*Winners of Best TV & Film Podcast at the Independent Podcast Awards 2025
Many movies claim to be 'based on a true story', but how much truth actually makes it onto the silver screen?
Whilst one of us queries the less believable moments from the film, the other takes a deep dive into the fact behind the fiction to educate us and answer… is that really how it went down?
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Produced by 2020 Recordings (www.2020recordings.co.uk)
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"Forget about it!"... or don't, as this week we're heading back to that fruitful pasture for gangster movies - New York's Five Families, AKA the mafia. With syndicated crime seemingly taking over the Big Apple by the end of the 1970s it was decided a sea change was necessary, leading to the FBI's infiltration of the Bonnano crime family and the mythologisation of one of New York's finest, Donnie Brasco. Whilst Don The Jeweller's real name (Joseph D. Pistone) was no secret once the story broke, there's no doubt that his pseudoynm has become known the world over for his daring exploits during his 6 years undercover. But as with all movies based on memoirs that are written several years after the fact and can only be confirmed by the writer themselves, does 1997's movie adaptation really get to the heart of the matter? Was "Lefty" Ruggiero a real person? Was Donnie's marriage pushed to the brink? And did they really have their own lion?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!
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6 Oct 2026
'Pressure' (2026)
Returning to the fertile fields of WWII cinema, we explore one of the more unique storylines of this era. The most common form of artistic translation into film today is probably from the good old fashioned book. But wind the clock back nearly a century and many stories for the silver screen were lifted directly from the stage and it's a path less commonly trod in the 21st century. The story of Lieutenant James Stagg's challenge to present key information to the Allied leadership in the build-up to D-Day regarding weather conditions in the English Channel and beyond, is the perfect scenario for a contained, kitchen sink drama, where the stakes of the situation extend far beyond the fourth wall, but over a decade later, how has that story fared in its transition to the big screen? Was James Stagg's relationship with Dwight D. Eisenhower as depicted? Was the plan really aborted and restarted so late on? And when is someone going to give Kerry Condon the decent role she deserves?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!
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29 Sept 2026
'Anastasia' (1997)
The collection of animated movies that are "based on a true story" is perhaps unsurprisingly thin. Having already tackled several of these on our investigative journey through film so far a common theme has occurred: stories with much darker origins finding themselves rewritten and revised to suit the preferences of modern audiences - as well as their offspring. And so it would appear with 1997's NOT Disney musical animation, "Anastasia" - the magical story of a missing princess who manages to rediscover her regal roots on a journey to the past. But as with those movies alluded to above, a dark secret is lurking behind this family-friendly tale, and the reappearance of a missing princess may not quite be as honest as it first seems. Have you heard?! There's a rumour in St Petersburg... but was it true? Why was the Tsar ousted from his position in Russia? Was Anastasia able to escape the Winter Palace with her grandmother? And did Rasputin really rise from the frozen river to seek revenge on the Romanovs?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.5 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 11 / 100
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21
Social presence
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YouTube
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