Dear all,
After a dead heat and a second round (proving that every vote counts!) the Suez Crisis of 1956 has been chosen as the next video topic. Thanks to you all for your input, and I'll be in touch with progress updates soon.
Toby
2017-11-13 09:57:58 +0000 UTC View PostIn the last poll 'Fall of the USSR' and 'Suez Crisis' got exactly the same number of votes (I think in future I will hold back my vote to settle dead heats, but this time I had already voted - for North Korea, since you ask, but hey ho). So we need a second round of voting to decide the winner.
Poll ends 12.00 GMT on Sunday...
Dear Patrons,
The epic story of Alexander the Great has finally come to an end... so what next?
Some exciting news is that I've been offered access to the Associated Press archive - but for a limited time only. This is one of the world's great collections of newsreels and footage, and much too good an opportunity to miss. Hence this time all the voting options are 20th century historical events that should be well covered by the AP archive.
(If you're more of a fan of ancient...
2017-11-07 15:08:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
The final (and possibly most epic) episode of the Alexander the Great series is available to view now on YouTube. Collaborating with Invicta and Osprey allowed me to create some really dramatic scenes which I hope you'll enjoy. Thank you all again for supporting Epic History TV and making this series possible, the amount of help and great feedback I get is always hugely encouraging. And I'll be in touch again very shortly with a vote for the next topic!
Toby
2017-11-03 15:47:11 +0000 UTC View Post
This one's all about the Battle of Gaugamela, one of the most decisive clashes of the ancient world. Hope you enjoy it, and thank you for all the invaluable support that's allowed me to make this series! I'm just finishing up the fourth and final part this week - I plan to release it on on 1st November.
Best,
Toby
2017-10-20 09:10:18 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons.
Here at Epic History TV HQ (my bedroom), work is underway adding bone-breaking sound effects to Alexander Part 3 and the Battle of Gaugamela, but just wanted to quickly let you know about a new Patreon reward at the $5 and $10 level - the chance to watch new videos ahead of general release. (I'll do this whenever I can, though it may not always be possible). I'll aim to make a new video available to $10+ Patrons up to 1 week in advance, and up to 24 hours in advan...
2017-10-08 12:26:57 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
Alexander the Great Part 2 is now live and available to watch on YouTube. This carries the story on from the Battle of the Granicus to the tale of the Gordian Knot, the Battle of Issus and Alexander's visit to the Oracle of Siwah in the deserts of Egypt. There's a few new tricks in this video, including a Google Earth flyby to show the topography on the Issus coastal plain, plus more Total War game footage from Invicta and artwork from Osprey.
I hope you enjoy t...
2017-10-07 14:40:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Go watch it on YouTube! Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the first installment of what has been many months' labour of love. As always I'm very keen to hear any feedback you have. Part 2 will be out in just 2 weeks.
2017-09-20 18:32:00 +0000 UTC View PostHello all,
I hope you've not started wondering if Epic History TV is still a thing - it very much is! And the Alexander the Great series is looking to be the biggest, shiniest release yet. However it's taking a long time to make - I'm working on all four parts together (so they can be released in quick succession), and juggling video production with a rather busy day job. So a few weeks still to go, but hopefully you'll think it's worth the wait... few grabs attached so you can see how t...
2017-08-12 11:41:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
Two big milestones today for Epic History TV - 5,000,000 views on YouTube, and 1,000 Twitter followers! The channel continues to grow and reach more and more people around the world, and the most gratifying feedback is always from students and teachers from all corners of the globe letting me know that these videos have in some way helped them learn, revise, or just understand history in a new way. And it is all entirely due to your support that this is possible. I've attac...
2017-06-29 21:25:52 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello Patrons.
Apologies for the long silence and lack of new videos. However I'm pleased to report that production is now underway on Alexander the Great (As proof, screenshot of Macedonian phalanx training attached! With bilingual captions) and is looking good.
This series will be four parts, and is in collaboration with Osprey Publishing (which means access to their great artwork) and the YouTube channel Invicta (which means Total War game footage for the battles) so it sh...
2017-06-18 09:22:52 +0000 UTC View Post
The Epic History TV Patrons have spoken, and the next video will be the conquests of Alexander the Great. It doesn't get more epic than the story of this Macedonian maniac smashing through the Persian Empire, then marching his men to the frontiers of the known world, in Afghanistan and India. This will be exciting. Production updates to follow.
Best,
Toby
2017-04-16 10:47:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
The second and final part of the First Crusade series is out now, I hope you enjoy it. This one took a bit longer than usual because of the fiddly battle maps, and because of the day job.
I will shortly be inviting the $2+ patrons to vote on the next topic, but before that, I want to try out a new kind of video - a Q&A on the First Crusade. Most of my videos so far have been straight narrative, and I'd like to try something that has more scope for a bit of a...
2017-04-01 15:35:28 +0000 UTC View PostHello all,
Just a quick update from me. You may be wondering where is The First Crusade - Part 2?! I am working on it (in fact I'll be attempting to draw the city walls of Antioch this afternoon) but this and the next few episodes may take EVEN longer than usual - this is because I'm also doing a full-time job for the next few months (gotta pay the bills, and the channel doesn't quite cover them... yet).
So apologies for the delay, but I will be working on the next video when...
2017-02-04 15:41:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
The First Crusade - Part One is ready to view now! I hope you enjoy the video and find out something you didn't already know about this extraordinary, bloody and significant moment in medieval history.
Osprey Publishing were a partner for this video, which is great in helping to grow the channel, plus they let me use cool artwork from their books (which I've been reading since I was about 7). If you're interested in military history I highly recommend thei...
