5 Mistakes That Changed History ★★★★★

A lot of people are really turned off by history – am pretty sure this doesn’t apply to many of The Recs review team, as this features such an abundance of enquiring minds, but I digress… The problem often comes down to the fact that history is presented in such dry fashion at school, children just disengage and switch off. However, tuning out really isn’t option for anyone experiencing 5 Mistakes That Changed History, where highly-dynamic historian Paul Coulter returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with plethora of new, often little-known, disaster-themed historical anecdotes, together with a couple of firm favourites.

On the surface, the show seems cleverly straightforward. Choose five relatively-obscure instances in history – and in this the show ricochets from ancient times to the twentieth century – where a wrong decision, or two, really led events to take a dark and frequently disastrous turn. Coulter then brings these tales to life. Not wishing to give too much a way, but Alexander the Great shouldn’t have been so full of hubris, and been better with his document keeping; a little-known clerical error set off a series of events leading to the French Revolution; and if certain sailors had been a bit more attentive a whole lot more people would probably have made it off the Titanic alive (but it isn’t the story you might imagine!).

From the get go, Coulter just fills the stage and auditorium with enthusiasm, but not in an overbearing way. Having studied history at university, he really knows how to research the subject matter, which resonates through the fast-paced hour. Yet beyond that he is expertly able to work in humour – some great one-liners, and a PowerPoint backdrop fellow comedian Dave Gorman would be proud of – into the show. A highly enjoyable and educational hour, it really leaves you wanting more, which is probably why the book – 10 Mistakes That Changed History – is about to hit the shops. A unique show that may have old roots but is box fresh!