Curious, funny, surprising daily history - with Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll.
From the invention of the Game Boy to the Mancunian beer-poisoning of 1900, from Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain to America's Nazi summer schools... each day we uncover an unexpected story for the ages. In just ten minutes!
Best Daily Podcast (British Podcast Awards 2023 nominee).
Get early access and ad-free listening at Patreon.com/Retrospectors or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
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Curious, funny, surprising daily history - with Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll.
From the invention of the Game Boy to the Mancunian beer-poisoning of 1900, from Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain to America's Nazi summer schools... each day we uncover an unexpected story for the ages. In just ten minutes!
Best Daily Podcast (British Podcast Awards 2023 nominee).
Get early access and ad-free listening at Patreon.com/Retrospectors or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Real-time thriller ‘24’, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, debuted on Fox on 6th November, 2001. The show’s use of split screens, constant tension, and ticking clocks became its signature style, and the nerve-shredding pilot went on to win an Emmy for series creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran.
But, in a post-9/11 climate, its terrorism theme was not a dead cert, and its marketing - featuring a fiery jetliner dropping from the skies - was withdrawn following the tragedy. Yet as America’s mood shifted from grief to a hunger for justice, Sutherland’s anti-hero, breaking the rules to protect his country, became the cathartic character the USA seemed to need.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how the series was nearly a comedy about a shotgun wedding; consider how the writers dealt with the numerous challenges thrown up by the format (e.g. how do you let Jack heal or sleep in real time?); and explain why it was on DVD, not TV, that the show truly left its mark…
Further Reading:
• ‘TELEVISION REVIEW; Racing in Real Time to Track Down an Assassin and a Daughter’ (The New York Times, 2001): https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/06/arts/television-review-racing-in-real-time-to-track-down-an-assassin-and-a-daughter.html?searchResultPosition=10
• ‘'24' Executive Producer On How The Series' Run Was Defined By 9/11’ (Deadline, 2021): https://deadline.com/2021/09/24-tv-series-9-11-impact-20-years-later-1234823534/
• ‘Previously on 24’ (Fox, 2001): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rJhHWoR0VM
#TV #2000s #US
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.
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Today In History with The Retrospectors
Curious, funny, surprising daily history - with Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll.
From the invention of the Game Boy to the Mancunian beer-poisoning of 1900, from Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain to America's Nazi summer schools... each day we uncover an unexpected story for the ages. In just ten minutes!
Best Daily Podcast (British Podcast Awards 2023 nominee).
Get early access and ad-free listening at Patreon.com/Retrospectors or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
