Time Travelling Queers

Molly House Media

History has never been this queer.
Take a seat in the back of our cab with celebrity guests and historians for a ride through queer history, driven by our drag king extraordinaire Don One. Every episode uncovers the story of an extraordinary queer person from history, exploring the lives, cultures and moments that helped shape our community.

Host : Don One
Creator, Writer & Director : David Mark Graham
Writer & Producer : Marie Horner
Executive Producer : Rishi Khosla
Set Designer : Ellie Koslowsky
Theme music Composer : Adiescar Chase

A Molly House Media production.

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October 27 · 44 min
It's Halloween - our queer Christmas! 🎃
Don One is joined by the fabulous Layton Williams and historian (and Ghost Club member!) Jonty Stern for a spooky spin through queer history. From 1930s drag balls and ancient Celtic rituals to the legendary Ladies of Llangollen and their possible lesbian ghosts, we're uncovering the fabulously queer history of Halloween. With Layton hitting the road on his UK tour in 2027, expect big laughs, spooky surprises and plenty of queer chaos. Hop in… if you dare! 👻 #ttqpod Website: Timetravellingqueers.com Social media: @timetravellingqueers Follow Don One on Instagram: @don1drag A Molly House Media Production.www.mollyhousemedia.com Host: Don One Guest: Layton Williams Historian: Jonty Stern Creator, writer and Director: David Graham Writer and Producer: Marie Horner Executive Producer: Rishi Khosla Editor: David Graham Set Designer: Ellie Koslowsky Sound Designer and Dubbing Mixer: Jon Gray Theme Music Composer: Adiescar Chase Chapters/timestamps 0:00 - 0:42 Coming up on TTQ 0:43 - 7:47 Intro 7:47 - 8:05 Call to Action 8:06 - 8:55 Time Travel jump 1 8:55 - 10:06 - Chicago 1932: No Booze, No Queers… Except Tonight! 10:06 -12:29 - 1935 Finneys Drag Balls 12:29 - 13:31 Halloqueen - being out in plain site 13:31 - 17:03 1943 Finney’s legacy Bitches Christmas! 17:03 - 17:36 Time Travel jump 2 17:36 - 21:33 French Celts? The Gaul and Ghoul of it all 21:33 - 25:05 Halloween’s Celtic roots 25:05 - 26:29 Queer Celts! 26:30 - 27:34 Time Travel jump 3 27:34 - 31:03 Ladies of Llangollen enter the chat 31:03 - 32:45 Divergent Diaries: Enter Ann Lister aka Gentleman Jack 32:45 - 33:50 She Said, She Said- more lesbians more judgement 33:50 - 35:56 An ode to the Lesbians of Llangollen 35:56 - 38:21 Fashionable Late! 38:21- 40:32 Are they ghosting or haunting us? 40:32 - 42:35 Riding Rating our guest passenger gets quizzed 42:35 - 43:42 What is the future Layton up to? 43:42 - 44:15 Outro REFERENCES: The Ladies of Llangollen by Elizabeth Mavor At Home with the Soanes by Sue Palmer (to help with food and drink questions) Cysgu Efo Ysbrydion: Llangollen - Welsh language documentary by S4C. https://www.philipharland.com/Blog/2023/07/celts-galatians-diodoros-on-their-myths-origins-and-customs-mid-first-century-bce/ https://rainbowmessenger.blog/2021/11/09/gay-celts/ Celt, Druid and Culdee” by Isabel Hill Elder “Celtic Britain” by Nora Chadwick. IMAGE CREDIT: The Rt. Honble. Lady Eleanor Butler & Miss Ponsonby 'The Ladies of Llangollen', 1880s, Part of the Welsh Portrait Collection, National Library of Wales.
