Taking up the challenge of crafting a top-notch screenplay treatment about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham (who knows a thing or two about screenwriting) and Ben Deery (who knows a thing or two about acting) to put the movie world to rights. Having analysed the pitfalls and frustrations of Ridley Scott's Napoleon 2023 in the first season the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly, this time round the team have to come up with the magic themselves.

They do not succeed in this opening episode. But the creative process is a messy one, it turns out, and our trio very much hope listeners will struggle through these opening lurches towards excellence in order to access the cinematic gold which, ultimately, lies at the culmination of this project.

As our resident AI bot N-AI-poleon Bot-aparte puts it:

• The team discusses what makes compelling screenwriting, focusing on the importance of theme, character, and narrative structure, and explores strategies for portraying Napoleon on screen

• Deliberation over Napoleon's core traits, debating insecurity, power, and the idea of him as an "addicted gambler" constantly pushing his luck, shapes the central approach to the script

• The hosts entertain genre-bending ideas—from a heist film to comedic undertones—while considering historical accuracy, key relationships (like with Josephine), and the inclusion of iconic antagonists such as Talleyrand

• Plans are set to collaboratively develop the screenplay “Napoleon: One Last Job” live on the podcast, tackling 15 pages at a time, blending their theatrical, historical, and screenwriting perspectives

Listeners are advised not to get too excited about the whole heist thing. That might not last too long.

This is the first in a series of recap episodes, offering a synthesis of our 1792-1804 coverage one year at a time. Chris Sloan talks presenter Alex Stevenson through specific key clips he's picked out from our old episodes grouped around four themes which, we argue, help frame the period and shape our understanding of it in a whole new way. We hope this will provide a helpful refresh for longstanding listeners - whilst at the same time offering an 'entry ramp' to the podcast for those who want to get up to speed relatively easily before we crash full-speed into the intensity of the Napoleonic Wars.

This episode covers 1792, a year of extraordinary upheaval and transformation across the globe. We take stock of the events, crises, and turning points that defined the period, focusing on four major themes:

• The French Revolution: The mounting political pressure in Paris, culminating in the radicalization of the revolution, the arrest and trial of Louis XVI, and the proclamation of the First French Republic.

• The War in Europe: France’s chaotic military situation and surprising victories, as the War of the First Coalition begins, defying the odds against a decimated army and foreign invasion.

• The Eastern European Dimension: The critical developments in Poland, Russia, Austria, and Prussia, as the fate of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is decided and imperial rivalries set the stage for future Napoleonic conflicts.

• The Wider World: The global ramifications of revolutionary ideals, including the dramatic slave uprising in Saint Domingue (Haiti), highlighting the extraordinary importance and turmoil in the Caribbean and colonial geopolitics.

Here's what you need to know:

- Having reached the end of 1804, the Napoleonic Quarterly is now halfway through its decade-long project.

- That means it's time for a half-time break to reboot and relaunch the project, with the twin goals of offering an alternative 'entry point' for Napoleonic Wars afficionados and allowing the establishment of an end-state production pipleline.

- It's not exactly the Super Bowl's half-time entertainment, but for this relaunch period we'll have two limited miniseries running in parallel.

- The first is a recap series; one episode per year of the chronology. Each episode will look at the four main themes illustrated by clips from the main episodes, and then do a quick month-by-month reminder of the main events.

- The second is season two of our movie project. But instead of looking at Ridley Scott's Napoleonic monstrosity, this time round we'll be working up our own treatment for how we'd fit the life of Napoleon around the traditional Hollywood screenplay structure.

- Meanwhile in the background work is underway on our 1805 episodes.

- The relaunch period hopefully starts with an episode a day for, hopefully, a full week; and then we'll revert to weekly for the duration.

- Vive le podcast!