"Loades is so enthusiastic about medieval weaponry that he talks about it almost poetically...this passion is infectious...stylish and sincere...his skills are really quite impressive"
The Sunday Telegraph July 2004

Mike has developed a unique hands-on blend of interview and demonstration that combines exciting action images with gripping storytelling and solid facts. While he is perfectly happy to give a straight interview, his physical skills can give the sequence added authenticity and present opportunities for experimental archaeology.  His knowledge spans a broad range of historical periods and cultures.   "Most interesting of all is the way in which Loades uses the sword to bring history to life in a simple, unstuffy way ... a treat" The Observer July 2004

SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW SEQUENCES

True Stories: ‘Pirates’ – Blink Films for Smithsonian Channel/ Channel 5  2010

Sequences firing canon to test effects of round-shot, bar-shot and chain-shot. A demonstration of boarding techniques, including rope-swinging. Mike also demonstrated the flintlock pistol, musket, blunderbuss and grenado; as well as showing how the smallsword, cutlass, boarding axe and belaying pin could be used in the close-quarter combat scenario of a confined deck-space.

The Real Robin Hood – Herzog – History Channel – 2010

Sequences about the longbow, 13th century weapons and warfare as well as a sequence comparing a warhorse with an ambler – the medieval travelling horse - and general observations about Robin Hood and outlawry.

The Japanese Bow - Parthenon Entertainment for Nat Geo 2008

Demonstrates shooting longbow from horse and comparative trials with longbow and yumi.

Mystery Files - Robin Hood     Parthenon Entertainment for Nat Geo 2008

Interview about Robin Hood and the Longbow

Ancient Discoveries  x 4      Wild Dream Films for THC 2008

Piece about castles, filmed at Caerphilly. Demonstration of shooting longbow through arrow-loops.

Piece on attack dogs in the Roman army. Filmed in Rome.

Tested a horo - Japanese arrow catcher and demonstrated Japanese horse archery.

Piece on the Walter de Millemete 1327 MS at Christ Church, Oxford and a reconstruction of the kite bombing depicted therein.

Ramses    Atlantic Productions for Nat Geo 2008

Piece on the Battle of Kadesh and demonstrations of chariot archery from both a Hittite and an Egyptian chariot.

Lost Treasures x 3    Planet X for Granada Tv 2008

Piece on King Arthur

Piece on Viking raid on Chester

Piece on Cromwell's army

Weapons Connections  Flashback TV for Discovery Military Channel 2006
Interviews about development of armour, siege engines and firearms.

Last Voyage of Columbus  LionTelevision for THC 2006
Shot live rounds from an Arquebus to test effect on a pig carcass. Demonstrated Caribbean archery with 5ft arrows and showed fighting techniques with Spanish swords and the Indian macana club.

Ancient Discoveries  Wild Dreams Films for History Channel 2006
(Prog 1 Ancient Egypt) Demonstrated how an Egyptian composite bow was made and tested how many arrows he could shoot into a target zone from a galloping chariot. The sequences were filmed in Jordan and he also coached two local stuntmen in Egyptian/Hittite fighting styles. In addition he told the story of the Battle of Qadesh.
(Prog 2 Ancient Greece) Expounded his theories about the wooden horse of Troy, using a scale model.

Digging For The Truth JMW Productions for History Channel 2006
Filmed in Egypt on the desert plateau just behind the Great Pyramid, Mike proved that it was possible for the pharaohs to drive a chariot solo and shoot a bow at the same time and hit the target! The reins are tied around the waist.

Lost Worlds – Athens Supercity Atlantic Productions for History Channel 2006
Demonstrated early Greek cavalry – bareback with two javelins + horse archery of the Scythians. Also demonstrated and explained phalanx formations and the use of the pike. Demonstrated use of slingshot and discussed organisation and recruitment patterns for Athenian and Spartan armies.

Modern Marvels - Barbarian Tech    Actuality Films for THC 2006
Interview about Iron Age chariots and warfare

Timewatch – The Crusaders Lost Fort  BBC 2005
Demonstrated weapons skills of the Faris (Saracen knight), including cutting a line of reeds with a sword at the gallop, lifting the top block from a pile of wooden blocks with a lance and horse archery. Also demonstrated the hand to hand fighting techniques of crusaders and Saracens.

