Never Heard Of Her

The Mitford Podcast
  • 4.6 (7)
  • History
  • Updated Weekly

History made them footnotes. We’re giving them the microphone. Hello and welcome to Never Heard Of Her - Badass Women of World History (formerly known as Raiders of the Lost Archive - The MITFORD Podcast) Never Heard of Her is the history podcast unearthing the brilliant, scandalous, and fiercely unruly women history books conveniently left in the footnotes. From aristocratic rebels and radical muckrakers to eccentric trailblazers who refused to play by the rules, we dig through the archives to bring you the chaotic, sharp-witted, and forgotten women who shaped our world—and made an absolute nuisance of themselves doing it. Because well-behaved women rarely make good podcast episodes. --> To our wonderful Mitford fans: We hope you had a great time with our "year with the Mitfords". We're so thrilled you came onto the ride? - We hadn't planned a year and we had so much fun doing it! But after a year, we wanted to move on and shine a light on other badass women of history. And there are SO MANY!! Thank you so much for being with us all this year! We hope you'll enjoy this new podcast and all the diverse women stories we plan to bring you. We'll still be the same old silly gals who're keen on picking out the most outrageous fun facts that make you go WOW! Music credits: Jingle Funny Kids_30sec by Grand_Project found on Pixabay.com and Logan J Parker: Her Reason Why Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Sep 2

    The True Story of Veuve Clicquot🍾

    Pop the cork and raise a glass to the woman who turned French fizz into a global phenomenon. In our debut episode of Never Heard of Her, we dive into the high-stakes life of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin—better known today as the visionary widow behind Veuve Clicquot. Left widowed at just 27, Barbe-Nicole took over a struggling, male-dominated wine business during the absolute chaos of the Napoleonic Wars. Facing naval blockades and economic ruin, she didn't just survive—she staged an incredible coup. Armed with sheer audacity, brilliant innovations that revolutionized winemaking forever, and a bold midnight smuggling run across war-torn Europe, she built one of the most iconic luxury brands in history. 🥂Grab a bottle, settle in, and find out where the "Grande Dame of Champagne" ranks on our Badass Scale.🍾 Chapters:  0:00:00 Intro & Overview of NHOH 0:02:52 Have we ever heard of Barbe-Nicole? 0:08:22 Introducing our badass woman: Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin 0:10:51 The Campagne region (fun facts about THE booze!) 0:17:07 Barbe-Nicole marries François Clicquot 0:24:39 The widow taking risks & Napoleon going to war 0:32:13 When you hit rock bottom, make vintage wine! 0:37:03 What is champagne? (more fun facts coming your way!!) 0:41:36 Barbe Nicole needs a MIRACLE (trade embargoes in 1814 Europe) 0:49:27 Her BIGGEST gamble (a long ride with bumps & bribes)  0:57:18 Barbe Nicole’s three revolutionary inventions  1:08:13 How to establish a world-leading empire  1:13:23 Barbe Nicole’s legacy & a final surprise  1:19:22 Wrap & our NHOH Badass Scale  1:22:36 Outlook (a story about women, equality, & democracy) You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod  And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com  ✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜 Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy. If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy. Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨ 💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk Tags: #Champagne #VeuveClicquot #WomenInHistory #Napoleon #FrenchRevolution #Businesswomen #TrueStories #NeverHeardOfHerPod #BadassWomenInHistory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The True Story of Veuve Clicquot🍾

  2. Season 3 Trailer

    Never Heard Of Her - Trailer

    Something NEW is coming your way: Never Heard Of Her - Badass Women of World History! We're definitely done with the Mitfords and we're off to new shores - outside of Oxfordshire 😉 There's so many other stories to tell of wonderful women and of wicked women; and everything in between. It'll still be outrageous true stories, don't you worry! And we hope you'll join us on these new adventures as well ☺️ See you from September 2026, every other Wednesday, on Never Heard Of Her. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Never Heard Of Her - Trailer

