The Crown, Downton Abbey… 10 big time inconsistencies in historical series

We don’t know you but the editorial staff of Seriously is very fond of historical series. However, directors and screenwriters are not necessarily seasoned historians. Of Downton Abbey at Stranger Thingshere are 10 time inconsistencies that have not gone unnoticed.

An inconsistency in Downton abbey spotted by Queen Elizabeth II

You are a fan of Downton Abbey ? That’s good, Queen Elizabeth II also had a passion for this series which takes place at the beginning of the 20th century. So much so that she loved to spot anachronisms in the soap opera. According to Brian Hoey, author of At Home with The Queen, the former Queen of England noticed an error that no one else could have seen. ” The Queen remarked in one episode that there was a so-called British officer who wore medals he could never have received in his time. He fought in World War I and has World War II medals on his chest,” Hoey told Vanity Fair.

The witch trial in Outlander

Well, it’s quite ironic to place Outlander in this list knowing that the series is centered on an anachronism. In season 1, everyone remembers this episode when Claire and Geillis Duncan attend their trial where they are accused of witchcraft, just before Jamie’s wife discovers the secret of the character played by Lotte Verbeek. The only problem: witchcraft has not been a crime since 1735, although the trial takes place in 1743. And even if Ned Gowan, their lawyer, affirms that this trial should not exist because it is no longer a crime to be a witch, Claire and Geillis will still be found guilty. Fortunately, Geillis sacrifices himself and Jamie comes to save Claire who was going to be sent to the stake.

Basketball in The Little House On The Prairie

No, Charles Ingalls’ typical 70s haircut is not the only anachronism that can be found in The Little House On The Prairie ! In episode 8 of season 7 entitled “Albert”, the adoptive brother of Laura Ingalls has a mail-order relationship with a girl who claims to be the captain of her school’s basketball team. But as you can imagine, basketball wasn’t invented until 1891 as this episode of the series is set in 1880-1881.

Almost everything in reign

We grant it to you, reign is probably one of the historical series with the most time inconsistencies. This series created by The CW is full of anachronisms, both in terms of the script and the sets or costumes. For example, the chateau where Mary Stuart lives looks anything but a typical French chateau. If the royal court of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis spent its time between the palaces of the Louvre, Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Fontainebleau, the series was filmed at Ashford Castle, in Ireland. On the other hand, King Henry II did not die from a spear in the eye during a tournament with his son François II, but was accidentally killed by Gabriel de Lorges, Count of Montgommery. And let’s not talk about the age of the characters…

Several temporal inconsistencies in The Crown

Difficult to make a series on the British royal family 100% faithful to reality. However, The Crown contains many anachronisms that surely made all Buckingham Palace cringe. Between Prince Philip’s mother who has never done an interview for The Guardian and the non-existent rivalry between the Queen and Jackie Kennedy, the Netflix series is slightly inaccurate. We could remember the temporal inconsistency in season 3 where the radio journalist announces that it will be the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation when she ascended the throne in 1952 and was crowned on June 2, 1953. jubilee therefore takes place 24 years after his coronation and 25 years after his ascent to the throne. Or, when a beautiful double-decker bus appears in a promotional photo for season 4 of The Crown.

vikings

Forget all the inconsistencies and anachronisms in vikings. Forget the fact that Vikings don’t wear helmets in battle. Forget the fact that Christians didn’t crucify people. No, we are talking about a temporal inconsistency that is right before your eyes. Indeed, the Vikings were never called that way since the word “Viking” was only introduced in the 19th century, 1100 years after the events of the series. We will accept “Norman”, “Pagan” or “Norsemen” if necessary, but certainly not “Viking”.

The anachronisms in Peaky Blinders

As cool as it is, the series Peaky Blinders accumulates anachronisms. For example, in season 4, we can see Tommy and his son celebrating Christmas. So far so good, Christmas did exist at that time. Except that the character played by Cillian Murphy offers to leave a snack for Santa Claus and Rudolph. Except that in 1925, the little red-nosed reindeer did not yet exist and did not make its first appearance until 1939. Similarly, at the start of season 2, Thomas Shelby drives a car with the registration number YP8086. However, this registration was only recorded in 1926, whereas this season takes place between 1921 and 1922. And to top it off, our protagonist makes a phone call to his cousin Michael who is in the United States in the episode 6 of season 4. The problem? This scene takes place in 1926 whereas the transatlantic calls did not take place until 1927. It is technical, but it remains a mistake.

The Bridgerton Chronicle

Once again, The Bridgerton Chronicle is not reputed to be historically accurate, quite the contrary! For a series that is supposed to take us back to the early 19th century, some details slightly ruin the plot. And from the opening scene of season 1, fans could notice a beautiful yellow line of road markings when this marking on the ground did not appear until the 60s in the United Kingdom. And for those who really have the eye, you can see the front of a Primark store in the reflection of a window behind Simon Basset. Maybe the Bridgertons secretly dressed in this sign…

Some small inconsistencies in madmen

For once, the technical team has really taken care of the details in the production of the series. madmen since it is faithful to the 60s. Unfortunately, Internet users have a knack for spotting the slightest inconsistency in all the television series and even the multi-award winning madmen don’t escape it. In episode 7 of season 2, the character of Peggy talks about Bob Dylan while the musician had not produced any title at the time the episode took place. Moreover, in season 3, while Lane Pryce is installed at his desk, we can notice the three volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary, published in 1987.

Stranger Things

The 80s are all the charm of Stranger Things but some anachronisms have not gone unnoticed by fans of the Netflix series. Indeed, in season 1, which takes place in 1983, Barb drives a Volkswagen Cabrio, built from 1988. Similarly in episode 6 of season 4, Will, Mike, Jonathan and Argyle go to Suzie’s house, Dustin’s girlfriend because she’s supposed to be a computer genius. But she must be such a genius that she manages to enter different lines of code, including HTML, which appeared in 1991, while the events of this season take place in 1986.