Unusual Histories

For this episode, Danny is joined by Mark Baxter, a South London storyteller who's part author, producer, screenwriter, and full-on creative maverick. From writing 12 books, including 'Walworth Through Time', to producing documentaries about music legends like Paul Weller, Bax has turned his working-class curiosity into a remarkable career. He explains how a redundant print worker transformed himself into a chronicler of underground culture. His stories will make you laugh, think, and see London through new eyes. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled, and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Sometimes your side hustle can become your main career. When traditional career paths collapse, your adaptability and willingness to learn new skills will open up unexpected opportunities. Don't be intimidated by the writing process. Start rough and keep rewriting. Write about the minutia of life. Every life has something unique and therefore interesting in it. Persistence pays off. Self-publishing and believing in your work can lead to unexpected success. Even during challenging times e.g. illness, maintaining a creative spirit and adapting your work pace helps to maintain purpose and momentum. Hometown changes aren't something to mourn – appreciate the evolution and find new meaning in familiar spaces. The most compelling narratives are often about overlooked people and hidden stories. BEST MOMENTS "I was always known as a bit of a mumper." "My first draft was like something out of Blue Peter, I was just literally cutting and pasting ideas on a bit of paper, then writing a bit. I had no idea what I was doing." "They were talking to me, the characters. I was going slightly mad." "I´ve got long COVID… I’m not ill but I haven´t got the energy…so, I’m picking my battles." “I always steep myself in culture.” “It's real tribal Southeast London.” "London isn't quite what it was to me. It used to be a playground for me." EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Mark-Baxter/author/B0034Q2SRK https://monomediafilms.london https://www.instagram.com/mumperbax "The House by the Thames" by Julia Tyndall - https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-by-Thames-Julia-Tyndall/dp/0141015950 HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720 This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

In this episode, Danny is joined by comedian, actor, author and comedy writer Dave Thompson. Dave has appeared in a number of TV shows, often with Harry Hill in various guises. He's also written for several shows, including Kelsey Grammer Presents The Sketch Show, and for a number of other comics, including Stuart Lee and Omid Djalili. He's appeared in Ben Elton's film Maybe Baby, and is a regular on the stand-up circuit, making headlines after being sacked from his role as the original Tinky Winky in the Teletubbies for being told that his interpretation of the role was "not acceptable." After spending several years working as a Drama Movement Therapist, Dave became a stand-up comic. He shares his interesting journey, including how raising his autistic daughter changed his outlook on life, as well as some funny stories about his celebrity life. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Stand-up comedy used to be a good way of opening the door to acting. Now, it's far harder to make money as a stand-up. Some people have spent 5 years only doing unpaid gigs. Some even more. Increasingly, performing abroad is more lucrative. Wearing a furry costume on a children's TV set makes no difference to how funny Dave is as a stand-up comedian, yet it has opened lots of doors. Teletubbies fans everywhere want to be photographed with Dave, especially in Asia and India Heckling comics is a very Anglo-Saxon thing. Most comics are quite different in their day-to-day life. BEST MOMENTS “We´ll get to Tinky Winky in a minute.” “I'm an aristocrat stuck in a peasant's body.” "I was sh**t, for at least the first 10 years of my stand-up comedy career, but I only did 4 unpaid guest spots before I got my first paid set." “Lots of truth in it (Dave’s book), but nothing that would get me sued.” “I entertain drunk people who don't care about me as a substitute for love.” EPISODE RESOURCES http://www.davethompson.org.uk The Sex Life of a Comedian - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sex-Life-Comedian-Dave-Thompson/dp/1447695151/ Harry Hill´s Fruit Fancies - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD5MJt6hf8OcseMKXER2Jg6uhxOytRKdA HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720 This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

For this episode Danny Hurst is joined by John Ryan who describes himself as a men´s health comedian, healthcare professional and podcaster who has won multiple awards, including the Scottish Mental Health and Arts Film Festival Best Short Documentary Award and the NHS Regional Health and Social Care Award for Mental Health and Well-being. He has performed extensively across the UK and abroad, hosts a radio show, and has had a research paper published in a psychiatric journal. He runs the website "Happy to Health" with his partner Natasha Donovan, and does extensive work in healthcare, including TED talks and presentations. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS * A lot of people on the comedy circuit are quite vulnerable. * Being a comic is challenging. Often, the pay is poor, so it is hard for comedians to make a steady living and be financially secure in older age. * John grew up in a very ethnically mixed part of Hackney, which gave him a lifelong love of different cultures. * As a kid, John noticed that a lot of the men in his Irish family died a lot younger than other men, which fuelled his interest in men´s mental health. * Most men´s sexual health issues are connected to poor mental health. * Society still encourages men to take risks and push themselves beyond healthy limits. Making it hard to live a balanced life. * Creating a safe physical space helps men to open up and talk more. * Banter can do more damage than you realise. * Humour breaks down barriers and helps people to open up and talk. * Talking protects your mental health. * Aim for contentment in life. BEST MOMENTS “I always wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between comedy, communications and men's health.” “Rowdy. But, you know, rowdy, you can out shout them, out shock them, or just go quiet.” “I managed to talk my way out of it by putting on a silly accent and pretending I was an Orient fan.” “Health is the real leveller, whether you are black, white, Asian, Chinese.” “Life is about learning to let go of unnecessary items.” “We are trying to take haha to aha.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.instagram.com/comedyjohnryan [https://www.instagram.com/comedyjohnryan] https://happytohealthyou.com HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst [https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst]facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 [http://facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638] https://twitter.com/dannyhurst [https://twitter.com/dannyhurst]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720] This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/ [https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/]