China’s First Emperor Lion Television for Discovery 2005
Demonstrated the use of the Chinese crossbow, as found in the tomb of the Terracotta Warriors, which involved a 3 man team – one laying on his back to span it, another to load it and pass it and a third to shoot it. Also demonstrated Chinese sword technique on foot and from horseback.

Lost Treasures  Planet X Television for Granada TV  2005
PROG 1  Mike told the story of the 7th century battle between King Oswald of Northumbria and King Penda of Mercia and demonstrated the arms and armour and fighting tactics of the day.
PROG 4  Mike told the story of the battle of Brunanburgh (937 AD) and demonstrated Saxon and Viking fighting techniques
PROG 6  Mike demonstrated and explained the fighting equipment and techniques of the Roman army.

Helen of Troy   Lion Television for Channel 4  2004
On the plains of Troy in Turkey, Mike “road tested” two chariots – one Mycenaean and one Hittite. He drove both chariots, testing them for speed and manoeuvrability. He shot a bow from the galloping Mycenaean chariot and managed to get several hits (with rubber tipped arrows) on the shield of the warrior on the Hittite chariot, which he was pursuing. He “jousted” with a lance as the two chariots galloped towards each other (a Mycenaean wall painting shows a chariot mounted figure with a lance). He stood in the front line of a block of men as a chariot crashed through them. He demonstrated the technique of warriors being rescued by a chariot – jumping on it as it passed at the gallop in the middle of a battle.

He explained chariot battle tactics and the array of hand-to-hand weapons of the day, including sword, spear and sling. He told the story of the fight between Menelaus and Paris, whilst demonstrating the course of the combat.

Guns, Germs and Steel  Lion Television for Nat Geographic   2004 
Mike demonstrated the 16th century rapier fight and explained the cultural significance of the rapier. He demonstrated the power of the Spanish warhorse and explained the psychological impact it had on the Incas.

Peasant’s Revolt Spire Films for Channel 4  2004 
Mike rode with two companions from Canterbury to London. They used two different types of horses – modern breeds which had 4 gaits (walk, trot, canter, gallop) and Icelandic ponies which have a fifth gait (the amble). Ambling horses were the norm for medieval travel – it is a rapid gait but extremely comfortable for travelling long distances. Mike and his team found that they covered considerably more miles per hour using the ambling horses and with much less fatigue to horse and rider. He gave several interviews en route about the Revolt as well as demonstrating the types of weapons that the peasants would have been armed with. He rode onto the Woolwich ferry to illustrate their crossing of the Thames. Although much of the ride was on green routes, it inevitably involved a great deal of road work in built up areas. He crossed the Medway over the M2 motorway bridge! The ride concluded with Mike and his team entering the forecourt of the Savoy hotel – the site of the old Savoy Palace, which the peasants burned to the ground.

King Arthur Automat Pictures 2004
This was for the documentary segment of the DVD of the King Arthur movie. Mike demonstrated Romano/British cavalry warfare, riding in a Roman horned saddle, using the spatha and the contus. He also explained and demonstrated other 5th century military tactics, weapons and armour.

Ancient Surgery Cicada Films for Channel 4 2004
Mike demonstrated various weapons of the ancient world, discussing the sort of injuries they would produce. His sequences included test ‘cutting’ a pig carcass with a bronze sword.

Clash of the Generals  Shine Television for Discovery 2004
Filmed in Tunisia, Mike rode bareback over rocky terrain demonstrating the cavalry tactics of Alexander the Great and the use of the sarissa  - long cavalry lance. He also did a piece from the ruins of Carthage about Hannibal’s military tactics and other pieces about Roman fighting formations.

Britain’s Finest  Lion Television for Channel 5  2003
Ancient Monuments prog:  Piece from Maiden Castle about Iron Age hillforts.
Castle prog: Piece from Conway Castle about Edward I’s castles in Wales.

Machines That Time Forgot   Windfall Films for Channel 4 2002
Filmed in Turkey, Mike did several pieces about the Assyrians and their chariots. He road tested a 9th century two-horse chariot and a 7th century 4 horse chariot. In a chariot race through the streets of the village of Harran, Mike won, though his wheel disintegrated whilst sliding round a corner when filming the ‘cutaway’ sequence. He also demonstrated how the Assyrians first took to riding horses. They rode bareback in teams. The erstwhile chariot driver rode one horse while the former chariot archer rode another. The ‘driver’ held onto the reins of the archer’s horse and had complete control of it. The archer simply sat there, powerless to affect speed or direction, and shot his bow. Mike was on the archer’s horse as they clattered through pot-holed and rock-strewn terrain. He hit his mark but it is the scariest thing he has ever done.

