HistoryFFS

How do songs help us survive history’s darkest times? Why do joyful melodies so often mask painful truths? In this fascinating episode of History for F***’s Sake host Sarah Dowd is joined by Canadian conductor, music director, and cultural leader Robin Thomas for a deep dive into the musical, historical, and emotional legacy of The Sound of Music.

Sarah and Robin trace the journey of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic from Salzburg to Kamloops, exploring why its story of singing nuns, resistance, tyranny, and migration has captivated audiences and helped shape collective memory for generations. Along the way, they reflect on immigrant stories, music as healing and protest, and the power of art to make sense of trauma, displacement, and changing cultural identity. Whether you’re a casual fan humming along or a die-hard who’s done the Salzburg tour, this episode will change the way you experience the von Trapps forever.

Highlights:

• Robin shares his family’s migration story and how The Sound of Music  became a personal soundtrack to survival
• Discover why songs stay with us through trauma, immigration, and upheaval, and how musicals like Come From Away and Fiddler on the Roof carry national identity and collective grief
• Why The Sound of Music is more than just singing nuns and pretty mountains and how its story still has relevance
• Robin breaks down the emotional truths that music can convey, even when historic “accuracy” falls short. 
• Sarah and Robin debate solitude, togetherness, and what it means to “go deep” 
• Why culture, heritage, and the arts are essential and how they form a circle of meaning
• Salzburg bus tours, childhood Walkmans, musical theatre memories, and the permission to embrace being a history and music “nerd.”

About Robin Thomas:

Robin Thomas is an orchestral conductor, musician, and international fundraising professional with over 20 years’ experience in cultural capital campaigns. He has helped organisations across the globe raise hundreds of millions of pounds for transformative heritage, cultural, healthcare, education, and faith projects. Robin has held senior executive and consultancy roles in North America, the UK, and beyond, and was among the first UK professionals to achieve the Certified Fund Raising Executive credential. He has also served on the Board of the Association of Fundraising Consultants.

Connect with Robin:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011015072653

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-thomas-cfre-frsa-1a58b121/

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 happens when Dracula trades gloomy castles for cul-de-sacs? In this special Halloween episode, host Sarah Dowd sinks her teeth into the modern vampire mythos with gothic horror expert, actor, director, and bona fide scream queen Megan Tremethick. Together, they trace the chilling lineage from the cynical, blood-soaked anthologies of Amicus Productions in post-war Britain to Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot and beyond.

From small-town terrors and Cold War anxieties to British "scream queen" heritage and the resurrection of iconic UK horror studios, Sarah and Megan unravel how horror films and books help audiences cope with trauma, paranoia, and everyday dread. Don’t miss this spooky episode!

Highlights:

• How post-war trauma in Britain and America inspired a new wave of horror
• Salem’s Lot at 50: why Stephen King’s vampires hit differently in the suburbs
• The rise, fall, and resurrection of Amicus Productions 
• Megan’s path from Cats-obsessed schoolgirl to leading new British horror (via a fateful solo trip to Cannes)
• Why facing your fears on screen or in real life can be transformational
• Vampires as metaphors
• British vs. American horror: what makes an Amicus or Hammer film so distinct 
• How history, anxiety, and creative arts help us process collective fears
• Behind the scenes of Amicus’s rebirth, and a sneak peek at Megan’s horror projects.

Film Recommendations:

The Blood on Satan's Claw, Tigon - 1971

Asylum, Amicus Productions - 1972

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, Amicus Productions - 1965

The Vault of Horror, Amicus Productions - 1973

The Wicker Man - 1973

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1978

Witchfinder General, Tigon - 1968

Dracula, Hammer - 1958

Dead of Night - 1945

About Megan Tremethick:

Megan is a Cornish actress, filmmaker, writer, and producer, known for her roles in The Reign of Queen Ginnarra (2025) and Hex Studios’ The Slave and the Sorcerer (2024), as well as appearances in The Vance Institute, The Lockdown Hauntings, and Ghost Crew. As a filmmaker, she has directed several horror shorts inspired by Giallo and H.P. Lovecraft, including Slot, The Haunter of the Dark, and Revenge of Innsmouth. Her latest project, Spoiling You, explores the unsettling side of ASMR, and she also stars in Amicus Productions’ forthcoming anthology In the Grip of Terror (2025), paying homage to Britain’s classic horror roots. Her work has been featured in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, Fangoria, and more.

