HistoryFFS

What connects the myth-busting boulder chases of Indiana Jones, revolutionary political ferment, and the mud-splattered rise of modern archaeology? In this episode of History for F**k’s Sake host Sarah Dowd sits down with Professor Dominic Tweddle, British archaeologist, museum leader, and expert in material culture for an honest, engaging journey through the origins, controversies, and future of digging up history.

From the Enlightenment’s curiosity-fuelled societies to the birth of systematic fieldwork, we explore how “holes in the ground” became battlegrounds for cultural meaning, power, and academic integrity. The episode traces archaeology’s evolution from treasure hunting and grave robbing, through the foundations of research and recording, into the revolutionary impact of pop culture (hello, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and immersive museum experiences like the Jorvik Viking Centre.

Whether you’re a history buff, a museum geek, or just want to know why a Viking street in York was a game-changer, this is essential listening for anyone curious about who gets to control the narrative of the past and how.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Introduction: Pop culture’s impact on archaeology

02:02 Professor Dominic Tweddle’s journey

04:11 British Museum, hands-on with Sutton Hoo and medieval collections

05:15 The Coppergate Viking dig opens up a new era for public engagement

07:27 The genesis of Jorvik Viking Centre

09:45 Creating Jorvik Viking Centre: Reconstructing Viking York, immersive soundscapes, early museum innovation

15:55 Jorvik legacy, longevity, refurbishment, and financial impact

16:28 Raiders of the Lost Ark, its accuracy, and influence on archaeology

21:46 Antiquarianism, treasure hunting, and early excavation methods

22:31 The evolution of archaeological practice

34:02 Contemporary archaeology: What’s going right and wrong

About Professor Dominic Tweddle, BA, PhD, FSA, FSA Scot, MCIfA:

Dominic began his career as an archaeologist and historian at the British Museum before joining the York Archaeological Trust, where he was Assistant Director. He is a noted Anglo-Saxon and Viking specialist. In York, Dominic was a key member of the team that developed the ground-breaking Jorvik Viking Centre.

From there, he developed his own successful business, which designed, built, owned, and operated visitor attractions in the cultural heritage field across the globe. In 2008, Dominic sold his shares in the business.

He was appointed the first Director General of the new National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in 2009. In that role, he merged the four existing museums into a coherent whole and, through twelve mergers or acquisitions, brought eight historic warships, including HMS Victory, into the group. He built the turnover of the business from £6.5 million to £24 million a year and attracted £180 million in investment. Dominic retired in late 2023.

He is currently Chairman of the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust, the leading UK charity working in the protection of underwater heritage, and is also writing a book on the Spanish Armada.

Dominic has written seven other books, five of them major academic works, and two children’s books. One, Growing Up in Viking Times, became a slightly unexpected bestseller.

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.

I’m so excited to share a sneak peek of what’s coming up this season. This time, we’re really stretching the boundaries, exploring moments in history that changed the way people think, create, and challenge the world around them. You’ll hear threads running through art, literature, science, film, and those ever-present debates about whose stories get told. Some moments might feel far away, but others are surprisingly close and totally relevant today.

This season, I’ll be joined by fascinating guests like Professor Dominic Tweddle, an acclaimed archaeologist and former Director General of the National Museum of the Royal Navy for a critical look at the 45th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, why he has serious issues with it, and what it gets completely wrong about the field. And that's just one highlight! Heritage Counsel and fellow podcaster Clarissa Levi will also be joining to discuss the cultural impact of possessions, inheritance, and how our obsession with collecting really kicked off during the Industrial Revolution.

Plus, this season isn’t just about what you hear in your podcast feed. We’re launching a History FFS Substack for deeper dives, newsletters, and a space for all of us to keep the conversation going. I’ll be sharing even more creative content and connections across our social platforms, so if you haven’t followed us yet, now's the perfect time to jump in.

Catch up on season 1 if you haven’t already, and buckle up for an even more ambitious second season. We’re just getting started.

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 learn lessons from the past and explore how history echoes through to the present.

Follow @HistoryFFS on Substack or on our socials because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

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 or subscribe to 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.

Hey, I’m Sarah Dowd, your host here on History FFS! You know, I never imagined I’d end up hosting a history podcast. I grew up in Toronto in a house filled with stories and questions, and I was always the curious kid who didn’t believe there was just one right way to belong. For me, history isn’t just about dates or facts, it’s about people, emotions, culture, and the ways the past keeps echoing through our lives.

