HistoryFFS

It's 1986, and cinemas are obsessed with speed. Jets scream across the screen, engines roar, and pilots push their machines to the limit. Top Gun becomes one of the defining films of the decade, turning fighter jets into cultural icons. Forty years on, it's back on the big screen - and that tells us something.

We love old machines. Aircraft, ships, trains, cars. We photograph them, film them and build museums around them. But keeping the real thing alive is far harder. So can technology give historic machines a second life? Can a ship that no longer sails, or no longer exists at all, still show us how it worked and what life on board was like?

In this special episode, filmed on location in Australia, Sarah sits down with Dr. CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg, Chair of Sea Heritage Foundation Australia and First Officer of the MV Cape Don. They trace CJ's journey from airfields and lounge-room war films to maritime preservation, Indigenous inclusion and the launch of The Ghost Fleet - a bold plan to create digital twins of historic, and even vanished, vessels.

Highlights:

00:00 The cultural power of old machines from Top Gun to maritime icons

00:50 Why preservation is hard: corrosion, skills gaps and rising costs

01:23 Meet Dr. CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg and the story of the MV Cape Don

06:13 Creating a memorial for forgotten heroes

11:18 The end (and afterlife) of the Naval Historical Flight

16:01 Buying the MV Cape Don

23:02 How old, simple technology sometimes still works best

23:29 The disappearing link between people, machinery and repair skills

28:37 Why lighthouses are still vital in a world of GPS and electronics

32:27 Where did all the maritime jobs go?

34:43 Why the Cape Don is more than a museum

38:00 Reinventing maritime training

42:44 Paid apprenticeships and challenging elitism in history work

44:00 History is not a jar of specimens; it's the story and meaning of now

55:04 Why we need spectacle and "wow" from Top Gun to Ghost Fleet

01:00:15 Cape Don as flagship for a new kind of living maritime heritage

01:07:16 Launching the Ghost Fleet

01:09:04 Everything's impossible until it isn't

01:12:06 Dry-docking dreams, and the practical work of ship-saving

01:12:33 Why the people that save ships matter

About Dr CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg:

Dr CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg is a highly respected maritime professional, educator and social impact leader with three decades of service. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1996, later serving in the Australian Army Reserve on operational, peacekeeping and humanitarian missions across the Asia-Pacific. As Chairman of the Sea Heritage Foundation, he has pioneered Indigenous maritime training with a 99% completion rate, and is leading the development of its Maritime Academy for Indigenous Australians and veterans.

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake. For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond. As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

How did theatre evolve from exclusive, elite entertainment into a truly public, participatory art form? Why do modern audiences crave experiences that go beyond observation to full immersion and what does that say about society, technology, and the future of storytelling?

To mark the 50th anniversary of London’s National Theatre, Sarah Dowd sits down with Fiona Porritt, Senior Creative Producer at Les Enfants Terribles, the innovative company behind spectacular immersive productions like Alice’s Adventures Underground and United Queendom. Together, they trace the arc from 18th-century riotous audiences, political spectacle, and morally contested playhouses to contemporary immersive theatre where the audience becomes part of the action.

Highlights:

00:00 From Garrick and Sheridan to mass spectacle: theatre’s transformation

01:44 Audiences as agitators: riots, protest, and who culture belongs to

03:10 The rise of immersive and participatory performance

05:28 Inspired by school panto and the opening ceremony of the Olympics

09:23 Discovering and and working with Les Enfants Terribles

13:30 Why audiences crave participation

15:46 What actually makes theatre “immersive”?

20:04 Breaking the social contract in theatre

21:30 “Tricking” new audiences into theatre and making it more accessible

24:00 Olivier Awards and fitting immersive shows into old frameworks

26:17 How Edinburgh Fringe, music halls, and found spaces paved the way

28:58 Romeo in a bombed-out library

29:22 Can immersive theatre make history feel real and accessible?

36:35 Why “serious” history isn’t always serious

46:58 Inside Pussy Riot: immersive and political storytelling

52:42 Can immersive theatre be “fun” and hard-hitting at the same time?

