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.
Mostly Unsung
#41 A Blind Entrepreneur & A Delightful Villainess (Blind Jack Metcalf & Violet Hopson)
Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast hosted by women, sharing the forgotten stories, overlooked lives, and surprising characters history quietly brushed aside. Every week, we bring you two bite-sized historical biographies, perfect for curious minds, history lovers, and anyone who enjoys their learning with a laugh.
This episode takes us across the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, with two remarkable people who refused to let circumstance decide their story.
First, Andrea heads to Yorkshire with the extraordinary true story of Blind Jack Metcalf, one of the most unlikely adventurers in British history. Struck blind as a child after illness, Jack refuses to stay put. He learns his way around his street, then his town, then the surrounding countryside, before going on to live a life packed with daring journeys, ingenious money-making schemes, and a healthy disregard for what society thought someone with a disability should or shouldn’t do. It’s a warm, funny, and quietly inspiring story about independence and resilience.
Then Annie takes us to Australia (via the United States) with the fascinating life of Violet Hopson. Raised on her mother’s philosophy that reinvention is always an option, Violet simply changes her name, rewrites her story, and starts again. The result? A career as a silent film actress, followed by an influential role as a studio executive behind the scenes. Along the way, we uncover the mysterious delights of something called a “Turf Drama.”
If you love funny history podcasts, forgotten women in history, British history, film history, and stories of people who made life work on their own terms, this episode of Mostly Unsung is for you.
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https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/
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mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com
See you next Friday!
