The Real Network

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Channel • 18 Shows

History

History

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Automotive

Updated 23/09/2024
Business

Business

Series
Business

Business

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Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated weekly
Business

Business

Updated 19/06/2024
Technology

Technology

Updated weekly

12/12/2025

The Unkillable Soldier: The Insane Life of Adrian Carton de Wiart

A warplane falls from the sky over Libya. A badly injured man crawls from the wreckage, one eye, one hand, and a will made of iron. What follows is the unbelievable true story of Adrian Carton de Wiart, the soldier who refused to die. Shot in the face, stomach, leg, ear… surviving plane crashes, warzones, and even biting off his own fingers — he broke out of POW camps five times and still asked to return to the front lines. Winston Churchill trusted him. Enemies feared him. History almost forgot him.

12/12/2025

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27 min
23 JAN

BLIND HISTORY S8 EP7 | Richard III: Villain by Design?

He ruled for just two years, but his reputation has lasted five centuries. Richard III is remembered as a villain — but was he a brutal usurper or the victim of Tudor propaganda amplified by William Shakespeare? In this episode of Blind History, we revisit the Wars of the Roses, the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, Bosworth Field, and the shocking discovery of Richard’s remains — uncovering why England’s most accused king is still on trial today.

23 Jan

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39 min
16 JAN

BLIND HISTORY S8 EP7 | Charles XII of Sweden: The Warrior King Who Never Backed Down

In this episode of Blind History, Gareth and Anthony dive into the extraordinary life of Charles XII of Sweden — a teenage warrior king who turned an entire empire into a battlefield. From hunting bears as a child to humiliating Peter the Great, sleeping on the ground with his soldiers, and leading charges into blizzards and cannon fire, Charles lived like a man possessed. Fearless, devout, stubborn to a fault, and dead by 37, his story is a brutal masterclass in leadership, hubris, and why history keeps repeating itself.

16 Jan

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29 min
21/11/2025

Theodora: Empress, Survivor, Seductress

Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer uncover the extraordinary rise of Theodora — the seductive stage performer who became one of the most powerful women in Byzantine history. From scandalous beginnings in Constantinople’s seedy theatres to ruling side-by-side with Emperor Justinian, Theodora’s journey is a tale of grit, ambition, and sheer brilliance. Discover how this former “circus act” became an unshakeable empress who faced down riots, shaped an empire, and redefined what power looked like in the ancient world. A love story, a political thriller, and a legend wrapped into one remarkable woman.

21/11/2025

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35 min
28/11/2025

Haile Selassie: The King of Kings Who Lost Everything

In this gripping Blind History episode, Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer unpack the rise and fall of Haile Selassie. The “King of Kings” who became a god to some, a symbol of resistance to others, and a deeply flawed ruler to those closest to his throne. From ancient bloodlines and global coronations to exile, famine, and a secretive death, this is the extraordinary and tragic story behind one of Africa’s most mythologised leaders.

28/11/2025

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21 min
12/11/2025

Henry VIII: The King Who Lost His Mind (and His Wives)

Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer dive into the wild, gruesome, and utterly fascinating life of England’s most infamous monarch, Henry VIII. From Renaissance poster boy to paranoid tyrant, Henry’s story is one of brilliance, blood, and betrayal. The man who split from the Church of Rome for love, kept a polar bear as a pet, and had servants wipe his royal behind. This episode unpacks how one king reshaped England forever… and nearly destroyed it in the process.

12/11/2025

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22 min
05/12/2025

Pu Yi: The Emperor Who Lost Everything

A toddler crowned the “Son of Heaven.” An emperor who never ruled. A puppet of Japan, a prisoner of the Soviets, and finally a humble gardener sweeping leaves in Beijing. In this haunting episode of Blind History, Gareth and Anthony trace the extraordinary rise and devastating fall of Pu Yi — the last emperor of China. From the golden throne of the Forbidden City to communist re-education camps, this is the unbelievable true story of a man born to rule eternity… and forced to live a life of anonymity.

05/12/2025

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17 min
02/02/2022

Heinrich Himmler

If you were to compile a list of the most evil men in history, Heinrich Himmler would undoubtedly be near the top of it. Hitler’s chief executioner and the mastermind behind the genocidal concentration camps, Himmler was obsessed with racial superiority, the occult and killing people efficiently. With his round spectacles and devotion to Hitler, Himmler stopped at nothing to achieve his final solution. If you find the worst people that ever lived fascinating, you’ll enjoy this macabre episode. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

02/02/2022

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24 min
29/06/2021

Constantine the Great

The Romans were a decaying bunch, with not very much to boast about and a rotten empire that was divided in half, ruled by four weak emperors. The only thing that arrested its slide into ignominy was the character and action of an ambitious, military, pious man called Constantine, whom history would call The Great. He picked Rome up and dusted it off, built a new capital for the empire, and with one gesture established Christianity as the religion of the known world. Those bold moves forged a relationship between church and state that would last until the enlightenment... Taylor Blinds & Shutters

29/06/2021

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21 min
09/03/2022

Adolf Hitler

We’ve been avoiding this one, but eventually we had to do it ... the arch-villain of modern, if not all history - Adolf Hitler. The Fuhrer of Germany and the man who almost brought the whole Western world to its knees. More has been written about Hitler than anyone else in the 20th century, and yet, his evil deeds, megalomania and sheer force of will continue to elude us. It is not too much to say that this podcast might never have existed, or certainly been in German, if things hadn’t gone the way they did. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

09/03/2022

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27 min

Previously CliffCentral - a variety of shows and podcast series to cater for various interests.

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