National Museums Liverpool Podcast

Revealing hidden stories about sex, power and desire. Take a fresh look at adult sex education and empowerment, find out why there is a biscuit tin in our LGBTQ+ collections and learn about the devastating legacy of the Buggery Act, the first UK law to make sex between men illegal, put in place by Henry VIII. 

Provocative, intriguing, and perhaps salacious – it's hard to resist a story about a scandal. Hear a discussion about the legacy of Liverpool losing its World Heritage status, find out what makes a book scandalous and discover why a portrait of Lord Leverhulme caused international outrage.

With Liverpool being a maritime city, a strong relationship with the sea is inevitable. Hear from an open water swimmer about plunging into freezing water and how this can help to free the mind in difficult times and improve mental health. Dive beneath the waves to find out how to play with an octopus and discover what it feels like to make friends with such an amazing and intelligent creature. Get an expert's view on mangrove trees, how they are being affected by pollution and why it's important for us to protect them.

For centuries we have been cutting, dying, curling, straightening, and braiding our hair. But is hair just for expressing personal style – or is there more we can discover about society, history and even ethics? Look back to the Roman period and hear how hairstyle influencers from elite society spread the latest hair trends amongst the masses. Discover the social and political history surrounding Afro hair and get a personal perspective about the importance of celebrating Black hair today. Find out how a bizarre dress from our collections - made of human hair extensions - caused mixed reactions from audiences and consider the ethics behind using human hair for fashion.  

All bodies are worthy of love and respect. **Content warning: this episode explores stories relating to eating disorders and abortion** Hear the inspiring journey of one Instagrammer, from difficulties with body image to arriving in a place of body acceptance. Through the etchings in our collections by celebrated artist Paula Rego, discover the personal and political stories behind Rego's abortion series, with commentary from the artist's son, Nick Willing. Look back at sculptures from ancient Greece to discover how body ideals from the ancient world have influenced our thinking about beauty today. Finally, find out how one artist sets out to challenge representations of male body image and masculinity in the media, creating work from an LGBTQ+ perspective.

Who are you and how do you express yourself? In this episode, explore how some people reach out to connect with their ancestors and hear a discussion about the complex identity of scousers with African and Afro-Caribbean heritage. Delve into the world of tattooing as we learn about the original sailor tattoos and look at why marking our skin can help shape our identities in the present day.

Subscribe to the National Museums Liverpool Podcast. Our podcast weaves together stories from our collections with the experiences of people in Liverpool today, exploring connections between the past and the present.

In episode six of the National Museums Liverpool Podcast, Jane Garvey introduces stories on protest, each with their own unique link to the museums and Liverpool. Act One: Black Lives Matter Protesting has been an important factor of the Black Lives Matter movement since it started in 2013 and has helped bring about change and awareness to the cause. We talked to Chantelle Lunt educator, writer, entrepreneur, activist and founder of Merseyside #BLM Alliance about how protests have contributed to positive change and how to avoid protest burn out.   Act Two: Pottery of Protest When Jeff Speakman, Assistant Curator of Archaeology at Museum of Liverpool, went on an archaeological dig at The Manchester Dock, him and his team didn't know what to expect. Imagine their surprise when, not only did they unearth 3 tonnes of pottery, but found chamber pots with the royal crest on them. Jeff unpacks how they go there, what they mean and what they say about our need for personal protest today, just as it was over 200 years ago.    Act Three: Liverpool 8 Against Apartheid In the 80s the people of L8 were tireless in their support of the anti-apartheid struggle. The Museum of Liverpool will host a new display highlighting the history of the community's role in the anti-apartheid movement, and the fight to free Nelson Mandela and in this story we'll hear some of the voices from the frontline of the fight.     

In episode five of the National Museums Liverpool Podcast, Jane Garvey introduces stories on movement, each with their own unique link to the museums and Liverpool. Act One: Anthony Walker Foundation The unprovoked racially motivated murder of Liverpool teenager Anthony Walker is one of the most shocking incidents in Merseyside's history. His family, including mother Gee Walker were determined that Anthony's death was not just a statistic and set about creating an anti-racism movement with the Anthony Walker Foundation. The AWF's most recent campaign is Speak Out Stop Hate and aims to encourage everyone to report hate crime, be it through the foundation or policing channels.  In this story we talk to Ben Osu, Strategy Lead at the foundation about how Anthony's family set about moving on the conversation about racism in Britain through educational programmes and facilitating better, easier reporting and support. Act Two: Wilson The Rope Figure Seized! is the on-display collection for the National Border Force Museum, which sits inside the Maritime Museum. Steve Butler, Curator of the Border Force National Museum Collection talks us through an item that people can see called Wilson, a small rope toy figure created by a Border Force officer to pass out to children of immigrant ships that try to break down barriers as these frightened people are confronted by huge British naval ships and uniformed officers. Act Three: The Dockers Umbrella The Liverpool Overhead Railway opened in 1893 and closed in 1956, it ran for 6 miles along Liverpool's waterfront taking in the docks and the city centre. In this story Curator of Land Transport, Sharon Brown takes us on a ride through its technological advances to its ultimate demise and subsequent reinvigoration through a display in the Museum of Liverpool.    

