How did a brewer’s debate at a shooting party become a pop-culture phenomenon? Why is the world so obsessed with the biggest, wildest, and most WTF achievements imaginable? In this episode of History for F***’s Sake, Sarah Dowd sits down with former Guinness World Records publishing exec and cultural strategist Sam Fay for the untold, hilarious, and truly bonkers history of the Guinness Book of World Records.From bar room brainwaves in 1950s Ireland to the Christmas tree bonanza, schoolyard squabbles, and TikTok challenges of today, Sarah and Sam unc...
How did a brewer’s debate at a shooting party become a pop-culture phenomenon? Why is the world so obsessed with the biggest, wildest, and most WTF achievements imaginable? In this episode of History for F***’s Sake, Sarah Dowd sits down with former Guinness World Records publishing exec and cultural strategist Sam Fay for the untold, hilarious, and truly bonkers history of the Guinness Book of World Records.
From bar room brainwaves in 1950s Ireland to the Christmas tree bonanza, schoolyard squabbles, and TikTok challenges of today, Sarah and Sam uncover why the record book became a global obsession and how its tale is really one about hope, healing, joy, and postwar curiosity. Expect stories of weird and wonderful record holders, marketing genius, and the irresistible human urge to measure, compare, and compete all fuelled by the enduring power of shared spectacle.
Highlights:
- The accidental origin: how a question about birds and beer started it all
- The McWhirter twins: relentless fact-finders and the science of record-keeping
- Why the book outgrew the bar—and changed Christmas mornings forever
- Iconic record holders, from the tallest man to the most pierced woman, and the joy of celebrating human oddity
- How TV, then TikTok, made record breaking a global (and instant) spectacle
- Postwar Britain’s search for fun, facts, and a little hope after years of austerity
- The Guinness Book as a “curated snapshot” in time—why we still need it in the digital age
- What it means for museums, history, and the power of archived stories today
- Imagine the future: records in virtual reality, on Mars, or measuring joy and goosebumps
About Sam Fay:
Sam is a senior-level marketer with over 20 years’ experience in entertainment, gaming, tourism, and the experience economy - having worked for global brands such as LEGO, EA, and Guinness World Records.She has also delivered world-class immersive experiences with Layered Reality and the World Experience Organization, most recently delivering the inaugural London Experience Week 2025. Sam serves as the Marketing Trustee and Director at UNESCO’s Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and is Founder of SuperchargedCMO.com delivering marketing services for global brands in the experience economy.
Connect with Sam:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-fay-44b5443/
Website: SuperchargedCMO.com
About Sarah Dowd:
I’m Sarah Dowd - writer, speaker, heritage and arts consultant, producer, and all-around nerd - here to share the stories of our past that make us laugh, gasp, and mutter: It’s History… For F***k’s Sake.
For 25+ years I’ve created immersive, inclusive experiences that bring history alive, from rallying Second World War convoys through London to staging performances between Pearly Kings and Gen Z creatives. My work spans museums, cathedral crypts, pop-up theatres, global brands, and community projects across the UK and beyond.
As a Canadian living between the UK and France (with a late ADHD diagnosis that fuels my curiosity and creativity), I zigzag through culture, history, and big ideas, but never boring ones.
Every week on HistoryFFS, we explore how history echoes through today, from Drag Race to prefab tiny houses, with voices from musicians to mischief-makers.
Follow @HistoryFFS - because we’re all making history, one ridiculous, wonderful moment at a time.
Connect with Sarah:
Website: www.historyffs.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowd/
Patreon: HistoryFFS
YouTube: @HistoryFFSPod
Instagram: @historyFFSPod
TikTok: @historyffspod
X: @HistoryFFSPod
Follow the show for new episodes exploring the objects, people, and moments that shaped our world. If you want the story AND the sound of the past, this is essential listening.
