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.

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

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

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