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Like a Shot Entertainment, part of the Argonon Group and producers of a raft of returnable factual TV series, today announces the worldwide launch of its first ever podcast, Forbidden History, a ten-part series building on the long-running international TV brand. The podcast also marks Argonon’s move into the audio-on-demand space for the first time.
Hosted by Janine Harouni, the ten-part series explores the past’s darkest corners by examining true crime stories through history, shedding light on the lives of intriguing individuals with the aim to uncover the truth buried deep in some of history’s most controversial legacies. Each episode delves into the archives to reveal new perspectives on familiar stories, with a cast of contributors providing insight and new perspectives.
The podcast series, launching globally on October 12 across all major podcast platforms, follows the success of the TV series Forbidden History, which has run over multiple series and currently airs on Yesterday (UKTV) in the UK and Discovery Channel in the US. Like a Shot is partnering with Viasat World to roll out a raft of non-English language version in Eastern Europe and the podcast is distributed by Auddy.
Henry Scott, co-executive producer and MD of production company Like a Shot Entertainment commented: “Our evolution into the hugely exciting and fast-growing podcast space is an important moment for Like a Shot as we broaden our ambitions, expand our breadth of content and extend our creative storytelling expertise into audio-on-demand. Our first ever podcast season builds on the success of our long-running international TV series, which has attracted a loyal fanbase across the UK and US, to explore incredible and little known historical stories through the immersive and intimate medium of audio.”
The series launches with Hitler’s Niece: Suicide or Murder, exploring the controversial death of Geli Raubal. In 1931, through the walls of an apartment in Munich, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler was heard arguing with his 23-year-old niece, Geli Raubal. Within hours, Geli was found dead from a gunshot wound to her chest. Although the gun belonged to Hitler, the official verdict ruled her death as suicide. But as rumours at this time abounded of an inappropriate relationship with her uncle, the podcast asks if Geli really killed herself or was there a Nazi murder cover up? The first episode places Geli Raubal’s life and death under closer examination, to see how conclusions drawn in the case are now being questioned as to their accuracy. These events and the secrecy surrounding the investigation have caused many to question the official verdict with suggestions of incest, murder, and a cover up within the Nazi Party just before they seized power. Forbidden History asks what is the truth? Was this suicide or murder? And how did this case affect the Nazi Party’s rise to power?
Further episodes include The Strange Life of Peter the Great, remembered as one of Russia’s greatest Tsars but a bloody and brutal ruler with a propensity for torturing his citizens, including his own son. Given the high price paid by his people, can his reign be considered as great today? And in Finding Mary Magdalene, the podcast follows intrepid history enthusiasts as they aim to solve one of history’s greatest mysteries.
The podcast is set to launch on October 12 across all major podcast platforms.
Like a Shot Entertainment has a track record in factual content with a historical theme. Hit TV shows include Mysteries of the Abandoned (UKTV/Discovery), Henry VIII and the King’s Men (Smithsonian) and Black Panthers of WW2 (UKTV). Like a Shot recently broadened into arts and culture, with one off special Backstage: Straight Line Crazy with Ralph Fiennes for Sky Arts.
Forbidden History is co-executive produced by Henry Scott, Steve Gilham and Danny O’Brien for Like a Shot Entertainment. Like a Shot Entertainment is an Argonon Group company.
About Like a Shot Entertainment
In the past nine years, Like A Shot Entertainment has become one of the UK’s most successful production companies. Now part of Argonon, it has created hundreds of hours of programming from its UK production base for domestic and international broadcasters. It has a reputation for high quality programming in history, science and engineering genres, such as Henry VIII and the King’s Men (Smithsonian), Private Lives of the Monarchs (UKTV/Smithsonian), Mysteries of the Abandoned (UKTV/Discovery), Witness to War (Quest/Discovery), Inside Secret Societies (Channel 5) and the prolific Murder Mysteries strand (UKTV/Reelz Channel). Like a Shot recently produced arts special Backstage: Straight Line Crazy with Ralph Fiennes (Sky Arts) and have a number of further series in production and development.
About Argonon
Founded in 2011 by CEO James Burstall, Argonon is the UK’s second largest independent global production group, producing hundreds of hours of content including The Masked Singer UK (Bandicoot Scotland for ITV1), Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard (Windfall Films for BBC One), Hard Cell (Leopard Pictures for Netflix), Dispatches (BriteSpark Films for Channel 4) and Cash in the Attic (Leopard USA for discovery+). Headquartered in London, Los Angeles, New York, Oklahoma, Glasgow and Liverpool, Argonon is an independent production group led by a board of creatives and entrepreneurs including James Burstall (CEO), Laura Bessell (COO) and David Dugan (Chairman, Windfall Films). The group consists of nine companies producing multi award-winning content for a wide range of major broadcasters, platforms and brands in the UK, US and across the world. The companies produce content across all genres and of all lengths, specialising in factual, factual entertainment, entertainment, drama, arts, comedy, and children’s programming. Argonon has won 125 awards including Emmys, BAFTAs and RTS Awards and received over 180 nominations. Argonon is made up of Leopard Pictures, Leopard USA, Windfall Films, BriteSpark Films, Bandicoot, Like A Shot, Studio Leo, Rose Rock Entertainment and Nemorin. Clients range from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky, Discovery, Nat Geo, Facebook Watch, PBS, HGTV, A&E and UKTV to Credit Suisse, American Express, McDonald’s, Hugo Boss, My Single Friend, Net-a-Porter and Nationwide.
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