57:47 The paradox of spoilers in a digital age of oversharing

60:23 We’re all performers now:

62:05 Why the way we connect onstage and off, matters more than ever.

About Fiona Porritt:

Fiona is a creator of imaginative and immersive worlds. As Senior Creative Producer at Les Enfants Terribles known for its striking visual aesthetic and innovative use of props, puppetry and live music she has spent over twelve years pushing the boundaries of storytelling and audience experience. Her credits span theatre and brand experiences alike, including The House with Chicken Legs, The Trench, Inside Pussy Riot and bespoke commissions for PlayStation, Ikea and Kraken Rum.

Fiona is currently producing Die Hunnenkönigin for the Nibelungen Festival in Germany and the remount of Olivier Award-nominated Alice's Adventures Underground.

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

What happens when a community has the courage to challenge, the faith to persist, and the nerve to imagine a different future? And what is lost when the buildings that held that community together begin to disappear?

In part two, Sarah Dowd reunites with Chris Smith, Chair of the Historic Chapels Trust, and Steve Pilcher, longtime campaigner for England's chapels, to take the story further, from nonconformist conscience as a force for reform and public morality, to the harder questions of what comes next.

They also discuss Sunday schools as engines of social mobility, the hard road of repurposing sacred space, fundraising in a pandemic, and a rare positive tale of winding a charity down.

Highlights:

00:00 Why the “nonconformist conscience” changed Britain

01:44 Bethesda Chapel: the power and perils of an iconic building

04:10 Why nonconformist architecture is designed for the voice

08:10 Sunday schools, education, and the struggle for opportunity

16:54 Courage & mutual aid: what builds and sustains a chapel community

18:13 When faith fades, what happens to the buildings?

21:22 The painful art of letting go and the future uses of chapels

28:56 Meeting the modern challenge: inventing new reasons for old places

30:41 The tough decision to wind down the Historic Chapels Trust

41:05 Why buildings are only as strong as the people powering them

54:42 Nonconformity in action: charity, courage, and regulatory reform

57:10 Working with new generations and new energy

61:07 The surprising success of community asset transfers

63:31 Having faith in people, in change, and in impossible things

About Chris Smith:

Chris Smith is Chair of Historic Chapels Trust and a lifelong heritage professional with extensive experience in conservation, planning and historic environment management. Formerly a Director at Historic England, he became Chair in 2019 and has since focused on securing sustainable futures for chapels through community ownership and adaptive reuse. Chris is passionate about heritage as a tool for shaping the future, not simply preserving the past.

About Steve Pilcher:

Steve Pilcher is a heritage specialist and former Deputy Director of Historic Chapels Trust, where he worked from 2003 to 2016. Before that, he spent two decades with English Heritage across industrial archaeology, conservation and policy. A building conservation specialist, Steve continues to support heritage projects and volunteer-led initiatives today.

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

The burning of Birmingham in July 1791 wasn't just a riot, it was the moment dissent and nonconformity became forces that would shape Britain forever.

Sarah Dowd is joined by Chris Smith, Chair of the Historic Chapels Trust, and Steve Pilcher, longtime champion of historic chapels across England. Together they unravel what nonconformity really meant: centuries of struggle for religious freedom, communities building chapels for themselves, and the surprising legacy these "dangerous outsiders" handed to modern British society. Expect radical architecture, Quaker leases stretching five millennia, and a case for why these now-empty chapels matter more than ever.

Dedicated to Sarah Dowd's Aunt Sandra, in honour of 60 years of Songs of Praise.

Highlights:

00:00 Birmingham burns & the birth of dissent: Joseph Priestley’s story

00:45 Chapels as spaces for democracy, debate, & imagining new worlds

01:40 Songs of Praise and the journey of nonconformity

02:20 The hard question: what becomes of empty chapels?

03:15 Chris Smith, the Historic Chapels Trust and the battle for funding

06:10 Steve Pilcher on life in conservation and a 13-year “secondment”

09:16 What is nonconformity, historically and now?