Connect with Megan:

In the Grip of Terror, is available to pre-order on Backerkit. 

Support the Kickstarter for Mr Whispers. 

Patreon: British Horror Studio Patreon

Instagram:  @megantremethick

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

What do a secret atomic mission, the horrors of war, and a shark tale immortalised in blockbuster cinema have in common? In this haunting, unforgettable episode of History For F***’s Sake, host Sarah Dowd welcomes naval historian, author, and maritime storyteller Nick Hewitt to dive beneath the surface of one of WWII's most infamous tragedies: the sinking of USS Indianapolis.

From Jaws’ unforgettable monologue to the real-life trauma endured by hundreds of young sailors stranded in Pacific waters, Sarah and Nick dissect the myth, memory, and legacy of an event that shaped cinema and the modern US Navy. And with 2025 marking the 250th anniversary of the US Navy, there’s no better time to look at the stories we remember (and those we choose to forget).

Highlights:

• Jaws at 50: Sarah and Nick bond over their lifelong love for Spielberg’s classic
• How Quint’s monologue about USS Indianapolis hooked generations on a hidden WWII disaster
• Nick shares about the real USS Indianapolis, and her legendary war record, and why so many lives were lost 
• The real context behind the atomic mission, and what war planners didn’t want in the post-war headlines
• From Jaws to Dunkirk and Oppenheimer, Nick and Sarah debate how (and why) film and TV keep history alive
• The personal aftermath for survivors and why stories like Indianapolis matter in an age still shadowed by nuclear threat.
• From Top Gun to Crimson Tide, old-school submarine duels, and a few terrible naval movies best left overboard.

Factoid: In Jaws, Quint famously recounts the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during his chilling monologue. He says the date was June 29, 1945, but in reality, the ship was torpedoed just after midnight on July 30, 1945.

Spotify / Apple Music Playlists for this episode:

Apple

Spotify

About Nick Hewitt:

Nick Hewitt is a naval historian, author, and maritime storyteller known for making the drama of the past vivid, human, and unforgettable. His latest book is *Normandy: The Sailor’s Story* (Yale University Press, now in paperback), charting the unsung naval history of D-Day. He studied history at Lancaster University and War Studies at King’s College, London, before working at Imperial War Museums and The National Museum of the Royal Navy. 

Nick’s broadcast credits include presenting the BBC’s Coast, Channel 5’s D-Day’s Sunken Secrets (2014) and the BBC’s Battle of Jutland: The Navy’s Bloodiest Day (2016). His first book, Coastal Convoys 1939-1945, was published in December 2008, and he has since published The Kaiser’s Pirates (2013) and Firing on Fortress Europe (2015) and Normandy: The Sailor’s Story (2024).

Connect with Nick:

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/NickHewitt)

Book: Normandy: The Sailor’s Story

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

What do tie-dyed shirts, TikTok nostalgia cycles, and the hopeful chaos of Gen Z’s anxieties have in common? In this episode of History For F***k’s Sake host Sarah Dowd welcomes Louisa Rogers, assistant professor in Fashion Communications, creative entrepreneur, and youth culture decoder to step into the DeLorean and unravel the staying power of Back to the Future for its 40th anniversary.

From Brussels to the North East, Louisa’s career arcs across fashion photography, failed start-ups (she almost invented Vinted!), and now, teaching the next generation of style-makers at Northumbria University. Sarah and Louisa dive into why Back to the Future keeps resonating in meme culture, what retrofuturism says about our hopes and hang-ups, and how today’s young people make sense of a history and a future that feels uncertain at every turn.

Plus: Why fashion history is everyone’s history, why museums need to stop being so bloody boring, and whether Marty McFly would have gone viral on TikTok in 2025.

Highlights:

• From creative Belgian roots to academia, Louisa’s unconventional pathway through fashion
• Why fashion is a “speculative space” that helps us visualise the future (and the past)
•  How Back to the Future offers a nostalgia fix for Gen Z & TikTok 
• The power (and pitfalls) of recycling history: why our idea of “vintage” is often shaped by TV, not reality
• Gen Z, anxiety, and doomscrolling: what does history education need to do for young people now?
• Retro tech, Y2K fever, and why cassette tapes are cool again
• Why intergenerational friendships might be the missing secret to smashing stereotypes.
• “Protopia,” not dystopia: New ways creative industries and museums can help us actively imagine a better future and learn from the past.