I’ve spent over 15 years as an entrepreneur, working with museums, artists, and communities through my heritage consultancy, The Tricolor Collective. I also run Les Raconteurs, an immersive storytelling company, and share my thoughts on creativity, history, and meaning through my own platform, Sarah in Three Colors.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, I have ADHD, and it makes me extra curious and always connecting unusual dots. I’m not here as some all-knowing expert. History FFS is all about paying attention, being curious, and believing you don’t need anyone’s permission to ask questions and make connections. If you love culture, stories, and think history should feel as alive as it really is, you’re absolutely in the right place. Let’s explore this together!

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, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.

Follow @HistoryFFS on Substack or on our socials because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

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.

Why did we start this podcast show? Because history is everywhere, but too often it’s treated like it belongs to a small group of people. It’s boxed up, polished, told in ways that feel distant, intimidating, or flat and that’s never made sense to me. History isn’t just something that happened; it’s something we live with every day. It shapes our culture, our creativity, our politics, our identities, most of the time without us even realising it.

History lives in the films and music we love, the books and buildings we see, in performances, protests, fashions, failures, and even in our everyday choices. This podcast exists to pull history out of the textbook and put it back where it belongs: in conversation, in creativity, in the present. I’m not here to deliver answers, but to ask better questions. Because loving history doesn’t mean memorising facts, it means noticing patterns, making connections, and seeing how the past keeps nudging the present and how we’re shaping the future in return.

History shouldn’t feel gated or polite or finished. It should feel alive, messy, and human. That’s why this show exists, this is History for F**k’s Sake.

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, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.

Follow @HistoryFFS on Substack or on our socials because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

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.

Did you ever notice how the biggest changes don’t always announce themselves? Sometimes they sneak in sideways through art, through ideas, through stories that keep being told and retold.

I’m Sarah Dowd, and this is History for F**k’s Sake. Last season, we traced a hidden thread through our episodes. Some of you spotted it, some didn’t but you can uncover it on our Substack @HistoryFFS.

This season, we’re doing it again. But we’re not just chasing the expected moments, the ones neatly boxed in headlines and dates. We’re diving into the artists, musicians, and writers who rewrote the rules; the ideas that keep sparking debate, reinterpretation, and fascination; and the new ways of digging up the past. Each episode revisits a moment that still matters, a reminder that history doesn’t stay put.

Every week, I’ll be joined by historians, curators, writers, and other creative voices to explore where the past still echoes in the present. Because history isn’t finished, it’s not distant, and it’s definitely not boring.

Make sure you follow the show so you don’t miss an episode

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, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.

Follow @HistoryFFS on Substack or on our socials because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

Connect with Sarah:

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.

What do a moth in a Harvard computer, Irish family folklore, and Oscar Wilde’s salon have in common? In this episode of History for F***k's Sake, host Sarah Dowd is joined by Henry O’Keeffe, a retired Doctor of Mathematics, lifelong IT boffin, amateur archaeologist, raconteur, and self-proclaimed debugger of life’s glitches for an inquisitive journey into how we remember, misremember, and ultimately try to correct the “bugs” in our histories.

Kicking off with the tale of the world’s first literal computer bug, Henry and Sarah explore the intersections of rigorous scientific thinking and the wonderfully messy business of family stories, oral traditions, and the changing standards of “evidence”.

History as science, history as art, and history as accidental fiction: this is an episode for the curious, the sceptical, and anyone who suspects their family tree might have a few broken branches.

Here are the highlights:

• The story of the world’s first “computer bug” and its role as metaphor for history’s glitches 
• Henry’s journey from mathematical rigour to the ambiguities of the humanities 
• Why proving things in family history is (almost) impossible and why that’s okay 
• The evolution of Irish oral tradition, the seanchai, and the art of “truth as entertainment” 
• Census chaos, misreported ages, and how economic incentives shaped historical records 
• Navigating Irish name changes, anglicisation, and the identity puzzles hidden in every family line 
• How archaeology and DNA both challenge and enrich our understanding of the past 
• Oscar Wilde as myth and the legacy of Jane Wilde’s feminist genius 
• William Rowan Hamilton, the magic of quaternions, finds their use on Broome Bridge
• How the science and art of history can sometimes create real beauty 
• Rigour and record-keeping in the age of misinformation (and what we can all do about it)

About Henry O’Keeffe: 

Henry O’Keeffe is a retired Doctor of Mathematics and technologist based in Cork, Ireland. After a distinguished academic and professional career working in error correction and IT, he has spent his retirement chasing family legends, investigating archaeological sites, and interrogating the fine line between fact and folklore. An enthusiastic storyteller and investigative family historian, Henry brings the methodical curiosity of a scientist to every story especially his own.

Connect with Henry:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/henry-o-keeffe-phd-ab290587

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, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.