10:28 Building Preservation and the line between activism and conformity

13:30 Steve Pilcher’s Quaker upbringing

17:00 1791, why dissent threatened power and why it kept going

25:39 The stories of St. George’s German Lutheran Church

26:11 Chapels as sites of anti-Nazi resistance

29:10 The wild diversity of chapels

35:37 Can a building hold memory, spirit, and community?

42:04 What’s next for chapels, and why being nonconformist still matters

Tune in next week for Part 2, chapels that challenged society, why regulation matters, and how to be nonconformist in heritage today.

About Chris Smith:

Chris Smith is Chair of Historic Chapels Trust and a lifelong heritage professional with extensive experience in conservation, planning and historic environment management. Formerly a Director at Historic England, he became Chair in 2019 and has since focused on securing sustainable futures for chapels through community ownership and adaptive reuse. Chris is passionate about heritage as a tool for shaping the future, not simply preserving the past.

About Steve Pilcher:

Steve Pilcher is a heritage specialist and former Deputy Director of Historic Chapels Trust, where he worked from 2003 to 2016. Before that, he spent two decades with English Heritage across industrial archaeology, conservation and policy. A building conservation specialist, Steve continues to support heritage projects and volunteer-led initiatives today.

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

You know the image: towering column, tricorn hat, one good eye. Admiral Nelson, Britain's ultimate naval hero. But how much of that legend is actually true? And how much was carefully constructed and sold to us?

This week, Sarah Dowd is joined by Roy Clare, retired Rear Admiral, former boss of the National Maritime Museum, and someone who has spent a career thinking about how we remember (and misremember) our maritime past. Tune in for a brilliant conversation about heroes, myths, and who history tends to forget.

They explore Nelson's very human flaws, his Blackadder afterlife, the women and non-European sailors who shaped British naval history but rarely get a mention, and why the stories our museums tell are finally starting to change. History is a lot more interesting when you tell the whole story.

Highlights:

00:00 The myth-making of Nelson's death

00:38 How public heroism is forged

01:11 Nelson in Blackadder: caricature and shifting belief

02:03 Roy Clare: from Navy life to questioning hero worship

04:02 Who gets remembered and who gets erased?

05:12 Leadership and empathy on the high seas

09:32 From Admiral to museum director

14:14 Rethinking "maritime": migration, trade, and the environment

17:37 Why do societies invent heroes?

24:53 The Battle of the Nile: why strategy creates legends

26:19 Who benefits from the cult of the hero?

30:14 Heroism as marketing

32:51 Who else could have been on that column?

41:40 Where are the women?

44:05 Why put Nelson on a column?

48:41 Why pulling statues down dodges the real question

50:16 Putting Nelson in perspective

51:53 Blackadder and the power of British satire

57:10 Nelson's letters and his love life

58:59 "Male, pale, and stale": critiquing the curation of history

64:40 Championing diversity and revisiting uncomfortable stories

68:06 Decolonising collections: what happened in New Zealand

81:23 Truth-telling and why History For F*'s Sake matters

About Rear Admiral Roy Clare CBE DL:

Rear Admiral Roy Clare CBE DL is a former senior naval officer and cultural leader whose career spans maritime history, museums, governance and digital inclusion. He has served as Director of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council; and Director of Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand.

Known for championing more inclusive storytelling and challenging narrow institutional cultures, Roy has spent decades exploring how public history is presented, interpreted and debated. His work focuses on widening participation, engaging with contested histories and bringing multiple perspectives into heritage and museum practice

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

Sarah Dowd heads to Kielder Observatory to meet Chief Executive Leigh Venus and Director of Astronomy and Communications Dan Pye, exploring how our obsession with the cosmos travels from Caroline Herschel's groundbreaking work to Star Trek marathons and why that journey matters.

