Necrothesp

8th Oct 2015

The Longest Day (1962)

Factual error: Brigadier General Norman Cota came ashore in the second wave, not the first wave as depicted. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt was the only American general to land in the first wave, as correctly depicted.

Necrothesp

1st Oct 2015

Eastenders (1985)

Show generally

Factual error: 7 Sep 2015: Several errors with the soldiers in the recruiting office. They wear their berets almost flat on their heads and not pulled to the side - no self-respecting British soldier would wear his beret this way. The berets have tails, which British berets do not have. Lee salutes a sergeant major - he's an experienced soldier so would never do such a thing and would get an earful if he did. Lee talks about his platoon in Afghanistan - he's in the Royal Engineers, who have troops instead of platoons. In fact, all the soldiers are from the RE - in reality recruiting offices are staffed by soldiers from a mix of corps and regiments.

Necrothesp

Factual error: After the shooting in Waterloo Station police officers run to the scene blowing their whistles. British police officers haven't used or been issued whistles for many years.

Necrothesp

10th Sep 2015

Tut (2015)

Show generally

Factual error: The Mitanni king and his son are depicted as black Africans. The Mitanni originated in the modern Iran/Iraq area, or possibly as far east as India, but certainly nowhere near Africa. They were definitely not black Africans.

Necrothesp

30th Aug 2015

Major Dundee (1965)

Factual error: The US Cavalry are careful not to run into Confederate cavalry from Fort Davis, who are shown in the distance. Fort Davis was indeed occupied by the Confederates from 1861 to 1862, but was then abandoned until 1867. The film is set in 1864, so there would be no Confederate troops at Fort Davis.

Necrothesp

26th Jul 2015

Black Work (2015)

Show generally

Factual error: At the end the Chief Constable tells Jo she is being transferred to CID. She then says that most people would be happy to be told they'd been promoted to sergeant. But she hasn't been told she's been promoted to sergeant, since officers are transferred to CID in their current rank (detective constable in her case) and one isn't just promoted to sergeant; it requires passing a national-level exam and an interview. Chief constables can't just arbitrarily promote a constable to sergeant. Jo then salutes, something that hasn't been done by the British police for decades.

Necrothesp

26th Jul 2015

Black Work (2015)

Show generally

Factual error: Detective Chief Inspector Kapoor is suddenly shown in uniform with inspector's rank insignia. Detectives never wear uniform (except rarely on formal occasions) and he has apparently dropped a rank.

Necrothesp

7th Jul 2015

Penny Dreadful (2014)

Above the Vaulted Sky - S2-E5

Factual error: Inspector Rusk uses the term "trope" in its modern meaning of a theme or motif. This usage did not come into vogue until the late 20th century; the first such usage recorded by the OED was in 1975. The series is set in the 1890s and the language used is generally that of the time.

Necrothesp

7th Jul 2015

Penny Dreadful (2014)

Season 2 generally

Factual error: Educated characters, including an eminent scholar, continually translate 'Lupus Dei' as 'Hound of God'. Even someone with the most basic Latin would know it actually means 'Wolf of God'.

Necrothesp

7th Jul 2015

Penny Dreadful (2014)

Above the Vaulted Sky - S2-E5

Factual error: Inspector Rusk lost an arm while serving in the army before he became a policeman. A one-armed man would never have been allowed to join the police in Victorian England - as today, all police officers had to join as uniformed constables and they had to be completely physically fit and able-bodied. Only the most senior officers (well above inspector) could join directly in a senior rank.

Necrothesp

6th Jul 2015

Penny Dreadful (2014)

6th Jul 2015

Penny Dreadful (2014)

Verbis Diablo - S2-E2

Factual error: Sir Malcolm tells Vanessa to wear a facemask when they go to minister to the poor as cholera is rife in the area. However, the series is set in the 1890s and it had been well-known since the 1850s that cholera was caused by contaminated food and water and not by airborne germs. As an educated man, Sir Malcolm is bound to know this.

Necrothesp

21st Jun 2015

1864 (2014)

Show generally

Factual error: Helmuth von Moltke is addressed and referred to several times as Field Marshal. He wasn't promoted to that rank until 1871. He was a lieutenant-general during the Second Schleswig War in 1864.

Necrothesp

21st Apr 2015

The Devil's Rock (2011)

Factual error: Colonel Meyer's promotions are listed in his SS ID card as Hauptmann, Oberstleutnant and Oberst. Since the SS used a different ranking system from the Wehrmacht, they should actually be Hauptsturmführer, Obersturmbannführer and Standartenführer.

Necrothesp

21st Apr 2015

Pompeii (2014)

Factual error: There was no Roman law saying a gladiator had to be freed after a certain number of victories and no gladiator would have believed there was. It was entirely up to his owner whether or when he was freed.

Necrothesp

21st Apr 2015

Pompeii (2014)

Factual error: The people of Pompeii are frequently referred to as not being Roman citizens. They very definitely were Roman citizens with full rights. You didn't have to come from the actual City of Rome to be a Roman citizen, as is implied in this film.

Necrothesp

19th Apr 2015

Haven (2010)

Show generally

Factual error: The 1725 issue of 'The Haven Herald' used as part of every episode's title sequence is packed with errors. It is written in modern English, with some very modern turns of phrase (e.g. Had it with this town, get on with her life). The same paragraph appears twice. It is headed "Haven, Me." - Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820 and the abbreviation was not commonly used at all until the 20th century. And it costs 2 cents - until 1793 British-style pounds, shillings and pence were used throughout America. Also, February 18th 1725 was a Sunday, not a Tuesday.

Necrothesp

17th Apr 2015

The Borgias (2011)

The Beautiful Deception - S2-E3

Factual error: Cardinal della Rovere says he wishes to join the Dominican Order instead of the Capuchin Order because the former's rule is stricter. In actual fact, the Capuchin rule is one of the strictest of all Roman Catholic orders, something which della Rovere would certainly have known.

Necrothesp

2nd Dec 2014

The Fall (2013)

Walk the Line - S2-E1

Factual error: Superintendent Gibson wears her Metropolitan Police uniform to the press conference. She is wearing a tie, but female officers in the Met instead wear a black and white cravat.

Necrothesp

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