For this episode, Danny is privileged to be joined by actor, puppeteer, co-founder of the London School of Puppetry and president of the British Puppet Guild - Ronnie Le Drew. Ronnie has worked in theatre, television and film for many decades. His movie credits include The Naked Runner with Frank Sinatra, Little Shop of Horrors, The Muppets Treasure Island, Labyrinth and the live-action Beauty and the Beast. To people in the know however, he is most famous for Zippy from Rainbow, which is indisputably the greatest TV show in history and Danny'll fight anyone who disagrees with that.  If you want to gain an insight into why puppets engage adults as well as kids on a level that no other form of entertainment does and how this ancient performance art continues to evolve to appeal to new audiences, listen in. Some of the places Ronnie performs are sure to surprise you. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS * Ronnie learned basic puppet skills playing with toy puppets. * Ronnie was small and couldn´t sing or dance but wanted to work in theatre, so he decided to fulfill his dream through puppetry. * When Ronnie performs with Muffin The Mule, he borrows his granddaughter´s puppet. * In some countries you can study puppetry at degree level. * Punch and Judy performances continue and are evolving. * TV fed Ronnie´s career rather than ruined it. * Ronnie was Tom Hanks's body double...not in the way you think. * Ronnie is now very popular at Comic Con. * Throughout the decades Rainbow has remained popular and as a result Ronnie has appeared with Zippy in some very unexpected ways e.g. Late-night university parties, which attracted large crowds of students. * The rude episode of Rainbow was filmed in about 3 minutes. BEST MOMENTS "All 5 of the audience had crept out. They were bored out of their minds, but I was having a ball." "I got a phone call from Henson saying we would like to use me on Labyrinth." "I was Tom Hanks's body double." “We used to lark around – Bungle, Zippy, and George  - in bed...very naughty." EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.facebook.com/ronnie.ledrew [https://www.facebook.com/ronnie.ledrew] Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zippy-Me-Inside-Britains-Infamous/dp/178352698X [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zippy-Me-Inside-Britains-Infamous/dp/178352698X] HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst [https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst]facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 [http://facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638] https://twitter.com/dannyhurst [https://twitter.com/dannyhurst]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720] This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/ [https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/]

Today, Danny is joined by the singer-songwriter, producer, screenwriter and journalist Geoff Deane. He was the front man of the new wave band The Leyton Buzzards and the original front man of Modern Romance. Geoff wrote for other artists, including Divine, who he toured with and wrote "You Think You're a Man" for. As a writer, Geoff contributed to The Face and Arena magazines and co-wrote several TV shows including Birds of a Feather, Tonight with Jonathan Ross and the film Kinky Boots. His memoir, “From Mohair Suits to Kinky Boots [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mohair-Suits-Kinky-Boots-Clothes-ebook/dp/B0D9W6RP7P]” is a best seller. Danny and Geoff discuss his upbringing in multi-cultural Hackney, his musical influences, the role art, fashion and film played and how it all influenced the way society evolved.  If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS * Hackney was working-class, and rents were low, which drew in each wave of new immigrants and made it culturally rich. * At the age of 9 Geoff´s mum entered him into a talent contest at the Hackney Empire. * Musicians have always broken-down social barriers e.g. David Bowie and homosexuality. * Surprisingly, blending rap with salsa resulted in Modern Romance making it big in America. * Ay Ay Ay Moosey was written as a thank you to his cousin Moose. * Geoff will try anything, including working as a nightclub singer in Spain. * You are never too old to explore new creative avenues. * Today, it´s easier for musicians to get exposure, but the level of competition makes it harder to have a long career. * Unlike music, comedy demands a response. BEST MOMENTS “Stay away from bad women and stay out of the desert.” “Building vertically instead of horizontally eradicated everything that was good … no community.” “There´s a jar full of Amy Winehouse’s fag ends.” “It must have been quite subversive at the time, not liking the Beatles.” “The relationship between skinheads, suedeheads and black people was kind of like an uneasy alliance.” “That buzz has been going on all my life.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.instagram.com/geoffdeane [https://www.instagram.com/geoffdeane] Geoff´s Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mohair-Suits-Kinky-Boots-Clothes-ebook/dp/B0D9W6RP7P [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mohair-Suits-Kinky-Boots-Clothes-ebook/dp/B0D9W6RP7P] Geoff´s son´s music - https://www.tiktok.com/@gotaloudmouth HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst [https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst]facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 [http://facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638] https://twitter.com/dannyhurst [https://twitter.com/dannyhurst]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720] This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/ [https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/]