  3. Aug 5 ·  Bonus

    The real Mitford Sisters - BONUS: Epilogue

    📣 Epilogue - The Final Curtain: A Year With the Mitfords 🤗We survived Nazis, prison, secret weddings, McCarthy, and at least six nervous breakdowns (ours, not theirs). After a full year in the archive, it's time to close the file — but not before we rank all six Mitford sisters on the ultimate scale that matters: Badassery. Who takes the crown? Who's shockingly underrated? And who still manages to out-outrage everyone, even in the finale? (#DianaMosley) We also revisit Muv & Farve one last time (yes, there's a twist), review the Mitford TV drama "Outrageous," and give you a Grande Finale of Outragery. Grab a cuppa — this one's a love letter to a year of scandal, sisters, and spectacularly bad (and a few good) decisions. 🎬👑 That's a Wrap, Fellow Mitford-Fanatics! 🥂📚 Chapters:  0:00:00 Episode Teaser  0:00:32 Intro: we’ve talked about EVERYTHING 0:05:10 Recap on the Mitford show “Outrageous” 0:12:49 It takes a LOT to make a GREAT show 0:19:03 Recap on Muv & Farve (and a last surprise) 0:33:49 Badass Ranking 1: Nancy 0:37:58 Badass Ranking 2: Pam 0:41:13 Badass Ranking 3: Diana 0:49:48 Badass Ranking 4: Unity 0:56:10 Badass Ranking 5: Decca 1:01:24 Badass Ranking 6: Debo 1:08:29 The most outrageous thing? 1:14:26 Not one outrageous thing!  1:18:44 The Final Curtain - we did it! (a year with the Mitfords) For everyone who wants to take a look at the brand new book about Muv: "Muv: The Story of the Mitford Girls' Mother" by Rachel Trethewey. You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod  And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com  ✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜 Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy. If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy. Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨ 💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk Tags: #TheMitfords #Antifascists #WomenInHistory #WWIIHistory #BritishAristocracy #AmericanHistory #MitfordSisters #Outrageous #BritishAristocracy #TrueStories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The real Mitford Sisters - BONUS: Epilogue

  4. Jul 29 ·  Bonus

    The real Mitford Sisters - BONUS: interview with Carla Kaplan

    📣 The Ultimate Rebellious Redhead: Chatting Troublemaker with Carla Kaplan! 🚩💥How does a high-society British aristocrat run away to fight fascists, join the American Communist Party, and become the undisputed "Queen of the Muckrakers"? In this special bonus episode, we sit down with biographer Carla Kaplan to unpack the rebellious, unapologetic universe of Jessica "Decca" Mitford—the subject of her acclaimed biography Troublemaker! Carla gives us the ultimate insider look at surviving 500 archival boxes to uncover the woman behind the legend. Packed with sharp insights, deep-digging historical nerdery, and plenty of outrageous Mitford mischief, this is a masterclass on the most formidable rebel of them all. 💩🪏 Chapters:  0:00:00 Episode Teaser  0:00:40 Intro & Welcome Carla!  0:02:17 How did Carla come across Decca & the Mitfords? 0:08:29 500 boxes, a dogged nerd & life in the archive 0:14:28 Decca was Decca! 0:23:35 Decca’s life-changing decision at crisis point 0:29:35 The wild energy of the Mitford Sisters 0:33:00 Decca’s losses & grief and channeling it 0:38:12 Decca, Diana & Unity - choices and contradictions 0:47:23 Decca the Outlier (her sense of social justice) 0:53:32 The composure & love of a Duchess 1:00:55 The love & bond between the Mitford Sisters 1:03:08 Wrap & Outlook (Troublemaker!) For everyone who wants to take a look at Carla’s fantastic book on Decca: "Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford" by Carla Kaplan And you can get all the news and updates on what Carla is up to on her website: https://carlakaplan.com/ You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod  And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com  ✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜 Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy. If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy. Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨ 💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk Tags: #TheMitfords #JessicaMitford #Antifascists #WWIIHistory #BritishAristocracy #AmericanHistory #CivilRights #Muckraker #WomenInHistory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The real Mitford Sisters - BONUS: interview with Carla Kaplan