Expect childhood wonder, Space Precinct nostalgia, a cameo in 28 Years Later, light pollution villains (including one notorious petrol station), and celebrating sixty years of Star Trek. Plus: why dark skies aren't just for scientists, they're for everyone.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 From starships to stargazers: framing the big cosmic questions

01:19 Leigh Venus on childhood astronomy and finding “home” at Kielder

05:10 Dan Pye’s unlikely journey: Hubble models and a sci-fi themed café

15:27 Why crossing the threshold of a science venue can transform a life

16:58 Kielder is not a research observatory, but an arts and astronomy hub

19:04 TV fame, and the boom-and-bust cycle of astro-tourism

20:13 When COVID hit: podcasting, virtual stargazing, the Lottery lifeline

22:21 Why people travel (and rebook) just for the Kielder night sky

22:40 Celebrating sixty years of Star Trek

25:42 Kielder’s involvement with TV and movies

31:04 How Kielder keeps light pollution at bay

35:42 Humanity’s relationship with the night sky from cave art to calendars

37:28 Caroline Herschel’s story, the first woman to be paid or astronomy

43:52 The blend of science, theatre, and education by stealth

46:43 AR, immersive tech, and never taking the sky too seriously.

About Leigh Venus:

A lapsed geneticist, Leigh Venus has worked across the North East culture and heritage sector since 2009, with senior roles at the RNLI, Jarrow Hall, and Tyneside Cinema. A trustee for the Kielder Water and Forest Park Development Trust and London's Vagina Museum, he is now CEO of Kielder Observatory, proud custodian of this very special place, creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to experience wonder through observing the cosmos.

About Dan Pye:

Obsessed with the stars since his mum took him to his local observatory in Pontefract, where he first glimpsed Mars and the Moon's mountain ranges, Dan's career spanned broadcasting, retail, and running a science-themed café in Durham. A voice actor heard across UK television, radio, and video games worldwide, he now specialises at Kielder Observatory in Observational Astronomy, Planetary Sciences, Astrophotography, and Meteorites.

Connect with Kielder Observatory:

Website: https://kielderobservatory.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kielderobservatory

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ0NTXssdA4CJI-syX1lFfg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KielderObservatory

X: https://x.com/kielder_obs

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

What does shopping have to do with American independence? In this playful yet thoughtful episode of It's History for F****'s Sake, Sarah Dowd sits down with Melody Caban, museum retail consultant, whose work bridges culture and commerce by reimagining the humble museum gift shop.

Together, they unravel misconceptions about museum retail, the origins of “revolution you could hold in your hand,” and how 18th-century consumer boycotts became statements of identity. They explore the psychology and politics of “exit through the gift shop,” how the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is being marked in museum retail, and why a tea towel or tote bag might mean more than you think.

Plus a nostalgic look at Independence Day (the movie), why Jeff Goldblum’s never looked better, and how retail can help us tell the big stories of who we are.

If you love museums (or just love their shops), this one’s for you.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 The not-so-simple story of American independence

02:29 Meet Melody Caban, museum store consultant and curator of delight

04:00 How creativity and business combine in museum shops

07:55 Why bespoke, mission-driven museum gifts matter

12:21 From hippos at the Getty to wearable history

14:51 Front-of-house staff are the unsung heroes of museum experience

16:20 How the Boston Tea Party and the founding of the U.S. were about shopping and consumption as identity

18:10 What buying local really means, then and now

20:12 The 250th anniversary: Local nuance, not just red, white & blue

24:33 Are museum shops recession-proof?

27:00 Why thoughtful design matters more than ever

30:49 Why do they make you exit through the gift shop?

34:44 How Seattle Art Museum, Norton Simon Museum, and The New York Historical Society are getting it right

35:50 Philanthropy vs. government funding, how U.S. museums survive

41:45 Museums as community partners

44:52 Independence Day (the movie) - finding joy in bombastic patriotism

48:21 Rethinking “patriotic” retail for the 250th, telling the whole story, together.

About Melody Caban:

Melody Caban is a seasoned expert who literally helped rewrite the book on museum stores. With nearly 20 years of industry experience, she helps institutions—from art and science to culture and history—bring profit and purpose to their retail operations. A featured columnist and strategic consultant, Melody transforms museum stores from simple gift shops into mission-aligned "final exhibits" that drive revenue and deepen visitor impact.