S1 · E6
September 1 · 57 min
King of queer speak-easy's: Gladys Bentley x Farrel Hegarty
Grab your gin and settle into your speakeasy booth, babs—we’re heading back to the roaring, smoky clubs of 1920s Harlem. In the sixth episode of Time Travelling Queers, we’re unearthing the life of a true original: the legendary blues pianist and singer, Gladys Bentley. Clad in a sharp tuxedo, top hat, and cane, Gladys wasn't just performing, she was rewriting the rules of gender and desire. From headlining the Ubangi Club with a drag queen chorus line to turning popular hits into scandalous lesbian anthems, she was a Black queer icon before the world was ready for one. But what happens when the party ends? We’re diving into her mysterious marriage, the hostility of the McCarthy Era, and the complicated, messy reality of survival that forced a legend to reinvent herself. Join celebrity guest Farrel Hegarty, and historian Paula Akpan as Don One travels back in time to celebrate the unapologetic, the glamorous, and the forgotten. History has never been this queer. #ttqpod Website: www.timetravellingqueers.com Social Media: @timetravellingqueers Follow Don One on Insta: @don1drag A Molly House Media Production. www.mollyhousemedia.com Host : Don One Guest : Farrel Hegarty Historian : Paula Akpan Creator, Writer & Director : David Mark Graham Writer & Producer : Marie Horner Executive Producer : Rishi Khosla Editor : Lesley Posso Set Designer : Ellie Koslowsky Sound Designer & Dubbing Mixer : Jon Gray Theme music Composer : Adiescar Chase CHAPTERS/TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - 2:57 intro  2:58 - 4:23 Time Travel  04:24 - 5:42 The great migration  05:43 - 13:31 Horoscopes, mummy issues and teacher crushes  13:32 - 18:30 The Clam House, a Harlem Queer Speak Easy  18:31 - 19:28 What’s on Trend?!   19:29 - 27:30 A queer prohibition triple threat 27:31 - 31:47 Filthy lyrics   31:48 - 34:57 From Clams to Crowns - Ubangi Club Royalty   34:57 - 39:11 Gladys’ or a “special friend” 39:12 - 52:36 A woman again- McCarthyism 52:37 - 56:03 Legacy  56:04 - 57:07 Sorting out the fare and outro   57:08 - 57:14 Easter egg REFERENCES Gladys Bentley and the Performance of Queer Black Female Masculinity Gladys Bentley: The Life and Legacy of a Blues Singer The Great Blues Singer Gladys Bentley Broke All the Rules The Miraculous Masculinity of Gladys Bentley Gladys Bentley (National Museum of African American History and Culture) Gladys Bentley: Pioneering Queer Performer IMAGE CREDIT Gladys Bentley circa 1930, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture via New York Times
S1 · E5
August 25 · 32 min
Seamstress. Soldier. Intersex. : Thomas(ine) Hall x Zelah Glasson
CONTENT WARNING : this episode includes a reference to sexual assault They lived as a seamstress, a soldier and a servant — and then a court demands to know whether they’re a man or a woman, and the answer is: both. This week, Zelah Glasson travels back in time with historian Kit Heyam to meet Thomas(ine) Hall, an extraordinary figure whose life crossed the boundaries of gender in 17th-century England and colonial Virginia. Born Thomasine, they wore women's clothes before cutting their hair, dressing as a man and joining the army. Later, they returned to women's clothing, worked as a seamstress and eventually travelled to Virginia as a male servant. But in 1629, Thomas(ine)'s neighbours began to question their gender. What followed was an extraordinary court case involving examinations, accusations and intense scrutiny of Thomas(ine)'s body and identity. Thomas(ine)'s answer was clear: they were both a man and a woman. The court's eventual ruling was just as extraordinary — ordering Thomas(ine) to live publicly as both. A seamstress. A soldier. A servant. A survivor. And someone who refused to fit neatly into the boxes of their time. History has never been this queer. #ttqpod Website: www.timetravellingqueers.com Instagram: @timetravellingqueers Follow Don One on Insta: @don1drag A Molly House Media Production. www.mollyhousemedia.com Host : Don One Guest : Zelah Glasson Historian : Kit Heyam Creator, Writer & Director : David Mark Graham Writer & Producer : Marie Horner Executive Producer : Rishi Khosla Editor : Lesley Posso Set Designer : Ellie Koslowsky Sound Designer & Dubbing Mixer : Jon Gray Theme music Composer : Adiescar Chase Recorded at www.storyhousestudios.co CHAPTERS 0:00 - 2:20 intro 2:21 - 3:09 time travel 3:09 - 7:52 Pissing on everyone’s cornflakes 7:53 - 8:40 Thomas the Soldier. Thomasine the lacemaker 8:41 - 13:52 crossing the Atlantic and gender norms 13:33 16:30 Why is this gym bro hanging with the girls?