‘To be alive at all is to have scars’ (John Steinbeck, 1902-1968)

Welcome to Histories of the Unexpected, where you will discover the history of things that you did not know had a history; like the history of hands, or the history of oranges.

This time we shall cut our way through the mire of history, observing the scars on our landscape, as ‘The Man Who Laughs’, Dr Sam Willis, and the wounded warrior, Professor James Daybell, lead us on the unexpected history of the scar once more.

So, with bandages at the ready our motley pair career through the past, reviling details about their own scars, boating accidents, BCG’s and ladders. Sam and James travel from the gangs of 1920’s Glasgow and the grizzly ‘Glasgow Smile’ to Ethiopia and the cultural tribal markings and body artwork involving scars.

With their own histories written upon their bodies our battle maimed duo reveal that this unexpected history is actually all about; inoculation and medicine, gangs and scarification, tribes and the decoration of the body.

Oh, and don’t listen over breakfast, as James has some quite grizzly facts to relate!

‘Out of suffering have emerged the strongest should; the most massive characters are seared with scars’ (Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931)