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I’m on a mission. To make as many people as possible love history. Our history. Your history.
I’m Sarah Dowd, Host of HISTORY FOR F***’S SAKE
History For F***’s Sake, aka HISTORYFFS, is a weekly podcast that explores the hidden threads of history, art, and culture with humour, humanity, and the occasional irreverent question.
I have ADHD. A pretty new notion after a lifetime of teaching myself how to… well, everything. I have two degrees, four businesses, two cats, I have lived in three countries and the one thing I’ve learned is that nothing is textbook. So this podcast is the antidote to history by numbers. It’s about the stories behind what we remember—and what we forget—told through the lens of creativity, legacy, and how we experience the past in the present.
Each episode is anchored in an anniversary or cultural moment and pairs rich storytelling with interviews from historians, artists, writers, and cultural leaders. It’s witty but warm, smart but never stuffy.
Previous and upcoming guests include theatre makers, cultural innovators, artists, writers, and historians who want to reach a broad, curious audience—people who love culture but don’t necessarily think of themselves as “history buffs.”
I have a mission. To get as many people as I can to love history. Our history. All our history. The little history we made yesterday. To think about our history as our culture – our arts, our literature, our film making, our performances – and to get people who love art to think more about how history isn’t boring. It is our muse.
This is because it’s… History For F***’s Sake
Season 1 all episodes
Catch up with all the latest happenings in history here
Did you ever wonder how we got here, and how sometimes tiny pieces of history make up, and have shaped our lives?
Or realised how every day, all of us are making history?
Join me, Sarah Dowd, in exploring what has happened in the everyday lives of people for the better, or at least the experiences that have just make us laugh and say…
This is… History. For F***’s Sake, the podcast that explores untold stories that make a difference.
When the world seemingly shut down for almost two years, what were we doing? We were creating art, making history and crying out of human contact. We were craving our culture.
I’m your host, Sarah Dowd, and I have worked on over 200 history, heritage and arts projects in the last 20 years across the world, everywhere from the Imperial War Museum in London to exploring how we put a fleet of ships in the sky, or bringing wrecks back from Honolulu.
I was recently diagnosed with ADHD which has brought a whole new layer of thinking about creativity and how we get people – ALL PEOPLE – really engaged with our shared history and culture.
Stories. Art. Film. Books. Ships. Music. Museums. People. Joy. Experiences. Humour. Humanity.
Because it’s all History, For F***’s Sake.
Find out more at historyffs.com
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
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.