- Zelah BB experience 16:31 - 19:40 Whats on Trend? Sad colours! 19:41 - 21:00 “A bit for my cat” 21:01 - 22:59 The examinations to “settle the matter’ 23:00 - 25:55 the sentence for being both 25:56- 26:36 Gender anxiety 26:37 - 27:16 Native American two spirits 27:17- 31:27 Legacy 31:28 - 32:31 Outro 32:31- 32:47 Easter egg REFERENCES Kit Heyam, Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender (Basic Books UK / Seal Press, 2022) David Hackett Fischer, Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America (Oxford University Press, 1989) H. R. McIlwaine (ed.), Minutes of the Council & General Court of Colonial Virginia, 1622–1632, 1670–1676, with Notes & Excerpts from Original Council & General Court Records, into 1683, Now Lost (Richmond: The Colonial Press, Everett Waddey Co., 1924), pp. 194–195 Virginia General Court, 1622–29, Cases, with Minutes, ser. 8, vol. 15, Thomas Jefferson Papers, Library of Congress Jennifer Frangos, ‘The Early Modern Queer Atlantic: Narratives of Sex and Gender on New World Soil’, in The Edinburgh Companion to Atlantic Literary Studies (Edinburgh University Press, 2016), 248–267 Kathryn Wichelns, ‘From The Scarlet Letter to Stonewall: Reading the 1629 Thomas(ine) Hall Case, 1978–2009’, Early American Studies, 12.3 (2014), 500–523
S1 · E4
August 18 · 41 min
The Exiled Princess: Catherine Duleep Singh x Dr Ranj Singh
What happens when you're born a princess without a kingdom, fall in love with your governess, and end up risking everything to help people escape the Nazis? This week, Don travels back in time with Dr Ranj and historian Dr Kit Heyam to the extraordinary life of Catherine Duleep Singh, daughter of the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, who was forced into exile in Britain after the British conquest of Punjab. Born a princess in exile, Catherine Duleep Singh lived a life of aristocratic glamour—but behind the scenes, she was battling displacement and colonial expectations. Enter Lina Schäfer. What began as a governess-and-chaperone relationship became a lifelong partnership—a love story society tried to file under 'just friends.' When the Nazis rose to power, Catherine didn't just survive; she became a resistance hero, using her wealth to save lives and refusing to leave Lina behind. It’s a story of a princess who defied everything to protect the person she loved. A princess. A love story. A suffragist. A resistance ally. And a woman who refused to leave the person she loved behind. History has never been this queer. #ttqpod Website: www.timetravellingqueers.com Instagram: @timetravellingqueers Follow Don One on Insta: @don1drag A Molly House Media Production. www.mollyhousemedia.com Host : Don One Guest : Dr Ranj Singh Historian : Kit Heyam Creator, Writer & Director : David Mark Graham Writer & Producer : Marie Horner Executive Producer : Rishi Khosla Set Designer : Ellie Koslowsky Sound Designer : Jon Gray Dubbing Mixer : Sam Morris Edited by : David Mark Graham Theme music Composer : Adiescar Chase Recorded at www.storyhousestudios.co CHAPTERS 0:00 - 4:53 Intro 4:54 - 5:48 Time Travel 5:48 - 13:36 Exiled princess 13:36 - 19:05 Governess Lina 19:05 - 23:17 What’s on Trend!? 23:17 - 28:39 The party’s over, The Nazi’s arrive 28:39 - 33:14 The Suffragette sisters 33:14 - 34:15 Ashes to ashes 34:15 - 40:17 Catherine’s Legacy 40:18 - 41:37 Sorting out the fare and outro REFERENCES Catherine Duleep Singh — Historic Royal Palaces, Hampton Court Palace, 2026. Read online Princess Catherine and the Jewish Refugees — Tylers Green Church. Read online Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary — Anita Anand, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015. IMAGE CREDIT Portrait of Princess Catherine Duleep Singh, by Lafayette Studio, 1897. © Courtesy of Peter Bance Collection. Catherine Duleep Singh (left) with her German governess and lover, Lina Schäfer (right). Addressed to Miss Mayes, signed ‘Lina Schäfer’, 1930. © Courtesy of Peter Bance Collection.
