Melanie Stokes said that "we play fast and loose with history and it's not the job of a drama to give facts... but to inspire imagination." Episode 8 accurately references Leonardo's vegetarianism and love of nature (buying caged birds to release them). The portrayal of Piero de' Medici as scheming to overthrow the Duke of Florence is misleading; in 1467, Medici was the de facto ruler of Florence, and the city state would only acquire a Duke in 1532, when the title was given to Piero's descendant Alessandro de' Medici. The character of Niccolò Machiavelli is portrayed by Akemnji Ndifornyen, a black actor, whereas the real Niccolò Machiavelli was white. Furthermore, there appears to be no discernible age difference between his character and that of Leonardo, who was in reality 17 years his senior. The characters all speak modern English, occasionally exclaiming "bella!" or "magnifico!" to remind the audience that they are supposed to be Italians. Contemporary pop songs are used for the music soundtrack. Leonardo is frequently shown inventing things that are ahead of their time, most notably a wooden bicycle (actually invented 1817; Leo's design is close to a BMX, invented in the 1970s), which first appears in "Anything is Possible" and is later given a gunpowder engine (invented 1600s). The series one finale involves an indestructible suit of mechanical armour, and the series two ended with a "superweapon" – a mobile armoured tank with a cannon mounted in a rotating turret, an exaggeration of Leonardo da Vinci's fighting vehicle. Leonardo's costume is also rather anachronistic, with his sneakers and chinos being more reminiscent of modern-day clothing than that of 15th-century Florence. Episodes Series 1 (2011) Series 2 (2012) Spin-off online game In 2012 an online game based on the second series was released. Entitled Leonardo, the game allows players to defeat the villain Il Drago who has stolen Leonardo's inventions. The game was nominated for a 2013 KidScreen Award for Best Companion Website. Accolades In 2012, Leonardo won three KidScreen Awards for Best Non-Animated or Mixed Series, Best Music, and Best Design. It was also nominated for the Ivor Novello Award for Best Television Soundtrack, the Best Youth Program Award at the Banff World Media Festival, and the Award for Youth Fiction at the Rose d'Or. It was also nominated for a children's television award at the Prix Jeunesse International Festival in Munich. See also Da Vinci's