Histories of the Unexpected

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis uncover the fascinating and remarkably unexpected history of OLD AGE! Which is all about being rude about old people and the gendering of the muff, via William Hogarth's 1746 etching 'A Taste of the High Life' and Piercy Roberts ‘Comfort for an Old Maid’...

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis try to take very seriously indeed the unexpected history of IDIOTS! Which is all about the current disarray in British politics (the kamikaze budget) and the concept of the useful idiot - or a person who is duped into acting for a cause without properly knowing what they're doing - a la Tory party recklessness via Vladimir Lenin...

In this fourth and final RELEASE for HALLOWEEN 2022, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis discuss the unexpected history of FEAR!

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In this third RELEASE for HALLOWEEN 2022, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis discuss the unexpected history of MONSTERS!

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In this second RELEASE for HALLOWEEN 2022, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis discuss the unexpected history of ZOMBIES!

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In this RERELEASED episode for HALLOWEEN 2022, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis try to breathe new life into the unexpected history of CORPSES! Which is all about the eccentric Cornish landowner Sir James Tillie (1645-1713), who demanded that upon his death his body should be tied to a chair facing the River Tamar in a purpose-built mausoleum at Pentillie Castle (and he was to be fed every day!); Viking corpse doors and mortuary practices related to doors; and...

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis wander down memory lane and bump into old friends in this reminiscence about the unexpected history of REUNIONS! Which is inspired by James's recent gaudy at his old college, and is in fact all about the history of fine dining, pomp and ceremony in twentieth-century Oxford University; it's black family reunions after the abolition of slavery in the United States of America, and the reunion of loved ones after...

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis unpack the box, set up the pieces and roll the dice of history to play around with the unexpected history of BOARDGAMES! Which is all about POW camps during WW2, portability and the Vasa Warship, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628; it's about Hadrian's wall and chess as a way of look at a cultural history of the world, via the British Museum's Lewis Chessmen...

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis are inspired by having just watched a fantastic new film on Netflix called I Used to be Famous, so much so that we have done a whole episode based around it on the unexpected history of FAME! Which is all about the phenomenon of celebrity, and the changed fortunes of the famous from Ancient Rome, through P.T. Barnam to the Beetles and Elvis, and the rise of boybands ...

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis head down to the beach of history and dig into the unexpected history of BUCKETS! Which is all the history of seaside holidays, sandcastles, childhood pastimes and sand eels...