Factoid: Retrofuturism is a creative aesthetic that blends past visions of the future, often drawn from mid 20th century art, design, and pop culture, with modern or nostalgic elements - imagining the future as it was once dreamed to be.

Spotify / Apple Music Playlists for this episode:

Spotify

Apple Music

About Louisa Rogers: 

Louisa Rogers is an assistant professor in fashion communication at Northumbria University with an interest in security studies, fashion and digital cultures. Her current research focus is on representations of surveillance, technology and militarism in fashion contexts.

She runs Trendlistr Vintage, a retail e-commerce brand, and completed the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainable Leadership Accelerator programme in 2020. She is also a founding committee member of Colour Collective UK,

Connect with Louisa:

X(Twitter): @louisarogers

Website: https://www.louisarogers.net/

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

What connects a 300-year-old cello, a lost concerto, and the darkest chapters of 20th-century Europe? In this first ever episode of History for F***’s Sake, acclaimed author, BBC Radio 3 presenter, documentary maker, and cellist Dr. Kate Kennedy joins host Sarah Dowd to unravel the extraordinary true story at the heart of her acclaimed book, Cello: A Journey through Silence to Sound.

Kate has traced the journey of the missing cello belonging to Hungarian Jewish cellist Pal Hermann, lost for over 70 years after he was murdered during the Holocaust. Kate’s search took her across post-pandemic Europe, through cathedrals, Berlin streets, and sites of unimaginable suffering, ultimately weaving together her own fractured identity as a musician with those of others whose lives were shaped or shattered by history.

In this episode, Kate shares the human impact of finding the “unfindable” from the moment a chance message reunited Hermann’s daughter (and Europe) with her father’s long-lost cello, to the role of music, objects, and storytelling in keeping history alive. 

Highlights:

• The journey from Wells Cathedral School to the stages of Europe, and how a teenage injury changed Kate’s artistic path
• What it’s like to seek an object haunted by the Holocaust
• The extraordinary reunion of Pal Hermann’s cello with his daughter at Wigmore Hall and what happens next for the instrument’s story
• The emotional tightrope of writing living history, from biographer’s ethics to working hand-in-hand with Holocaust survivors
• Exploring the profound connection between musicians and their instruments
• How cathedrals and museums can use music and storytelling to connect, not exclude, audiences today.

Spotify / Apple Music Playlists for this episode:

Spotify

Apple Music

About Dr. Kate Kennedy 

Kate Kennedy is an award-winning biographer, broadcaster, cellist, and Director of the Oxford Centre for Life Writing and the Museum of Music History. She’s the author of Cello: A Journey through Silence to Sound, which was named BBC Music Magazine’s Book of the Month, and a passionate advocate for making stories from the past resonate for new generations.

Kate’s work spans research into lost and silenced voices from composers erased by persecution to the overlooked contributions of women in music, and the secret histories waiting in boxes of dusty manuscripts.

Connect with Kate: 

Website: https://drkatekennedy.com/

Oxford Centre for Life Writing: https://oclw.web.ox.ac.uk/home

X: @DrKKennedy

Insta: @drkatekennedy

BlueSky: @drkkennedy.bsky.social 

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.

Did you ever wonder how we got here?

How tiny pieces of history have shaped our lives in ways we barely notice?

Or that every single day, we're making history, too?

I'm Sarah Dowd, and this is History… For F***’s Sake – the podcast that dives into the untold stories that actually matter.

My mission is simple: to get as many people as possible to love history.

Our history.

The big stuff, the overlooked stuff, even the moments we lived through just yesterday.

Because history isn’t just something in textbooks. It's woven into our culture, our art, our films, our performances. It’s not boring. It’s our muse.

I’ve spent over 25 years bringing history to life from Second World War convoys rumbling through London, to immersive performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives.

I’m a writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, and producer who’s worked everywhere from cathedral crypts to pop-up theatres, museums to community spaces across the UK and beyond.

I’m a Canadian living between the UK and France, with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity (and my chaos) and I believe history should be for everyone. Not just the experts. Not just the textbooks. Everyone.

Each week, we’ll trace big themes through everyday experiences from actors breathing life into historical roles to authors rewriting the past for modern audiences.

We’ll explore how film and TV reshape our view of what came before, even how our own failures become part of the bigger story.

Yep, that’s history, too.

If you’re into history, culture, and all the messy, meaningful stuff in between make sure you hit follow or subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!

Because together, we’re all making history…for F***’s Sake.

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

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

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