  5. Jul 22 ·  Bonus

    The real Mitford Sisters - BONUS: Interview with Adam Gee

    💖🕊️The Two Extremes of Mitford History 💢🤛Uncover Hitler’s alleged secret baby and get close to the violent post-WWII street fights that took down London fascists! In this special bonus episode, BAFTA & Emmy-winner Adam Gee joins us to explore two politically opposite extremes tied to his life and work: the ultra-fascism of Unity Mitford—the subject of a Channel 4 documentary he commissioned—and the fierce anti-fascism of the post-WWII 43 Group, co-founded by Adam’s own stepfather. The interview also bridges the past with the present: What’s the relevance of standing up against extremism today? ✌️ Hit play for high-society scandal, East End brawls, and the ultimate Kray twins showdown—because British history is far stranger (and punchier) than fiction. Chapters:  0:00:00 Teaser & Intro of our guest Adam Gee 0:04:08 Unity & her return to England (was there a baby?) 0:11:00 Unity’s sexual relationships & the MI5 0:14:02 Unity’s Diaries & The Daily Mail 0:18:55 1950s: fascism back in London 0:22:17 The 43 Group & the street fights 0:33:53 Antisemitism in Germany & Britain today 0:45:41 Governments & appeasing the far right 0:56:36 A new 43 Group or Battle of Cable Street?  1:07:30 If Mosley had become Prime Minister…  1:14:34 Wrap (Minimise hate, maximise love!) & Outlook For everyone who wants to watch a version of “Hitler’s British Girl” by Martin Bright & Adam Gee on Youtube. And you can find Adam Gee and everything he's up to best on LinkedIn. You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod  And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com  ✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜 Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy. If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy. Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨ 💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk Tags: #TheMitfords #UnityMitford #Mosley #Antifascists #WWIIHistory #EastLondon #VidalSassoon #43Group #ThirdReich Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The real Mitford Sisters - BONUS: Interview with Adam Gee

  6. Jul 15

    The real Mitford Sisters - Letters 6

    🔴🐏 Red Sheep vs. Black Shirt ⚫👕& Sisterly Showdowns: The Mitford Letters (1965–1975) 🤼‍♀️ In this sixth and last installment, we follow the sisters as they reflect on their lives, their relations to their mother or their old lovers, write memoirs or have biographies and plays written about them, and how they reunite and overcome even their harshest differences over the deathbed of the first of them to pass away. Expect a lot of controversy again (a rumour that Hitler talked about marrying Unity) as well as the appearance of old political faces (Winston) and new ones we haven't heard in connection with the Mitfords - so far! As ever, the Mitfords are related to everything happening in the 20th century, including ageing actors turned Presidents and scientists turned Prime Minister! Chapters:  0:00:00 Episode Teaser  0:00:32 Intro & Recap 0:03:18 Decca, Reagan, the Repubs & Co. 0:06:31 “The poor old soul” - unearthing old letters 0:09:23 Nancy’s illness & the other sisters 0:17:08 Decca & Diana meet after 33 years 0:21:50 Unity’s biography & marrying Hitler 0:33:42 A Mitford TV show & the Mitfords on stage  0:38:10 The sisters, Muv & Luv (Love),   0:41:49 Decca and the two personas of Muv 0:47:47 The return of the Hamish (Nancy mocking) 0:53:44 “Thank goodness it’s over” (Nancy died) 0:58:35 Diana & Decca on Nancy’s death 1:04:47 The not so agricultural Maggie Thatcher 1:15:10 Wrap & Outlook (Bonus Episodes!!) For everyone who wants to dive deeper into the letters, you can find out more about “The Book” here “Letters between Six Letters” You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod  And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com  ✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜 Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy. If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy. Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨ 💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk Tags: #TheMitfords #MitfordLetters #HistoricalGossip, #BritishAristocracy, #Reagan, #maggiethatcher, #winstonchurchill, #JFK, #TrueStories, #Dictators Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The real Mitford Sisters - Letters 6

