Mostly Unsung: A Comedy History Podcast

Mostly Unsung

The weekly comedy history podcast that brings you bitesize biographies of the extraordinary, eccentric, outrageous and occasionally ordinary lives that until now have gone mostly unsung... mostly. Join your hosts Annie and Andrea as they bring you stories that your history teacher never taught you! If you like stuffy lectures then you're not going to be a fan, sorry! But if you are looking to hang out with two old friends who love story telling, a good laugh and forgotten figures from history then welcome! Covering everything from scientists to Grandmothers, survivors of wars to eccentric millionaires, all via ghost stories, anecdotes and terrible impressions of Hollywood legend Tim Curry. Come and hang out, have a giggle and join us every Friday.

  1. 3d ago

    #75 A Native American In London & A Man With Questions For The Angels ( Wanchese & John Dee)

    Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast where Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten people, fascinating characters and extraordinary true stories that history somehow left out of the textbooks. If you love history podcasts, British history, Tudor history, Elizabethan history, exploration, fascinating biographies and a good laugh along the way, you're in exactly the right place. Every Wednesday, we bring you two bite-sized biographies of people whose lives deserve to be much better known. This week Andrea introduces Wanchese, a member of the Roanoke people who travelled from what is now North Carolina to England in the 16th century.  His story offers a fascinating glimpse into Native American history and early English exploration. Then, in a weird coincidence, Annie is also at the Elizabethan Court! Introducing the wonderfully eccentric John Dee, Elizabeth I's mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, alchemist and adviser.  And if that wasn't enough, he also spent years communicating with angels through a mysterious series of séances. Expect Queen Elizabeth I, Native American history, Roanoke, Tudor and Elizabethan England, exploration, astrology, alchemy, mysterious angels and plenty of laughs as Annie and Andrea uncover two extraordinary lives from one of the most fascinating periods in history. If you enjoy history podcasts, forgotten history, Tudor history, Elizabethan history, women's history, exploration history, Native American history, royal history and unusual true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources; https://www.nps.gov/people/wanchese.htm https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/manteo/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanchese_(Native_American_leader) Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

  2. Sep 16

    #74 A Second World War Spy With Shoelaces In Her Hair & A Lady Explorer Causing Chaos (Phyllis Latour & Lady Hestor Stanhope)

    Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast where Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten figures, daring adventurers and extraordinary true stories that history somehow left out of the textbooks. If you love women's history, British history, wartime stories, fascinating biographies, adventure history and a good laugh along the way, you're in exactly the right place. Every Wednesday, we bring you two bite-sized biographies of remarkable women whose lives were anything but ordinary. This week, we're travelling from wartime France to the deserts of the Middle East. First, Annie introduces Phyllis Latour, one of the remarkable women of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. Fluent in French and working behind enemy lines in occupied France, Phyllis used extraordinary courage, ingenuity and determination to help the Allied resistance. Her story is one of women in World War II, espionage, resistance fighters, secret agents and the unsung heroines who risked everything to fight Nazi Germany. Then Andrea heads to the Middle East to meet the gloriously unconventional Lady Hester Stanhope, the aristocratic adventurer who turned her back on polite British society and embarked on an extraordinary life of travel, exploration and independence. Travelling through the Ottoman Empire, adopting local customs and eventually establishing her own remarkable household in Lebanon, Lady Hester became a celebrity in her own lifetime. It's a fascinating tale of Victorian women, Middle Eastern history, travel, adventure and one very unconventional British aristocrat. Expect female spies, wartime courage, desert adventures, eccentric aristocrats, Middle Eastern travel and plenty of laughs as Annie and Andrea uncover two women who were determined to make their own rules. If you enjoy history podcasts, women's history, forgotten women, World War II history, espionage, British history, adventure stories and fascinating true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/walmer-castle-and-gardens/history-and-stories/hester-stanhope/ https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/may/17/lady-hester-stanhope-middle-east-explorer-queen-of-the-desert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Hester_Stanhope For this episode Annie used these sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67100792 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/13/phyllis-latour-obituary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllis_Latour Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

