Join comedian, amateur historian and shameless gossiper Josh Jones as he learns about the loves, lives and legends surrounding long-dead historical figures in new podcast series ‘Dead Drama’.
“When it comes to famous people, I’m all about the gossip, the rumours and the drama. So making a history podcast about dead people is the only way I get to say whatever I want without getting sued. Well, hopefully…”- Josh Jones
‘Dead Drama’ is a gossip podcast about historical figures hosted by stand up comedian Josh Jones. Following two critically acclaimed UK tours, a Best Newcomer nomination at the Edinburgh Fringe and countless TV appearances primetime TV shows like ‘8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown’ and ‘The Jonathan Ross Show', Josh is taking some time to indulge his passion for history with this brand new podcast series.
Every week sees Josh research and deliver a lecture on a different historical figure. From Ancient Egyptian pharaohs to medieval war leaders, expect unique perspectives, pop culture references and laugh-out-loud parallels with Josh’s own life that make the long-dead seem like present-day celebs that we can all love, loathe and relate to.
Across nine episodes dropped weekly, Josh is on a mission to make history less stuffy and a subject anyone can get a kick out of. As Josh himself has discovered, “Turns out you don’t need to be a qualified historian to look into history - just a nosey little b**ch like me.” Here’s a taste of some of Josh’s main takeaways from series one…
- ANNE BOLEYN: “She’s the most famous second wife after Angelina Jolie, probably. Her story takes place in the royal court which is basically Tudor England’s answer to the cafeteria in Mean Girls - Regina George is basically the Henry VIII of modern cinema.”
- JOAN OF ARC: “She had religious visions that said she was destined for greatness. I imagine they were sort of like Louis Walsh on the X Factor - ‘you look like a saint, you sound like a saint, you are a saint!’”
- BLACKBEARD: “If you’ve not heard of him, he’s probably one of the most famous pirates in history. And if you’re not sure what a pirate is, they’re basically thieves on boats.”
Josh won’t be going through the series completely alone. At the end of every episode he’s joined by a friend and fellow comedian who helps him delve into the life of each historical figure in a bit more detail. Guests in this first series include Celya AB (Live At The Apollo), Morgan Rees (Stand Up Sketch Show) and Christopher MacArthur-Boyd (Frankie Boyle’s New World Order).
Ultimately, this podcast is a learning experience for the listener AND the host, because the series builds to the ultimate climax… a history exam where a special guest tests Josh on everyone he’s talked about. As Josh says, “You thought the Happy Valley final was tense, well strap in!”
‘Dead Drama’ episodes will be released every Wednesday from 12th June 2024. It’s produced by Leo Gallagher who’s worked on the BAFTA-nominated and RTS Award winning series ‘The Ranganation’ as well as the National Comedy Award winning ‘8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown’. Follow @deaddramapod on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram for more details.
Dead Drama launches on June 12.
