features. I gave up when breathless hero asked local historian, while standing in the area known then and now as the hippodrome; "So this is the actual race track?". Yes breathless presenter, the area whose name means "horse racing track" is where the fucking horse racing track was.

I'm looking forward to his visit to Edinburgh where he'll tell us where the castle is and explain why the Grassmarket is called the Grassmarket.

Watched the first two episodes of this, Cairo and Athens. I didn’t learn anything and am very familiar with the technology they’ve used, but I must guiltily confess to having quite enjoyed the shows. I’ve not seen the Byzantium one yet, it’s next.....

ETA: Different presenters on each of those, neither of which seemed particularly breathless in wonder (Athens guy, perhaps a bit). Looking forward to seeing who’s doing the next one.

I should probably watch the others, or maybe not.

Is it on Netflix?

It’s on BBC IPlayer, I’m afraid I’ve no idea how (if?) that works outside the UK.

Scanning channels last night I saw something that sounded interesting and a bit history-ish about to start so I turned over to hear "And now something that sounds interesting and a bit history-ish, presented by Dan Sn" and I turned over.

Good save. I saw the Istanbul one last night. Yes, I agree with your earlier summary.

I'll just leave this here, it is a comment from a Great War forum:
"I'm not usually a fan of Niall Ferguson* but one quote of his that I liked was that the British Army was obsessed with football.

*on a scale of 1 to Dan Snow what do you think? About 7?"