Listen to the trailer
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
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
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.