Tales of the Bow  Alba Communications for Discovery 2002
Mike demonstrated horse archery and the battle tactics of the Huns. The Japanese bow and the Egyptian bow.

Tournament  Wall to Wall Television for Channel 4  2002
Mike was on screen throughout this programme teaching four novices to joust – a cowboy from Montana, a British army officer, a Scottish riding instructor and a mounted policeman from Washington DC. As well as recreating various original training exercises, he commentated on the progress of the contenders and did pieces about the history of jousting. He was master of ceremonies for the final competitive joust. The contenders had specially commissioned armour made for them and they jousted with solid wooden lances. The armour and solid lances had first been ‘safety tested’ by Mike.

Royal Deaths and Diseases Lion TV for Channel 4 2002
Mike explained the effect of arrows against armour and discussed the incident at the Battle of Shrewsbury where Henry V was shot in the face by an arrow. He also cut a full pig carcass clean in half with a medieval sword. Piece on the crossbow.

King Harold Spire Films for Channel 4 2002
He discussed King Harold’s battle tactics at Hastings and also dealt with his guerrilla campaigns in Wales

Castle Lion TV for Channel 4 2002
Mike demonstrated Norman cavalry tactics and explained the significance of Castles as cavalry bases. He discussed ‘knightly’ culture and galloped up the steep face of the mound of a Norman motte and bailey castle to test if such an attack were possible. It was.

Chariot Queen   BBC T.V. 2001 
A British iron-age chariot was unearthed in Yorkshire in 2000, together with the skeleton of a woman. Mike was chosen to lead a team to reconstruct the chariot from the archaeological evidence. The programme followed him meeting with archaeologists, wheelwrights, harness makers, leather-workers, blacksmiths, bronze casters and horse trainers. He even mined for minerals to make paint from ochres, honey and chalk. He field-tested the chariot, driving it and throwing javelins at targets. The finished chariot was presented to The British Museum and as a publicity stunt, Mike drove the chariot from the museum to Hyde Park corner through the London rush hour traffic.

Boudica  Spire Films for Channel 4   2001
Mike demonstrated the weapons of both the Ancient Britain’s and the Romans and explained the tactics of both armies at Boudica’s final battle.

Meet The Ancestors   BBC T.V. 2000
In this investigation into the death of a bronze age warrior (spear tip broken off in his spine) Mike reconstructed how he thought the combat might have happened, given the archaeological evidence – angle of entry wound etc.

Celtic Myths   Electric Sky for History Channel  2000
Demonstrated various weapons and fighting styles of the Ancient Britons.

Spilt Blood  Carlton TV 1999
Told the story of the Maxwell/Johnstone blood feud and the origin of The Border Reivers. Filmed droving cattle from horseback with a lance and burning down a bothy. Also demonstrating the workings of a wheel-lock pistol.

Gladiators   BBC TV 1999
Demonstrated a variety of gladiatorial fighting techniques, including retiarius, (net and trident), dimacharius (two daggers), velites (spear), parmalarius (sword and buckler)

Warhorse  Sunstone Films 1998 for T.H.C.
Title sequence of mounted armoured knight depicted as stone statue coming to life

Prog 1. Drove replica of Tutankhamun’s chariot in front of the Pyramids and shot bow.
Prog 2. Piece about Norman fighting tactics at Hastings
Piece about medieval archery
Piece about wearing and fighting in plate armour
Prog 3. Piece about Polish Winged Hussars
Piece about Tartars – including lasso sequence and horse archery

Deadly Duels   Michael Hoff Productions 1996 for Discovery
Piece about wearing and fighting in armour

Crusades  BBC TV 1995
Piece on the Norman warhorse and piece on Saracen horse archery.

TIME COMMANDERS  BBC2  2003 / 2004

Mike did two series of this game show, where teams re-fight ancient battles, using state of the art CGI wargame technology. He was one of two on-screen expert commentators.

WARRIORS GAME  BBC Internet  2007

Mike appears, at the click of a mouse, as a provider of background information to this “shoot ‘em up” interactive video game about the Crusades.