HistoryFFS

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 wond...

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 an...

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 p...

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 gl...

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. B...

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 wa...

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 trau...

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 N...

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...

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, thro...

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...