Perfect Weapon (2008)

Join our two hosts, Monty Halls and Stuart Prior to investigate the history, science of blunt weapons, and their ability to smash, hurt and crush. Blunt weapons are some of the oldest weapons mankind has invented. And yet even now, the baton is one of the most important weapons used by police forces around the world. Monty and Stuart pick the chain flail and the war hammer to champion. They also explore other similar weapons like the Nan chuck, the truncheon, and even the human fist.

Join Monty Halls and Stuart Prior, as they test the use of a canon against various targets for power and accuracy. With the advent of gunpowder, warfare changed irrevocably. Monty and Stuart examine the science behind how firearms work and put the canon and Three Band Enfield head to head. Using these weapons they explore their range, accuracy, rate of fire and ease of use. They also train using the SA80, the submachine gun used by the British Armed Forces.

Follow Stuart Prior and Monty Halls, in exploring the destructive power of Siege Engines in history. Sieges are as old as warfare itself, like Alexander the Great's siege of Tyre, the Siege of Acre in 1191, right up to the modern day. As recently as 1992, the largest ever modern siege occurred in Sarajevo as the city was pounded for four years. Monty and Stuart follow the building of a mangonel, and trebuchet, in order to test their power and accuracy.

In this episode of Perfect Weapon, we look at how the weapons are made and are still in use around the world. In their heyday, projectiles like bows dominated the field of war, and making them was a huge industry. Monty and Stuart pick the longbow and the crossbow as their favourite weapons and then visit a blacksmith to learn about arrow making. Using their weapons they perform a series of experiments to understand the range and accuracy of their weapons.

Our hosts choose their bladed weapon & are trained to test them against various targets including a pig carcass, to assess the damage caused in battle. From the Bronze Age, blades formed the mainstay of warfare. Monty and Stuart choose the long Sword and the Poleaxe and then they conduct a series of tests on their weapons to discover the strengths and weaknesses of both. They wheel in some very modern technology, a Motion Capture system, to help them to use their weapons with better technique.

Our hosts try on various kinds of armour to explore how easy they are to move in, by running over an obstacle course. Monty and Stuart explore the role of armour in warfare from ancient times to the modern era. Having chosen plate armour and medieval brigandine to focus on, they then perform on them a series of tests to find out which protects best and which is easiest to move in.