Follow @HistoryFFS - because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

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

Patreon: HistoryFFS

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod 

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod 

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.

What links a trumpet in Kenya, a Fringe tent in Edinburgh, and a military parade in New York? In this episode of History for F***’s Sake' host Sarah Dowd is joined by Graham (Gaz) , musician, music director, vocal coach, and one-time army bandsman for a wide-ranging chat about the unexpected path that took him from the outskirts of Glasgow to stages and stadiums around the world.

From his earliest memories of family singalongs to playing his first paid gigs in uniform abroad, Gaz talks through the twists and turns of a life shaped by both discipline and creativity. There’s laughter, big opinions (especially about Queen), and a fair bit of swearing, as they compare notes on the best musicals ever written, the worst biopics ever made, and why music doesn’t just reflect history... it sometimes drives it.

Here are the highlights:

• How a teenage trumpet player from Glasgow found his calling in the army
• Surviving the Gulf War and the night he wore a gas mask for 11 hours
• How Gaz wrote an album called “Time” in a desert church with a borrowed keyboard
• The decision to leave the military and forge a life in music, sales, and self-employment
• Why Bohemian Rhapsody is a masterpiece and how it became the soundtrack to a theatre friendship
• How songs anchor us to history, emotions, and the most human parts of ourselves
• The surreal joy of playing trumpet in the New York Gulf War Victory Parade
• What Gaz would erase from history, the past he’d relive, and why he never confessed his love for ABBA (until now).

About Graham Brown

Graham joined the Army in 1987 as a musician, completing a one-year course at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall and serving as a medic in the first Gulf War. He left the Army in 1993 to pursue a career in sales and spent eight years in media sales working initially for the education specialist, Hobsons Publishing selling on print and electronic graduate and undergraduate titles. From there, he was headhunted to be Sales Manager of The Officer and RAF In-Flight magazines and was responsible for the concept and development of Quest magazine. Following the completion of an MA in Film Composition, he left Quest as Publishing Development Director to set up Forces Recruitment Services, the first commercial consultancy to assist ex-military candidates across all ranks and services in 2001.

Connect with Graham:

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

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, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.

Follow @HistoryFFS - because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

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

Patreon: HistoryFFS

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod 

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod 

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 much can a scent tell us about history, memory, identity and even rebellion? Host Sarah Dowd is joined by Valerie Sadoh, playwright and founder of House of Mahogany, for an evocative deep dive into the scented stories of the last century.

From the roaring 1920s release of Guerlain’s Shalimar (the "flapper’s fragrance" that changed perfume forever) to the creative resurgence after World War II, this episode explores how perfume is more than luxury or self-expression. Scent is a time machine – linking us across generations, cultures, and continents.

Valerie shares her personal journey from playwright to scent curator, weaving storytelling and nostalgia into immersive sensory experiences. Learn how the House of Mahogany came about, and why scent transports us so powerfully to other times and places, and how fragrances can spark dialogue across identity, migration, and history.

Together, Sarah and Valerie dig into the upcoming Windrush 80 immersive experience: marking the anniversary of the Empire Windrush’s arrival and honouring the Afro-Caribbean stories too often left untold. Hear why “to be educated is to be enraged” when confronting the gaps in collective memory  and how immersive, multi-sensory storytelling helps us feel history in three dimensions.

What’s inside this episode:

• The wild history of Shalimar and the rise of the modern woman
• How scent shapes memory, identity, and even social change
• Valerie’s creative process fusing storytelling and fragrance
• The power of immersive and multi-sensory history experiences
• Windrush 80: reckoning with community, migration, and the complexities of British history
• Why museums and heritage spaces need to embrace ALL the senses

About Valerie Isaiah Sadoh:

Valerie  is a British playwright, producer, and community consultant whose work explores identity, race, feminism, and personal history through sharp, immersive storytelling. Her debut play Pussy Liberty won the Bread and Roses Theatre Company Award in 2017. 

She has since contributed to contemporary theatre through her involvement with esteemed institutions like the Almeida Theatre, the National Theatre, Bush Theatre’s Emerging Writers Group (2022), and the Gate Theatre. Valerie combines her dramatic craft with strategic cultural work through Les Raconteurs, leveraging her expertise in inclusive programming, audience engagement, and heritage interpretation.

Alongside her artistic pursuits, Valerie co-founded House of Mahogany, a mother-daughter-led luxury, home fragrance brand that crafts scented candles, diffusers, and sprays inspired by nostalgia, memory, and personal narrative.

Connect with Valerie:

Website: https://houseofmahogany.co.uk/

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, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.