Connect with Melody:

Website: https://www.melodycabanconsulting.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/museumstoremelody

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melody-caban/

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

Ours to Keep? In this emotionally raw episode of It's History for F***'s Sake, host Sarah Dowd sits down with Clarissa Levi, inheritance tax lawyer, former Sotheby's specialist, and someone with rare double vision into objects, families, and loss.

Together, they unpack why we collect, why inherited things mean so much (sometimes too much), and how the late 18th century turned possessions into identity. They trace the rise of consumerism, the baby boomer stuff-boom, and why a teacup can become a sibling battleground alongside the cultural moment that made Marie Kondo a global phenomenon.

Expect grief, nostalgia, the messy reality of inheritance law, and hard-won advice for planning ahead without leaving traps for your heirs.

If you've ever had to grieve with a cardboard box, this one's for you.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Marie Kondo’s “tidying” revolution and what decluttering means when it isn’t your stuff

02:12 Meet Clarissa Levi, an inheritance tax lawyer and former Sotheby’s specialist

05:13 How grief and loss shape our attachments

09:46 The rise of collecting as status, identity, and a postwar Western obsession

13:08 Why letting go is hard and finding better ways to pass things on

18:18 The complicated joy (and obsession) behind collecting

24:08 Gender, inheritance, and the “emotional labour” of family history

28:10 How industrialisation created a world drowning in stuff

29:00 The double-edged sword of inheriting privilege:

36:46 The biggest myth: Stuff equals love

41:15 Make a will, don’t set traps for your family, have the hard conversations, and please, sort your diaries

45:55 Whether you’re a duke or an academic, it’s all the same mess in the end

47:16 What story will your stuff tell, and to whom?

About Clarissa Levi:

Clarissa is a highly experienced art lawyer and heritage practitioner at law firm Wedlake Bell. She has spent much of her career working in the commercial art world, advising on tax planning and cultural heritage. Her expertise includes estate planning, philanthropy and accessing tax incentives for heritage property. She advises on all aspects of the ownership of art, including acquisitions and disposals, as well as advising on the UK’s export controls for cultural objects. Clarissa advises museums and institutions, buyers, sellers, collectors, industry professionals and the heritage sector. Clarissa worked at Sotheby’s for over a decade, where she was a Senior Director in Tax & Heritage, before joining BHL Art Group, where she was heritage director.

Connect with Clarissa Levi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarissa-levi-a6598419b/

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

What happens when blockbuster adaptations and binge-worthy TV turn British heritage into the world’s hottest travel destination? In this meta, thought-provoking episode of It's History for F***'s Sake, host Sarah Dowd welcomes Seren Welch, one of the UK’s leading screen destination consultants, whose career bridges decades of filmmaking, tourism marketing, and location storytelling for hits like Downton Abbey, Sherlock, and Poldark.

Together, Sarah and Seren unravel the complicated love affair between screens and real places: Why do we yearn to step into Austen’s ballrooms, Brontë’s windswept moors, or the wizarding world of Harry Potter? What draws us to “set jet” across Britain, and what risks do we run on turning living, breathing heritage into mere theme parks?

Expect lively debate on literary pilgrimage versus screen tourism, the ethics of destination storytelling, and why period dramas and gothic romance keep us coming back for more. Plus, the next era of on-screen-inspired travel, how locations become characters, and what’s coming soon to shape your travel bucket list.

If you’ve ever booked a trip because of a movie, lost hours to Regency fantasies, or wondered who decides what parts of history get the Hollywood glow-up, this episode is for you.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Sense and Sensibility’s release turns Regency into fantasy and launches a new era of “heritage on screen”

02:00 Meet Seren Welch: 25+ years shaping how story turns into place

05:33 Behind the first Harry Potter screen tourism boom

07:20 How Downton Abbey changed everything for high-end TV

12:54 Fandom and why we want to “visit old friends” after the credits roll

18:46 The secrets of 1990s filming (when everything was under wraps) versus today’s immersive, always-on behind-the-scenes world

23:12 When does screen tourism shape the stories, instead of just following them?

