Just how did people like Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein and Colonel Gaddafi rise to power? Why did people follow them, even when they did awful things?

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A new Netflix series, How to Become a Tyrant, sets out to answer those questions, casting a sardonic eye on the history of dictators and tyrants who have altered the history of the world, using fear, manipulation of the media, and an iron fist to gain power.

How to Become a Tyrant release date

How to Become a Tyrant will be available to watch on Netflix from Friday 9th July.

What is How to Become a Tyrant about?

Using a mixture of historical footage, animation and commentary from experts, How to Become a Tyrant takes a wryly cynical look at some of the world’s most famous – and horrific – dictators and charts how they came to power.

The documentary series focuses on some of the most notorious leaders of the 20th century, including Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein and Idi Amin, and looks at the methods they used to gain control over their subjects.

Who is the How to Become a Tyrant narrator?

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones season 8 (HBO)
HBO

How to Become a Tyrant is narrated by actor Peter Dinklage.

He’s best known, of course, as Tyrion Lannister in Game Of Thrones, and for his roles as Dr Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past and as Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War.

Born in New Jersey in 1969, Dinklage studied acting at college and his first film performance was in the 1995 movie Living In Oblivion. His breakthrough role was in 2003’s The Station Agent, and he followed it with parts in Elf and the TV series Threshold and Nip/Tuck before becoming the first actor to be cast in Game of Thrones in 2009.

During the show’s eight seasons, Dinklage won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series four times. He has since appeared in the drama My Dinner With Hervé, playing Fantasy Island actor Hervé Villechaize, has provided the voice of Phil Betterman in the animated comedy The Croods: A New Age (due for release in the UK on 16thJuly) and will star in the musical drama Cyrano as Cyrano de Bergerac, which will open in cinemas at the end of 2021.

Is there a trailer?

You can watch the full trailer here.

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How to Become a Tyrant arrives on Netflix on 9th July. If you’re looking for something else to watch, visit our TV Guide. Check out our Documentaries hub for all the latest news.

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