Playing a Historian on TV
By Christian Knudsen
Recently, I’ve had the fun and unexpected opportunity to be an “on-screen expert” on a series of history TV shows produced by Go Button Media. Becoming a TV personality was never on my personal bucket list, but the experience has been a blast! Last year, a friend passed along my name to the production company, who were in pre-production on Secrets of Ancient Structures, a documentary series which explores many of the famous and unusual structures of the ancient and medieval world, such as the Pantheon in Rome and the monastic island fortress of Mont-Saint-Michel. The show had recently been greenlit, and they were in the middle of casting.
The Go Button shows follow the familiar format of popular history documentaries: on-screen interviews with experts combined with narrated b-roll of historical sites, artifacts, and re-enactments with actors. I do think that this kind of public history is genuinely important as it’s one of the main ways many people continue to engage with the past after their formal education ends. While tons of fun, the filming days were long and mostly involved me sitting in front of a projected backdrop. Although we shoot in a conference room in a Hamilton hotel, the rear projection makes it look as if I’m sitting inside a medieval cathedral. I received a rough narrative script ahead of time outlining the topics they hope to cover, but most of the conversation ends up being improvised on the day. For me, it’s great fun. I get to chat all day about nerdy subjects I love, tell some stories, and dispel historical myths along the way. One of the biggest surprises for me has been just how committed the producers are to getting the history “right.” In many cases, the show’s narrative changed substantially based on what I or the other experts said during filming. While the show may be “popular” history, it is built on solid academic foundations.
In some ways, being on this show was a little bit like coming back to a familiar home for me. Many years ago, I used to work in the Toronto film and television industry after completing my undergraduate degree in film production. While I enjoyed the work, I always felt drawn to history, research, and academia. After a year living abroad in the UK and exploring monastic ruins, I returned to Canada to earn a Master’s and PhD in Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, starting on the path that would eventually lead me to Sheridan College. I absolutely love being a historian and professor, and I have never regretted my decision. However, there is part of me that has always missed the energy and teamwork of a film set. This has made my experience on this show all the more rewarding for me on a personal level.
After Secrets of Ancient Structures went well, the Go Button team invited me back for several more projects. I have now appeared as an expert in three additional shows, Oracles and Prophets, Secrets of Ancient Medicine, and Shadows and Dust, and I also served as a historical script consultant during post-production for Secrets of Ancient Medicine. Looking ahead, there are three more shows slated for the coming year: the second season of Secrets of Ancient Structures, a ten-part series called Ancient Disasters, and an eight-part series titled Access Denied.
You can see the first season of Secrets of Ancient Structures now on Super Channel or through Amazon Prime.
