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
You know the image: towering column, tricorn hat, one good eye. Admiral Nelson, Britain’s ultimate naval hero. But how much of that legend is actually true? And how much was carefully constructed and sold to us?
This week, Sarah Dowd is joined by Roy Clare, retired Rear Admiral, former boss of the National Maritime Museum, and someone who has spent a career thinking about how we remember (and misremember) our maritime past. Tune in for a brilliant conversation about heroes, myths, and who history tends to forget.
They explore Nelson’s very human flaws, his Blackadder afterlife, the women and non-European sailors who shaped British naval history but rarely get a mention, and why the stories our museums tell are finally starting to change. History is a lot more interesting when you tell the whole story.
Highlights:
00:00 The myth-making of Nelson’s death
00:38 How public heroism is forged
01:11 Nelson in Blackadder: caricature and shifting belief
02:03 Roy Clare: from Navy life to questioning hero worship
04:02 Who gets remembered and who gets erased?
05:12 Leadership and empathy on the high seas
09:32 From Admiral to museum director
14:14 Rethinking “maritime”: migration, trade, and the environment
17:37 Why do societies invent heroes?
24:53 The Battle of the Nile: why strategy creates legends
26:19 Who benefits from the cult of the hero?
30:14 Heroism as marketing
32:51 Who else could have been on that column?
41:40 Where are the women?
44:05 Why put Nelson on a column?
48:41 Why pulling statues down dodges the real question
50:16 Putting Nelson in perspective
51:53 Blackadder and the power of British satire
57:10 Nelson’s letters and his love life
58:59 “Male, pale, and stale”: critiquing the curation of history
64:40 Championing diversity and revisiting uncomfortable stories
68:06 Decolonising collections: what happened in New Zealand
81:23 Truth-telling and why History For F*’s Sake matters
About Rear Admiral Roy Clare CBE DL:
Rear Admiral Roy Clare CBE DL is a former senior naval officer and cultural leader whose career spans maritime history, museums, governance and digital inclusion. He has served as Director of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council; and Director of Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand.
Known for championing more inclusive storytelling and challenging narrow institutional cultures, Roy has spent decades exploring how public history is presented, interpreted and debated. His work focuses on widening participation, engaging with contested histories and bringing multiple perspectives into heritage and museum practice
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
Bluesky: @historyffs.bsky.social
You know the image: towering column, tricorn hat, one good eye. Admiral Nelson, Britain’s ultimate naval hero. But how much of that legend is actually true…and how much was carefully constructed and sold to us?
This week, Sarah Dowd is joined by Roy Clare, retired Rear Admiral, former boss of the National Maritime Museum, and someone who has spent a career thinking about how we remember (and misremember) our maritime past. Tune in for a brilliant conversation about heroes, myths, and who history tends to forget.
They explore Nelson’s very human flaws, his Blackadder afterlife, the women and non-European sailors who shaped British naval history but rarely get a mention, and why the stories our museums tell are finally starting to change. History is a lot more interesting when you tell the whole story.
About Rear Admiral Roy Clare CBE DL:
Rear Admiral Roy Clare CBE DL is a former senior naval officer and cultural leader whose career spans maritime history, museums, governance and digital inclusion. He has served as Director of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council; and Director of Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand.
Known for championing more inclusive storytelling and challenging narrow institutional cultures, Roy has spent decades exploring how public history is presented, interpreted and debated. His work focuses on widening participation, engaging with contested histories and bringing multiple perspectives into heritage and museum practice
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.