S1 · E1
August 11 · 48 min
The Queer King: Edward II x Tia Kofi
What do you get when you put a drag queen, a drag king, a Big Brother star and one of England's most controversial monarchs in the same taxi? In the first episode of Time Travelling Queers, Don One is joined by RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Tia Kofi and historian and Big Brother 8’s Jonty Stern to journey back to the fourteenth century and uncover the extraordinary life of King Edward II. Was Edward II really England's first queer king? Were his relationships with Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser love stories, political disasters—or both? And why has history spent centuries obsessing over how he died instead of how he reigned? Expect scandal, court favourites, civil war, royal revenge, dubious death theories, and enough palace drama to rival today's reality TV. History has never been this queer. #ttqpod Website: www.timetravellingqueers.com Instagram: @timetravellingqueers Follow Don One on Insta: @don1drag A Molly House Media Production. www.mollyhousemedia.com Host : Don One Guest : Tia Kofi Historian : Jonty Stern Creator, Writer & Director : David Mark Graham Writer & Producer : Marie Horner Executive Producer : Rishi Khosla Set Designer : Ellie Koslowsky Sound Designer & Dubbing Mixer : Jon Gray Theme music Composer : Adiescar Chase Special thanks to the incredible historians who gave their time and knowledge as we developed this show; Claire Mead, Jas Bevan Nas, Tim May, Ema Sala, Tallulah Smart, Kit Heyam, Ess Grange, Jonty Stern, Kit Green and Siobhan McGuirk. Recorded at www.storyhousestudios.co CHAPTERS 0:00 - 03:23 Intro 03:24 - 04:06 Time Travel 04:07 - 08:58 For Queer King and Country 08:59 - 11:52 There were two of us in this marriage 11:53 - 13:00 The Favourite number 1 Piers 13:00- 16:20 Whats On Trend!? 16:20-23:40 Piers the favourite continued 23:41 - 37:44 Favourite number 2 Hugh Dispenser 37:45 - 43:17 Revenge is a dish served red hot and pointy. 43:18- 45:30 Is Diana Spencer related to Hugh Despenser? 45:30- 46:56 King Edward II Legacy 46:56- 48:11 Sorting out the fare and outro REFERENCES Edward II the Man: A Doomed Inheritance — Stephen Spinks, Amberley Publishing, 2017. The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England, 1327–1330 — Ian Mortimer, Jonathan Cape, 2003. Joan of Kent: The First Princess of Wales — Penny Lawne, Amberley Publishing, 2015. The Queen and the Mistress: The Women of Edward III — Gemma Hollman, The History Press, 2022. Edward I — L. F. Salzman, Frederick A. Praeger, 1968 IMAGE CREDIT Manuscript in Carlisle Castle from c. 14th century and an anonymous 19th century portrait of Edward II by unknown Author, accessed via Wikimedia Commons.
S1 · E2
August 11 · 55 min
The Gender-Bending Outlaw: Mary Frith x Rosie Jones
Meet Mary Frith aka Mary or Moll Frith aka Mal or Moll Cutpurse aka Mary Markham aka Mary Thrift. - the gender non-conforming outlaw who thrived in the chaos of the early 1600s made breaking the rules an art form. Whether they were the first woman to smoke in public, wearing “men’s” clothes, or pawning stolen goods, Mary refused to play by society's rules. In Episode 2 of Time Travelling Queers, Don One is joined by comedian Rosie Jones and historian Ess Grange to travel back to the streets of early modern London and meet the extraordinary Mary Frith. Centuries before gender expression became part of everyday conversation, Mary was wearing men's clothes, smoking pipes, wielding a sword, performing on stage and building a reputation as one of London's most notorious rule-breakers. Together, Don, Rosie and Ess unravel the myths and the facts behind one of history's most unforgettable queer figures, exploring prison stints, theatrical scandals, underworld dealings and the remarkable life of an icon who became larger than life. History has never been this queer. #ttqpod Website: www.timetravellingqueers.com Instagram: @timetravellingqueers Follow Don One on Insta: @don1drag A Molly House Media Production. www.mollyhousemedia.com Host : Don One Guest : Rosie Jones Historian : Ess Grange Creator, Writer & Director : David Mark Graham Writer & Producer : Marie Horner Executive Producer : Rishi Khosla Hair & Make Up : Nicole Fairfield Set Designer : Ellie Koslowsky Sound Designer : Jon Gray Dubbing Mixer : Sam Morris Theme music Composer : Adiescar Chase Special thanks to the incredible historians who gave their time and knowledge as we developed this show; Claire Mead, Jas Bevan Nas, Tim May, Ema Sala, Tallulah Smart, Kit Heyam, Ess Grange, Jonty Stern, Kit Green and Siobhan McGuirk. Recorded at www.storyhousestudios.co CHAPTERS 0:00 - 03:31 Intro 03:31 - 04:17 Time Travel 04:18 - 07:41 London Is Falling Apart 7:42- 09:25 Did Mary go to America? 