  3. Sep 9

    #73 A Man Out For Blood & A Woman Keeping Planes in the Air (Charles R Drew & Beatrice Cave-Brown-Cave)

    Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast where Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten people, brilliant pioneers and extraordinary true stories that somehow got left out of the history books. If you love history podcasts, women's history, medical history, science history, forgotten heroes, fascinating biographies and a good laugh along the way, you're in exactly the right place. Every Wednesday, we bring you two bite-sized biographies of remarkable people whose stories deserve to be much better known. This week, we're talking about blood, mathematics and aviation and a whole lot of caffeine fuelled nonsense! First, Andrea introduces Dr Charles Drew, the pioneering American physician and medical researcher whose ground breaking work transformed blood transfusion and blood banking. His research had enormous consequences for medicine and wartime healthcare.  His story is one of medical history, Black history, scientific innovation and a man whose work continues to save lives. Then Annie heads to Britain to meet Beatrice Cave-Browne-Cave, a remarkable mathematician and one of the early women working in aeronautical research. At a time when women in STEM were still fighting for recognition, Beatrice put her mathematical skills to work studying the problems of flight.  Expect medical breakthroughs, pioneering women in STEM, Black history, aviation history, mathematics, scientific discovery and plenty of laughs as Annie and Andrea uncover two extraordinary lives that deserve to be remembered. If you enjoy women in history, forgotten women, Black history, medical history, science history, aviation history, mathematics and fascinating true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://www.acs.org/explore/african-americans-in-sciences/charles-richard-drew.html https://www.invent.org/inductees/charles-richard-drew https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/color-blood https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Richard-Drew https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_R._Drew For this episode Annie used these sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Mabel_Cave-Browne-Cave https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Cave-Browne-Cave_Beatrice/ https://oro.open.ac.uk/56392/ Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

  4. Sep 2

    #72 A Lioness With Strong Protection & The "Lady-Friend" of an Emperor (Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Katharina Schratt)

    Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast where Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten people, remarkable lives and extraordinary true stories that history somehow left out of the textbooks. If you love women's history, forgotten history, social history, political history, royal history and fascinating biographies, you're in exactly the right place. Every Wednesday, we bring you two bite-sized biographies of people whose lives deserve to be much better known, with plenty of laughs along the way. First, Annie introduces Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the remarkable Nigerian women's rights activist, political campaigner and anti-colonial leader. A pioneering figure in African history and women's history, Funmilayo was also the mother of legendary musician Fela Kuti but her own extraordinary achievements deserve to be remembered in their own right. Then Andrea brings us part two of her first ever two part story!! Back to Vienna to meet Katharina Schratt, the celebrated Austrian actress who became closely associated with Emperor Franz Joseph I. Known as the emperor's close companion, Schratt occupied a fascinating position within the glittering world of the Habsburg court. But behind the royal gossip and palace intrigue was a successful actress who enjoyed celebrity status in her own right. It's a story of Austrian history, European royalty, theatre, celebrity and one of the most intriguing relationships of the Habsburg era. Expect women fighting for political change, imperial palaces, celebrity scandal, African history, royal intrigue and plenty of laughs as Annie and Andrea uncover two extraordinary women from very different corners of history. If you enjoy history podcasts, women's history, forgotten women, African history, British colonial history, royal biographies, European history and fascinating true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://secretvienna.org/the-secrets-of-katharina-schratt/ https://www.amazing-sisi.at/en/2025/05/22/the-girlfriend-of-emperor-franz-joseph/ https://www.nytimes.com/1940/04/19/archives/kathi-schratt-87-emperors-friend-former-actress-beauty-whom-franz.html https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/katharina-schratt-confidante-of-franz-joseph-i-emperor-of-austria/ https://www.dff.film/en/verleihangebot/der-ochsenkrieg/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_Schratt Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

  5. Aug 26

    #71 A Reluctant Empress & The Secret Network of Lady Poisoners (Empress Elizabeth of Austria & Giulia Tofana and Gironima Spara)

    Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast where Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten people, fascinating women, and wonderfully eccentric characters who prove that history is often stranger than fiction. If you love history podcasts, women's history, royal history, true crime history, social history, and fascinating biographies, you're in exactly the right place. Every Wednesday, we bring you two bite-sized biographies packed with surprising facts, forgotten stories and plenty of laughs. On this weeks episode Andrea introduces our first two part story!!  Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi.  Elisabeth lived a life of royal privilege that was anything but a fairy tale. Behind the portraits and imperial glamour was a woman who struggled with the suffocating expectations of the Habsburg court, travelled extensively, pursued her own interests and became one of Europe's most fascinating royal figures. It's a story of Empress Elisabeth, Austrian history, the Habsburg Empire, royal life and the woman behind the legend of Sisi. Then Annie takes us into the murkier corners of 17th-century Italy to meet Giulia Tofana, the legendary woman associated with one of history's most notorious alleged poison businesses. Surrounded by stories of secret potions, unhappy marriages and women desperate to escape abusive husbands, Tofana became a figure of fascination and folklore. But where does the historical evidence end and the legend begin? It's a gripping tale of Italian history, women, crime, poison, folklore and one of history's most mysterious women. Expect imperial palaces, scandal, secret plots, historical mysteries, remarkable women and plenty of laughs as Annie and Andrea uncover two very different stories from the past. If you enjoy women in history, forgotten women, royal biographies, European history, true crime history, historical mysteries and unusual true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-many-myths-of-empress-elisabeth-of-austria-the-19th-century-royal-whose-beauty-and-tragic-death-transformed-her-into-a-legend-180986486/ https://www.visitingvienna.com/culture/sisi/ https://www.sisimuseum-hofburg.at/en/about-the-location/sisi-museum/rooms/the-sisi-myth https://www.amazing-sisi.at/en/blog/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria For this episode Annie used these sources: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/giulia-tofana-aqua-tofana-history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulia_Tofana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_Tofana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gironima_Spana https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/women-and-early-modern-poison/ Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

  6. Aug 12

    #69 A Couple With A Cunning Plan & A Surreal Fashion Designer (Ellen and William Craft & Elsa Schiaparelli)

    Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast where Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten people, overlooked pioneers, and wonderfully extraordinary characters that history deserves to remember. If you love fascinating true stories, women's history, fashion history, social history, and incredible historical adventures, you're in exactly the right place. Every Wednesday, we bring you two bite-sized biographies filled with humour, surprising facts, and the people your history teacher probably never mentioned. This week Andrea tells the astonishing story of Ellen Craft and William Craft, the enslaved American couple who planned one of history's most ingenious escapes to freedom. Disguising themselves and travelling hundreds of miles through the American South while surrounded by danger. It's an unforgettable story of Black history, abolition, courage, and one of the greatest escape stories ever told. Then Annie heads to Paris to meet the incomparable Elsa Schiaparelli, the bold Italian fashion designer who transformed haute couture with surrealist style, outrageous ideas, and unforgettable creations. Collaborating with artists including Salvador Dalí, Schiaparelli turned fashion into wearable art and inspired generations of designers. From shocking pink to lobster dresses, she proved that fashion could be playful, daring, and completely unlike anything the world had seen before. Expect daring disguises, fashion revolutions, incredible true stories, inspiring pioneers, and plenty of laughs as we uncover two remarkable stories that changed history in completely different ways. If you enjoy history podcasts, forgotten women in history, Black history, fashion history, inspiring biographies, extraordinary true stories, and fascinating historical characters, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. Andrea used these sources: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/ellen-and-william-craft/ https://www.nps.gov/people/ellen-craft.htm https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-escape-from-slavery-of-ellen-and-william-craft-497960/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_and_William_Craft Annie used these sources: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/elsa-schiaparelli?srsltid=AfmBOorscceDbHrZjSITIlnPZOlx-wcKDattVjXyl1ANJiJhUHJedQIk  I attended this exhibition and read about Elsa throught the exhibits https://schiaparelli.com/en/pages/l-histoire-de-la-maison https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/elsa-schiaparelli-1890-1973 Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

  7. Aug 5

    #68 The Last Regency Theatre Dandy & A Lady Gunslinger of the American West (Sir Lumley St George Skeffington & Belle Starr)

    Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast where Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten people, overlooked pioneers, and wonderfully eccentric characters who prove that history is often stranger, funnier, and far more surprising than fiction. If you love fascinating true stories, British history, Wild West legends, fashion history, and larger-than-life historical characters, you've found your new favourite podcast. Every Wednesday, we bring you two bite-sized biographies packed with humour, fascinating facts, and the people your history teacher somehow forgot to mention. This week Annie fights hay fever to introduce us to Sir Lumley St George Skeffington, the flamboyant British aristocrat who became one of the biggest names in beauty and high society. A celebrity figure of sartorial elegance, beauty expert, theatre lover, and writer, Skeffington rubbed shoulders with royalty and London's fashionable elite. But fashion always moves forward and what do you do if you're the last Dandy in London? Then Andrea saddles up to meet Belle Starr, the legendary 'Bandit Queen' of the American Wild West. Depending on who was telling the story, Belle was either a fearless outlaw, a victim of sensational journalism, or simply a woman determined to live life on her own terms. Surrounded by horse thieves, outlaws, lawmen, and larger-than-life legends, her story blurs the line between history and myth in the most entertaining way possible. If you enjoy history podcasts, forgotten historical figures, women's history, British social history, Wild West history, fascinating biographies, and extraordinary true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Belle-Starr https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=ST018 https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/belle-starr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Starr For this episode Annie used these sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumley_Skeffington https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Skeffington,_Lumley_St._George https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG130503 Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

  8. Jul 29

    #67 A Terrible Korean King & A Regency Prankster (Yeonsangun of Joseon & Theodore Hook)

    Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast where Annie and Andrea uncover the forgotten people, overlooked oddballs, and extraordinary characters who prove that history is far stranger than fiction. If you love fascinating true stories, British history, world history, royal scandals, and a healthy dose of humour, you're in exactly the right place. Every Wednesday, we bring you two bite-sized biographies of people whose unbelievable lives deserve far more attention. On this week's episode Andrea heads to Korea to meet Yeonsangun of Joseon, one of the most infamous rulers in Korean history. His reign began with promise but soon descended into paranoia, revenge, and spectacular excess.  It's a gripping story of Korean history, royal scandal, and how absolute power can go spectacularly wrong. Then Annie introduces the irrepressible Theodore Hook, the Regency wit, novelist, and practical joker whose appetite for chaos knew no bounds. Best remembered for orchestrating one of history's greatest practical jokes the legendary Berners Street Hoax.  With literary success, celebrity friendships, mounting debts, and an uncanny talent for talking himself into and out of trouble, his life was every bit as entertaining as his jokes. Expect royal drama, outrageous pranks, political intrigue, eccentric nonsense and plenty of laughs as we uncover two lives that demonstrate history's enduring love affair with larger-than-life personalities. If you enjoy history podcasts, forgotten historical figures, British history, Korean history, royal biographies, unusual true stories, and fascinating characters from the past, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://namu.wiki/w/%EC%97%B0%EC%82%B0%EA%B5%B0/%EC%83%9D%EC%95%A0#fn-81 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeonsangun_of_Joseon https://www.gqindia.com/content/bon-appetit-your-majesty-know-the-real-story-of-king-yeonsangun-netflix For this episode Annie used these sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodore-Edward-Hook https://www.open.ac.uk/library/digital-archive/person/per:SLP072 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berners_Street_hoax Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

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The weekly comedy history podcast that brings you bitesize biographies of the extraordinary, eccentric, outrageous and occasionally ordinary lives that until now have gone mostly unsung... mostly. Join your hosts Annie and Andrea as they bring you stories that your history teacher never taught you! If you like stuffy lectures then you're not going to be a fan, sorry! But if you are looking to hang out with two old friends who love story telling, a good laugh and forgotten figures from history then welcome! Covering everything from scientists to Grandmothers, survivors of wars to eccentric millionaires, all via ghost stories, anecdotes and terrible impressions of Hollywood legend Tim Curry. Come and hang out, have a giggle and join us every Friday.

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