Do Go On

The Black Death or The Plague, was a devastating global plague pandemic that swept across Europe, Asia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353 killing a large percentage of Earth's population. On this episode we look at where it came from, how it spread and how it changed the course of humanity. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 08:32 (though as always, we go off...

Terry Pratchett is one of the world's most beloved authors - writing humorous fantasy and science fiction including his Discworld series - but his life is just as fascinating, which is why he was voted for by the listeners to be our first topic for BLOCKtober 2026! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 11:29 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the...

The Radium Girls were female factory workers who suffered severe radiation poisoning in the 1910s and 1920s after painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. Their plight led to the a better understanding of the effects of radium, and also better safety standards across multiple industries. Content Warning : Graphic descriptions of radiation poisoning. This is a comedy/history podcast, the repo...

Pappy Van Winkle is some of the most expensive Bourbon in the world, and in 2013 hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of the liquor went missing from the distillery. This week, Deanna Ortiz tells us how some heists aren't elaborately planned, but just get slowly out of hand. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 11:55 (though as always, we go off on tangents th...

On this week's episode we hear the story of Joseph Boyle aka Klondike Joe, a Canadian man whose life has so many different chapters your head will spin! We're halfway through our Canadian tour and this episode was recorded live in Vancouver! If you're keen, we've got three final shows this week in Montreal and Toronto with tickets available! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at a...

Operation Chariot is frankly the most unhinged and daring military operation I have ever read about. In World War II, the Brits were so worried about the Nazi's super battleship Tirpitz, they decided to take out the St Nazaire dock in occupied France. To do this they sent hundreds of commandos on a disguised ship to infiltrate the port. Also, the ship was a giant bomb... Five Victoria Crosses late...

This week we are joined by public historian Greg Jenner to hear the epic tale of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 18:16 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). Listen to the new season of Greg's podcast You're Dead To Me: https://link.mgln.ai/YDTM-Do-Go-On Come see us in Canada in September 2026: https:/...

This week our Canadian-Australian friend Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall tells us all about the War of 1812, fought between the United States and the United Kingdom. This story, integral to the history of Canada results in the Capture of Washington and the burning of many buildings, including The White House. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 12:59 (though as always,...

Queen Victoria's son, Prince Alfred, was the first member of the British Royal Family to visit Australia. Let's just say, the Aussie's didn't exactly make a great first impression... This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 07:38 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod   Check out our...

Today we are talking about Tycho Brahe, a brilliant 16th century Danish astronomer - but also a bit of a kook. We are joined by Claire Hooper who is heading to Edinburgh this week, go see her show and say hi for us! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 17:25 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). Check out Matt's new special 'Bad Boy': bit....

In October 1964, as the Southern African country of Zambia was celebrating independence, an exciting and somewhat surprising announcement was made... Edward Mukuka Nkoloso was setting up Zambia's National Space Program and whats more, his 'Afronauts" were going to beat the Americans and Soviets to the moon and beyond. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 06:02 (thou...

In 1980 a chance meeting between a talented young film maker and a millionaire philanthropist led to the making of 'Centurians of Rome', the most expensive gay porn film of all time (at that time), and the story is wild, enjoy! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 06:15 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). For all our important links: htt...

In 1998, a radio DJ received an anonymous fax from a person claiming to be... from the future!! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 06:38 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod   Check out our other podcasts: Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheat Prime Mates: https://p...

In 1958, Manchester United were one of the best football teams on the planet. Managed by Matt Busby and nicknamed 'The Busby Babes' because of the team's youth, in February 1958 the team took an ill fated flight from Munich Airport that would change the club forever. For this episode we are joined by our dear friend Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall (host of the newly launched Bobby Logs Stories podcast...

Following on from last week's episode, we hear of more adventures undertaken by scientists in the 1760's in the effort to track the transit of Venus! Intrepid astronomers this week include Frenchmen Alexandre-Gui Pingré and Jean-Baptiste Chappe d'Auteroche and Englishmen Jeremiah Dixon and Charles Mason (who we mistakenly call Wilson through a lot of the episode sorry)! This is a comedy/history po...

How far away is the sun? English astronomer Edmond Halley suggested that tracking the transit of Venus across the sun would be the key to finding the answer. This set in motion a huge international collaborative scientific endeavour and one of the most comically cursed voyages, by the magnificently named Frenchman, Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière! This is a come...

In the 1980s, Disney Animation was at a critical and cultural low point. This week our editor (and friend) AJ is here to tell us how they turned it all around with The Disney Renaissance. From The Little Mermaid in 1989 to Tarzan in 1999 they released hit after hit after hit and changed entertainment forever. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 05:23 (though as alw...

This week, we hear the story of a wealthy, eccentric woman who raced speedboats, had affairs with Hollywood's hottest actresses, bought a private island, and had a doll best friend who was cremated with her. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 07:03 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoo...

You have probably heard of China's famous Terracotta Army, but do you know the story of the man behind them? This week's episode delves into the epic story of the man who unified China, named himself the First Emperor and was on a mission to find the secret to immortality! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 06:48 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout...

This week we look at the weird history of competitive cave sitting (people seeing how long they can stay in a cave without contact with the outside world), culminating with Spaniard Beatriz Flamini's 2021 world record attempt to spend 500 days in a cave. Recorded live at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 05:40 (th...

Back in the 1790's, Samuel Ireland's son, William Henry, came to him with an exciting discovery - he had found a document belonging to the one and only William Shakespeare! But where had he found it? And could there be more?? This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 08:39 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). For all our important links: https...

Conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker were world famous in the 19th Century, so much so that for a long period other conjoined siblings were commonly referred to as "Siamese twins". Born in Siam (now Thailand), the brothers were taken to America under false pretences and "exhibited." But when the twins turned 21, they took control of their own destiny. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report b...

In the late 90's, an aspiring Japanese comedian auditioned for a new reality TV show. What he didn't know, was that the TV show would change his life forever. And not in a good way. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 05:32 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod   Check out our...

The 1979 New Year's Eve concert at the Sydney Opera House featured the legendary Aussie rock band The Angels, with an estimated 100,000 attendees, unfortunately due to poor planning, the event soon descended into chaos! We hear all about it, plus a history of the legendary band! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 07:45 (though as always, we go off on tangents...

The 1970s was rocked by two oil crises, and countries were desperate to find alternative sources of fuel. So when two eccentric inventors stepped forward with a machine that could supposedly detect untapped oil from the air, surely it wasn't too good to be true? And surely, the French government would do their due diligence before investing BILLIONS of dollars in the idea? This is a comedy/history...