09:26 - 12:38 What's on Trend? 12:39 - 27:57 Moll Cutpurse takes to the stage 27:58- 33:08 The Christmas Eve Flashing Incident 33:09 - 39:13 Crime Boss Era 39:14 - 51:28 Life and Death of Mary Frith 51:29 - 53:11 Mary’s legacy 53:12 - 55:28 Sorting out the fare and outro REFERENCES The Roaring Girl, Middleton & Dekker, 1611 The Life and Death of Mary Frith (originally published first in 1662), modern publication edited by Janet Todd and Elizabeth Spearing, 1994. The Date of the Roaring Girl, P.A. Mulholland, 1977 Mary Frith alias Moll Cutpurse in Life & Literature, Gustav Ungerer, 2000 Plus Ess’ PhD research, not yet published but we will shout about it when it is! IMAGE CREDIT London (Castle Street, Leicester Fields) : Published by W. Richardson, [between 1800 and 1899?]. Wellcome Collection Reference: 2015801i
S1 · E3
August 11 · 38 min
No Kings. No Pronouns: Njinga a Mbande x Dani St James
Travel with us to meet the gender-defying ruler who demanded to be recognised on their own terms. In Episode 3 of Time Travelling Queers, Don One is joined by model, entrepreneur and activist Dani St James and historian Paula Akpan to journey to seventeenth-century Central Africa and meet the extraordinary Njinga a Mbande, the 17th century ruler of the kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba. For more than forty years, Njinga resisted Portuguese colonisation through fearless diplomacy, military strategy and political brilliance. Defying European expectations of how a ruler should look or behave, Njinga embraced masculine dress, adopted a male-coded title and kept a harem of male concubines. Together, Don, Dani and Paula unpack one of history's most fascinating and complex leaders, exploring colonial resistance, gender, power, diplomacy and the legacy of a ruler whose story has too often been overlooked. Expect political intrigue, battlefield strategy, royal drama and a history lesson that proves there was never just one way to rule. History has never been this queer. #ttqpod Website: www.timetravellingqueers.com Instagram: @timetravellingqueers Follow Don One on Insta: @don1drag A Molly House Media Production. www.mollyhousemedia.com Host : Don One Guest : Dani St James Historian : Paula Akpan Creator, Writer & Director : David Mark Graham Writer & Producer : Marie Horner Executive Producer : Rishi Khosla Set Designer : Ellie Koslowsky Sound Designer : Jon Gray Dubbing Mixer : Sam Morris Theme music Composer : Adiescar Chase Special thanks to the incredible historians who gave their time and knowledge as we developed this show; Claire Mead, Jas Bevan Nas, Tim May, Ema Sala, Tallulah Smart, Kit Heyam, Ess Grange, Jonty Stern, Kit Green and Siobhan McGuirk. Recorded at www.storyhousestudios.co CHAPTERS 0:00 - 03:41 Intro 03:42 - 04:36 Time Travel 04:37- 12:22 No Kings. No Pronouns. Only Rulers! 12:22 - 16:59 Nepo Baby 17:00 - 19:15 The UN Could Never. Njinga the Diplomat 19:16 - 20:48 What's on Trend? 20:49 - 24:54 The consequences of Colonialism 24:54 - 33:28 Njinga takes the Kingdom and another 33:29 37:09 Njinga’s legacy 37:10 - 38:53 Sorting out the fare and outro REFERENCES When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors — Paula Akpan, Trapeze, 2025. Go buy this book and see all the amazing and extensive research Paula did to write it - go to www.paulaakpan.com IMAGE CREDIT Queen Nzinga Mbande (Anna de Sousa Nzinga) by Achille Devéria, printed by François Le Villain, published by Edward Bull, published by Edward Churton, after Unknown artist hand-coloured lithograph, 1830s NPG D34632 © National Portrait Gallery, London
August 4 · 39 sec
Trailer
History has never been this queer. Take a seat in the back of our cab with celebrity guests and historians for a ride through queer history, driven by our drag king extraordinaire Don One – hurry the meters running. Every episode uncovers the story of an extraordinary queer person from history, exploring the lives, cultures and moments that helped shape our community. #ttqpod Website: www.timetravellingqueers.com Instagram: @timetravellingqueers

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