Guest Post - Q&A
With Jess Faulkner aka Unholy Tudor
Today we welcome the lovely Unholy Tudor to The Tudor Notebook. Jess is the host of the podcast Tudor Herstory and is joining us today to talk about her experience as a podcaster.
Tell us a little about yourself
Hello, my name is Jess, but I do go by unholytudor on Instagram, which I’ve run for seven years now! I am twenty-two years old, and I am UK-based. I am currently studying for a degree in history via the Open University. I have loved history from a young age, I remember learning about Sir Walter Raleigh when I was six, and from there I have just had a keen interest in history until I was about fourteen and then the obsession began. I have been obsessed with the Tudors for nearly a decade now, I was introduced to the HBO series ‘The Tudors’ by my mum, and I know this show is wildly inaccurate but it piqued my interest and I just had to research and know everything I could about this period. From here, I made my Instagram account to share my knowledge and love of the Tudors, and also how much I had become obsessed with Queen Anne Boleyn. If I am not doing history you would usually find me reading a book, watching a histo documentary, or I will most likely be with my dogs, Terry or Bertie!
Can you tell us about your podcast? How long have you been podcasting?
My podcast is called the Tudor Herstory, a podcast detailing the lives of women in the sixteenth century. Ranging from Queens, preachers, servants and normal women. I have been podcasting since Oct 2023, so a year and a bit!
What influenced you to start a podcast?
One of the big influences for me is that I have always loved history and getting into Tudor history, I have known I wanted to make this a career. I want a career in history as a Tudor historian, but I guess what inspired me to start a podcast was listening to great podcasts such as ‘Talking Tudors’, ‘Not Just The Tudors’ and the ‘Tudor Dynasty Podcast’, and realising I could do this, I love discussing history with others, maybe I could do this? And then before you know it, I am buying a microphone and setting up a recording studio in my bedroom!
What is the best thing about what you do?
The best thing for me is talking to people who have the same passion as I do, loving the same subject and the same people feels really special to me. I really enjoy learning from these historians too, especially about subjects I am not as confident on. I’ve just recorded an episode about the Kenilworth Festivities, which I have heard of but didn’t know the intricacies. For me its just talking and learning, and I cant wait for the rest of 2025!
What is the worst/hardest thing?
The hardest thing for me is confidence. I am naturally quite shy, so to message someone and go, ‘Hey, wanna come on the pod?’ is quite nerve-wracking for me! Especially if they are big names in the Tudor field! I was near to tears before letting Tracy Borman onto the call!
Can you tell us your most memorable moment relating to your podcast?
I think the most memorable moment relating to my podcast is being invited by the National Portrait Gallery to attend a press preview of the Six Lives Exhibition and interviewing the curator of this exhibition, Dr Charlotte Bolland. This was and still is a huge achievement for me and the podcast, one I will never forget!
Can you tell us about your most successful episode?
It seems my most successful episode among my listeners is Elizabeth Woodville with Matt Lewis. Matt is quite famous, he works with history hit, he runs two podcasts of his own, he has published books, and I believe he is apart of the Richard III society. Matt was a joy to speak too, and imparted an incredible knowledge about Elizabeth and also the times she lived in, especially the political side of everything.
What do you think is a common misconception about podcasting?
I think its that podcasting is quite easy! When recording an episode its believed that it goes seamlessly and I can assure you that errors are always made! If it is not me messing up, or a guest forgetting some fact! Which of course is no problem but it just means it gets edited out, episodes are only seamless because of editing and cuts!
Are there other eras of history you have an interest in? If so which and Would you expand your current focus to include it?
I am quite interested in Medieval history, especially the Wars of the roses, and the early seventeenth century. I am hoping to expand a little bit outside of the Tudor era to include these areas I am interested in!
What piece of advice would you give someone wishing to start something similar?
I would advise, if there is something you want to pursue, whether it’s a podcast, starting a blog or even writing a book, just do it. It may be hard to start off with but it really is worth it! I have no regrets on starting my podcast, and have never looked back. Just have faith in YOU, and what YOU can do!
Is there anyone you would love to interview but haven’t yet? If so, who and why?
Gosh, there are so many! But I would have to say Dr Estelle Paranque. She is just an absolute gem of a woman and historian, and I love her most recent publication, ‘Thorns, Lust and Glory, The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn’. Sadly our schedules just haven’t lined up, but fingers crossed soon, I will get her on!
Do you have a favourite podcast yourself? What do you like about it?
My favourite podcast is ‘Talking Tudors’ hosted by the lovely Natalie Grueninger. It is the first Tudor Podcast I listened to and continue to listen too. Natalie’s podcast has been a huge inspiration for me and is one of the reasons I took the plunge to start my own podcast.
Where can people find you?
People can find me on Instagram, my podcast is on multiple platforms such as Spotify, but I usually recommend my linktree as that has all my links!
Thank you so much to Jess for joining us today. We do hope you have enjoyed this post. There will be more history content and Guest Posts coming soon!