In episode four of the National Museums Liverpool Podcast, Jane Garvey introduces stories on isolation, each with their own unique link to the museums and Liverpool. Act One: The Importance of Being Social Joe is about to turn 16, lockdown took away his social life and in particular the underage nightclub he attended every Monday night. It's a story we're hearing a lot since March 2020, but the difference in this story is that Joe is a young man who has Down's Syndrome. In his own words Joe details how isolation has impacted him. Act Two: Splendid Isolation The Isle of Socotra in the Indian Ocean is a wonder of biodiversity comparable to the famous Galápagos Islands. In 1898 Scottish explorer, ornithologist, botanist and then Director of Liverpool Museums (World Museum) Henry Ogg Forbes undertook a joint expedition with the British Museum to the Yemeni Island. Their discoveries were vast and in this story we speak to a successor of Forbes, Dr John-James Wilson, about the collection and to Kay van Damme, who is currently residing on the Island conducting further research. Act Three: Stuck on the Suez As the huge container ship the Evergiven ran aground and blocked passage through the Suez Canal, interest in the waterway was piqued. It was stuck for just under a week, imagine being stuck there for 8 years as the Yellow Fleet was between 1967-1975. We speak to Cath Senker author of the book Stranded in the Six-Day War, who details this often forgotten moment of diplomatic history.     

In episode three of the National Museums Liverpool Podcast, Jane Garvey introduces stories on work, each with their own unique link to the museums and Liverpool. Act One: Transitioning on the Force Detective Sergeant Christian Owens was the first person to transition on Merseyside police and as such has turned his experiences into lessons for forces across the country. In this story he details how difficult it can be to be both trans and a police officer. Act Two: Unemployment on Merseyside Mike (Mick) Jones's huge mural hangs in the People's Republic Gallery at the Museum of Liverpool. It depicts Liverpudlian's fight for the right to work in the 20th Century taking in post-WWI marches as well as Liverpool's lowest ebb, the 1980s. We hear the stories of those who fought for work and those who helped. Act Three: The Sun of Europe Elisabetta Sirani (1638-65) was a 17th Century Baroque artist whose success defied her era in which women were denied academy training. Lead Curator of International Fine Art at the Walker Art Gallery, Kate O'Donoghue, talks us through Sirani's remarkable but tragically short life.    

In episode two of the National Museums Liverpool Podcast, Jane Garvey introduces stories on resilience, each with their own unique link to the museums and Liverpool. Act One: From the Ashes The COVID-19 crisis has impacted pretty much every aspect of our lives. All museums and galleries in the UK were forced to close their doors 12 months ago; it was the first time the World Museum has had to do so since the Blitz 80 years ago. In this story we compare and contrast the two events and see how museums bounced back then and plan to now. Act Two: We Shall Not be Moved The MV Derbyshire is the largest British ship ever lost at sea, the Bridge class bulk carrier sank in 1980 with 44 people on board, there were no survivors. The Derbyshire Family Association (DFA) formed afterwards to fight the initial findings, which were called a “whitewash” by John Prescott. This is the story of a group of families standing up in the face of governments and huge corporations to say they want to find out the truth.

In this first episode of the National Museums Liverpool Podcast, Jane Garvey introduces three stories on love each with their own unique link to the museums and Liverpool. Act One: Hello Sailor!  Michael Rudder and Dominic Brown both started a life in the Merchant Navy at the age of 17 in 1969. At sea they both found an openness that would have perhaps been a little more difficult to come by at home. Act Two: The Loves and Loss of Glyn Philpot Early 20th Century British artist, Glyn Philpot was revered by the aristocracy for his stunning portraiture. However, while portrait painting may have been Philpot's job, his passions lay elsewhere. Act Three: Love abound the Lusitania The sinking of the Lusitania is one of the most tragic maritime disasters of all time. Of the 1,198 souls that lost their lives, there are countless acts of heroism and love. We have an epic and heart-breaking love story. For more head to: liverpoolmuseums.org.uk If you're writing your own love story and would like a unique wedding venue, consider hiring one of ours: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/venue-hire/weddings Credits: Host: Jane Garvey Produced by: National Museums Liverpool Post Production: Onomatopoeia Post Production Theme Music: Big Giant Circles

Subscribe to the National Museums Liverpool Podcast. Our podcast series weaves together stories from our collections with the experiences of people in Liverpool today, exploring connections between the past and the present. The first six episodes are hosted by Jane Garvey, focusing on the themes of love, work, resilience, movement, isolation and protest.