25:31 How heritage sites cope and thrive when TV turns them into stars

31:46 How today’s dramas spark new questions about history, race, and whose stories get told

36:34 Period drama and gothic romance: why we crave non-conformity

40:38 What’s next for screen tourism?

43:38 Why history on screen, fandom, and travel will always keep evolving

About Seren Welch:

Seren Welch is a leading voice on the screen tourism, otherwise known as the Set-Jetting trend. With over 25 years’ experience promoting countries, regions and historical sites, developing cross sector partnerships with the films & TV industry, she has turned viewers into visitors. By tapping into the emotional connection the audience has with what they’ve seen on screen the economic return continues long after the cameras have stopped rolling.

Connect with Seren:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/seren-welch-7274921

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

Follow the show for new episodes exploring the objects, people, and moments that shaped our world. If you want the story AND the sound of the past, this is essential listening.

How do a BBC fever dream, Victorian sex scandals, and a secret brotherhood of rebellious artists rewrite what we think we know about the past? In this provocative episode of History for F**k’s Sake host Sarah Dowd is joined by Dr. Alison Smith, Director of Collections and Research at the Wallace Collection, and one of the UK’s leading voices on 19th-century British art and the Victorian nude.

Together, they discuss Ken Russell’s wild 1967 film Dante’s Inferno to interrogate the pop-culture myth of the Pre-Raphaelites and pull back the curtain on the revolution these artists launched in the age of upheaval. Exploring how 1848 upended ideas about morality, class, the body, and who gets to tell the stories of beauty and power.

Why did the female nude become a political battleground on canvas? Why are we still haunted by Victorian debates over agency and control? And can we ever escape the straitjackets of archetype and respectability whether in art galleries or on TikTok?

If you’ve ever wondered why history is never just old news, this is essential listening.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Intro: Ken Russell’s Dante’s Inferno, and the Pre-Raphaelite myth

01:08 Dr. Alison Smith, her journey through Britain’s top museums and falling for Pre-Raphaelite art

02:37 Why Dante’s Inferno is so wild, silly, and unsettling

05:38 Victorian art, sexuality, and why the 1960s needed to rebel against it

08:03 Who were the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB)

13:03 Millais’ Christ in the House of His Parents shocks the Victorians

14:13 What happens when the revolutionary spirit falters?

17:22 The female form: how the PRB changed the depiction of women

20:24 From faces and gestures to the classical revival of the nude

22:11 Who narrates women’s stories through art?

26:04 Women artists' agency, and why Elizabeth Siddal wasn’t just a “muse”

28:28 Female archetypes in the Victorian era -why we’re still trying to break free today

30:32 The tension over what museums “should” show

33:52 Are we the new Victorians?

38:24 Must-see Pre-Raphaelite artworks across Britain

40:01 Stained glass, architecture, and why Romantic art makes our hearts soar

About Dr. Alison Smith, BA, DPhil:

Dr Alison Smith is Director of Collections and Research at the Wallace Collection. A leading specialist in nineteenth-century British art, she has previously held senior curatorial roles at the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain, where she spent eighteen years as a curator of British art to 1900. During her time at Tate she curated and co-curated major exhibitions including Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde, Millais, Exposed: The Victorian Nude, Artist and Empire, and Burne-Jones.

Born in Brighton, Alison studied History of Art at the University of Nottingham before completing her MA and PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She has written widely on Victorian art and culture, and her work has played an important role in reinterpreting the Pre-Raphaelites as one of Britain’s first modern art movements.

About Sarah Dowd:

I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.

For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.

As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.

Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss an episode.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/historyffs-pod/

Substack: @historyffs

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod

Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social

Follow the show for new episodes exploring the objects, people, and moments that shaped our world. If you want the story AND the sound of the past, this is essential listening.