Follow @HistoryFFS - because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

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

Patreon: HistoryFFS

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod 

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod 

How did a brewer’s debate at a shooting party become a pop-culture phenomenon? Why is the world so obsessed with the biggest, wildest, and most WTF achievements imaginable? In this episode of History for F***’s Sake, Sarah Dowd sits down with former Guinness World Records publishing exec and cultural strategist Sam Fay for the untold, hilarious, and truly bonkers history of the Guinness Book of World Records.

From bar room brainwaves in 1950s Ireland to the Christmas tree bonanza, schoolyard squabbles, and TikTok challenges of today, Sarah and Sam uncover why the record book became a global obsession and how its tale is really one about hope, healing, joy, and postwar curiosity. Expect stories of weird and wonderful record holders, marketing genius, and the irresistible human urge to measure, compare, and compete all fuelled by the enduring power of shared spectacle.

Highlights:

• The accidental origin: how a question about birds and beer started it all
• The McWhirter twins: relentless fact-finders and the science of record-keeping
• Why the book outgrew the bar—and changed Christmas mornings forever
• Iconic record holders, from the tallest man to the most pierced woman, and the joy of celebrating human oddity
• How TV, then TikTok, made record breaking a global (and instant) spectacle
• Postwar Britain’s search for fun, facts, and a little hope after years of austerity
• The Guinness Book as a “curated snapshot” in time—why we still need it in the digital age
• What it means for museums, history, and the power of archived stories today
• Imagine the future: records in virtual reality, on Mars, or measuring joy and goosebumps

About Sam Fay: 

Sam is a senior-level marketer with over 20 years’ experience in entertainment, gaming, tourism, and the experience economy - having worked for global brands such as LEGO, EA, and Guinness World Records.She has also delivered world-class immersive experiences with Layered Reality and the World Experience Organization, most recently delivering the inaugural London Experience Week 2025. Sam serves as the Marketing Trustee and Director at UNESCO’s Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and is Founder of SuperchargedCMO.com delivering marketing services for global brands in the experience economy.

Connect with Sam: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-fay-44b5443/

Website: SuperchargedCMO.com

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, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.

Follow @HistoryFFS - because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

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

Patreon: HistoryFFS

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod 

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod 

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.

What does it take to transform a ‘crap town’ (I have never thought that!) into a cultural powerhouse? In this hopeful, hilarious, and sometimes hard-nosed episode of History for F**k’s Sake, host Sarah Dowd is joined by Simon Green, Hull’s longtime culture director, cultural regeneration strategist, and unrepentant champion of local pride to mark the 50th anniversary of the Northern Theatre Company and nearly a decade of the Maritime Hull vision.

Sarah and Simon explore the extraordinary, unexpected story of Hull’s transformation from a post industrial docks town to a beacon for arts-led renewal. Blending tales of trawlermen, council wrangles, and world-famous nude art installations, Simon offers a first-hand account of how working-class pride, maritime heritage, and a “just do it our way” spirit turned civic shame into national celebration. From the Arctic Corsair’s Cold War secrets to the blue-painted bravado of the Sea of Hull, this is an episode for anyone who believes that art, history, and community can remake a city and a future.

Here are the highlights:

• Simon’s journey from working-class roots to Hull’s top cultural job  
• How Hull went from national punchline to City of Culture
• The unbreakable link between maritime history, civic pride, and the Hull identity 
• Moving from “paternalistic” heritage to fearless co-creation with communities  
• The real power of culture
• Gentrification versus grassroots - can renewal lift up everyone?
• The Arctic Corsair’s secret Cold War mission, Icelandic friendships, and shared loss  
• Surprising outcomes like getting Hull on the BBC weather map!
• The good, the bad, and the “for f**k’s sake” moments 
• Relentless storytelling, political reality checks, and why culture is not optional.

About Simon Green:

Simon Green recently retired as Managing Director of Hull City Council’s arms length  Culture Company after a thirty-year career leading culture, heritage,leisure as a driver of regeneration in one of the UK’s most misunderstood cities. An advocate for people-first cultural programming, co-creation, and daringly ambitious events, Simon’s legacy includes transforming Hull’s image locally and nationally, championing the working-class and maritime stories at its heart, and mentoring the next generation of culture leaders.

Connect with Simon: 

Linkedin http://linkedin.com/in/simon-green-65783712

X (Twitter): @srgreen13

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, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.

Follow @HistoryFFS - because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.historyffs.com

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

Patreon: HistoryFFS

YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod 

Instagram: @historyFFSPod

TikTok: @historyffspod

X: @HistoryFFSPod 

Produced by: winteraudio.co.uk

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.