2017-01-13 19:52:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Wishing all my brilliant Patreon supporters a very merry Christmas and happy holidays. To celebrate, I've just released a compilation video of the first 5 episodes of the History of Russia - from Rurik to the Revolution in 47 minutes. So when you've finished gorging on mince pies etc you can now also gorge on Russian history! I'll be back in early 2017 with the first episode of the First Crusade. Thanks again for all your continued support.
Toby
(PS no charge to Patreon supporters ...
2016-12-24 18:44:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
The latest installment of the epic history of Russia is finished and ready to view! This takes the story from the aftermath of the assassination of Alexander II to the October Revolution of 1917, with more revolutions, wars, assassinations, mutinies and, er, railways in between. I hope you enjoy and find out something you didn't know about this pivotal chapter in Russia's history.
The First Crusade is up next, and I'll be in touch with more updates soon.&n...
2016-12-07 15:22:01 +0000 UTC View Post
The votes have been counted and the winner is the First Crusade! So this will be the next Epic History TV video, which I'll start work on shortly.
Alexander the Great was a close-run second, losing by only 5 votes. But he'll get another chance, as will WW2 and Russia.
Thanks all, and I'll be back with updates shortly.
Toby
2016-11-29 08:53:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
It's been a while since you last heard from me so I've put together a little newsletter...
1. I've just released a compilation video of all 5 episodes of World War One. So if you REALLY, REALLY LOVE animated maps, you can watch the entire war unfold in 65 minutes of seamless action. (There's another reason for doing this, which is that YouTube is rumoured to treat very long videos slightly differently, which means this version may reach a new audience).
(NB ther...
2016-11-22 13:14:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Part 4 takes the story on from the reign of Nicholas I to the assassination of Alexander II. We have the Decembrist Revolt, more wars against the Ottomans, Polish uprisings, duelling poets, Crimean invasions and the Great Game... Russian history is never boring! Hope you enjoy, and you can always let me know what you think here on the Patreon feed.
Best,
Toby
I made a new trailer for the channel, I hope you like it, lots of drums and lots of action! Please feel free to share with any friends or family who you think might like what we do.
Many thanks,
Toby
2016-10-08 12:08:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
The second half of my quick guide to America's presidents is now available to view. I hope you find it interesting. I was able to work with Bridgeman Images again on this one, giving me access to a great range of images and footage.
I've included a 'ranking' of each US president, which has generated a lot of heat in the YouTube comments section! (Reagan at #18 and Obama at #15, predictably, being most controversial). The rankings are included for interest, and c...
2016-10-02 14:45:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
Part 1 of my quick guide to America's first 44 presidents is out now, taking you from George Washington to Grover Cleveland's first term. I went with an American narrator for this one as it seemed to fit the subject better, but if anyone's concerned, Charles Nove will be back! I also got to team up with Bridgeman Images again, which means access to a great archive of images and film. I hope you enjoy the video and discover something you didn't know about America. Part 2 will be o...
2016-09-25 16:22:42 +0000 UTC View PostDear Patrons,
I hope you've have had a chance to watch Part 3 of the History of Russia, and get acquainted with Catherine the Great, Yemelyan Pugachev et al. If not you can watch it by clicking here,
Bridgeman Images recently agreed to help me out with images of the US Presidents, and with the election coming up, I thought this was too good an opportunity to miss, so I'll be working on that for the next couple...
2016-09-06 08:48:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
I think this is a first - two videos in one month! Russia Part 3 is out now, taking the story on into the reign of Catherine the Great - a magnificent epoch for Russia, as it became both a cultural powerhouse as well as one of the major European players. Poland is carved up, the Crimea is annexed, and in the reign of her grandson Alexander, Napoleon stumbles to catastrophe in the Russian winter. I hope you enjoy, and thank you as ever for your continued support. More update...
2016-08-26 14:34:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
My short history of the Russian Revolution is out now! It's an overview of the February and October Revolutions - nine months of Russian history that had a monumental impact on world history. I hope you like it. This one was made in partnership with Bridgeman Images, which gave me access to some great archive photographs, artwork and film, which I've presented in a slightly different style from normal - less maps, more pics.
Some have asked if this replaces any ...
2016-08-08 17:03:03 +0000 UTC View Post
I got Charles Nove to record an epic new trailer for the channel this week, and here's the result. Hope you like it!
Best,
Toby
2016-07-07 14:30:59 +0000 UTC View PostDear Patrons,
Epic History TV just passed 1,000,000 views on YouTube! A great milestone for the channel, and hopefully the first of many. Your pledges remain the channel's major source of funding, so a huge thanks for getting us this far.
In the UK, we just marked the centenary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest day in British military history. Our video about the Somme got a lot of interest from people looking for more information about the battle -...
2016-07-03 10:22:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patrons,
At long last, the second part of the epic history of Russia is available to view. This episode takes the story from the Time of Troubles and the coronation of the first Romanov in 1613, to the eve of the reign of Catherine the Great in 1762. There's plenty of action, and a special guest appearance from Vladimir Putin! I hope you enjoy, and thank you all again for your continued support. Updates on future topics will follow shortly.
Best,
Toby
2016-06-17 17:51:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear all,
The latest video is now available to watch. As Britain prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, this video looks at events surrounding that day in detail. I hope it dispels a few myths as well as commemorates the terrible losses along the way. I hope you find it interesting, and if you do, please share as widely as possible! Thank you all again for your continued support.
Best,
Toby
2016-05-26 15:22:19 +0000 UTC View Post