  7. Jul 8

    The real Mitford Sisters - Letters 5

    👑💃🕺 Royal Flashmobs & Presidential Playboys: The Mitford Letters (1960–1963) 🇺🇸🤠 The sisters have officially entered middle age, but if you thought they were settling down into quiet retirement, you clearly don’t know the Mitfords. In part five of our letters deep dive, you’ll get a lot of aristocratic gossip, a coronation, an inauguration, and two funerals. We kick off with the family’s complex reactions to Decca’s first memoirs, before diving into some royal robes, pomp, and circumstances. But the real meat plays out across the Atlantic. We explore Debo’s surprisingly close personal ties to the Kennedys, particularly to the most sexy American president to date. How exactly did Debo find out that the president’s body is one to "worship”? Chapters:  0:00:00 Episode teaser 0:00:42 Intro & Recap - into the middle age 0:03:17 Decca’s first memoir - Family reactions 0:13:11 A bit of trash talk - those dogs were just too much! 0:18:56 Coronations, Presidents & Royal Flashmobs (& Harry Potter) 0:27:27 JFK’s Presidential Inauguration (“almost biblical”) 0:37:31 JFK & sex and Eisenhower& golf 0:39:48 Debo & JFK - it’s getting juicy! 0:44:08 American (& British) Ways of Death  0:52:04 Debo & “the loved one” (who is very fit!) 1:00:13 Muv’s death  1:06:58 JFK’s visit to Chatsworth 1:10:42 JFK’s death & funeral  1:18:07 Wrap & Outlook (more memoirs on the horizon) For everyone who wants to dive deeper into the letters, you can find out more about “The Book” here “Letters between Six Letters” You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod  And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com  ✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜 Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy. If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy. Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨ 💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk Tags: #TheMitfords #MitfordLetters #JFKHistory #ChatsworthHouse #DeborahMitford #JessicaMitford #60sHistory #AmericanHistory #JFK #HistoricalGossip Something new coming your way: Raiders of the Lost Archive will soon be renamed to Never Heard of Her - stay tuned ;-) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The real Mitford Sisters - Letters 5

  8. Jul 1

    The real Mitford Sisters - Letters 4

    🕯️👊 Chandeliers & East End Schemes: The Mitford Letters (1947–1958) 🕊️💅 The war is finally over and our Mitford sisters are busy reinventing themselves for the post-war era. In part four of our letters deep dive, we follow the sisters as they navigate the sometimes absurd realities of the late '40s and '50s. We kick off with Debo’s tragic baby stories, while a partly recovered Unity is finding several new religions and Diana tries to support her husband’s highly controversial political relaunch in London's East End. Throw in the very odd reappearance of Nancy’s estranged husband (“odd Prod”), Debo’s dealings with too many broken chandeliers, and Pam sorting out a new life after her divorce, and you have a family saga that refuses to slow down. Chapters:  0:00:00 Intro & Recap - new after-war lives 🕊️ 0:01:49 The impossibility of delivering babies 0:04:55 Unity’s got a job! (& a new found love for religion) 0:11:44 Off-writers again for years 0:18:18 The Moselys trying their luck in the East End again 0:24:40 The Return of the Prod (Nancy’s husband)  0:28:14 Diana in urgent need of a holiday 0:34:29 An extremely un-duchessy life 0:38:48 Rooms piled with furniture & chandeliers 0:46:39 Woman First! is the motto 0:55:19 Wrap & Outlook (Hons & Rebels, Muv’s death & JFK) For everyone who wants to dive deeper into the letters, you can find out more about “The Book” here “Letters between Six Letters” You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod  And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com  ✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜 Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy. If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy. Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨ 💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk Tags: #TheMitfords #UnityMitford #DeccaMitford #DianaMosely #ChatsworthHouse #ThirdReich #WWIIHistory #sisterhood #JFK #TrueStories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The real Mitford Sisters - Letters 4
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Trailers

4.6
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

History made them footnotes. We’re giving them the microphone. Hello and welcome to Never Heard Of Her - Badass Women of World History (formerly known as Raiders of the Lost Archive - The MITFORD Podcast) Never Heard of Her is the history podcast unearthing the brilliant, scandalous, and fiercely unruly women history books conveniently left in the footnotes. From aristocratic rebels and radical muckrakers to eccentric trailblazers who refused to play by the rules, we dig through the archives to bring you the chaotic, sharp-witted, and forgotten women who shaped our world—and made an absolute nuisance of themselves doing it. Because well-behaved women rarely make good podcast episodes. --> To our wonderful Mitford fans: We hope you had a great time with our "year with the Mitfords". We're so thrilled you came onto the ride? - We hadn't planned a year and we had so much fun doing it! But after a year, we wanted to move on and shine a light on other badass women of history. And there are SO MANY!! Thank you so much for being with us all this year! We hope you'll enjoy this new podcast and all the diverse women stories we plan to bring you. We'll still be the same old silly gals who're keen on picking out the most outrageous fun facts that make you go WOW! Music credits: Jingle Funny Kids_30sec by Grand_Project found on Pixabay.com and Logan J Parker: Her Reason Why Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    The Mitford Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Raiders of the Lost Archive
  • Show Website
    Never Heard Of Her

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