Culture Chronicles

A Brief History of Christmas

Ahh…Christmas. Possibly my favourite holiday. Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, but a lot of the traditions around the festival are even older and stranger than that cold night in Bethlehem. In this episode, we explore the strange history of Christmas, and how it has influenced Films, TV and Music over the years. Contains no Wham!...but may contain some Taylor Swift.

A Brief History of Horror - Part 2

From popular shows like The Walking Dead to classic novels like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, we love being scared out of our wits by fantastic tales of terrifying creatures, the supernatural, or even real-life monsters. But how have real-life historical events influenced this ever-popular genre? In part 2 of this episode, we explore the impact of weird history on horror literature and movies.

A Horrifying Discussion - Matt Winn, Too Late Update Podcast

A Bonus Episode where I discuss A History of Horror, Part 1 with Horror Aficionado Matt Winn, of the Too Late Update Podcast. No naughty words, but contains conspiracy theories, cold war propaganda and other weird things that might upset your granny.

A Brief History of Horror - Part 1

Some people LOVE to consume horror. From popular shows like The Walking Dead to classic novels like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, we love being scared out of our wits by fantastic tales of terrifying creatures, the supernatural, or even real-life monsters.     But how have real-life historical events influenced this ever-popular genre? In this episode, we explore the impact of weird history on horror literature and movies. 

A History of Hacking and its Representation in the Media

To most people, the word hacking conjures up a particular image. However, hacking itself goes back a lot further than a hooded youth with 3 monitors and a can of monster. From trying to start World War 3 by whistling down the phone, to teaching your children's toys to swear like a docker, hacking has a long history of strange people doing hilariously dangerous things for profit, effect or just for the fun of it. And this contrast of the farcical and serious has been equally well represented in the media: sometimes accurately, sometimes...less accurately. In this episode, we explore the seedy, caffeine-fuelled underbelly of historical hacking, and how it's been represented in Films, TV and Video Games.