Shane Todd and Hazel Hayes wear many hats. While Todd has established himself as a stand-up comedian, podcaster, actor and radio DJ, Hayes has made her mark as a published author, famed YouTuber, actor and director.
One thing they absolutely are not, though, is historians.
This is a very important fact. One they really want you to know. So much so that they made it the title of their brand new comedy podcast, We're Not F***ing Historians.
Both a disclaimer and an eye-catching title, its the perfect name for their latest venture. In each episode, the duo will do a deep dive dip a toe into Irish history in the best way they know how - with UB40 references, scalding hot takes, and jokes aplenty.
"I think we just stumbled into saying, 'look, we're not f***ing historians, we're not saying this is factually accurate, we're not saying this has all actually happened, maybe go and check the facts and figures out afterwards and just enjoy it for now," explains Hazel.
Listen: Shane Todd and author Hazel Hayes talk to Brenda on The Ray D'Arcy Show
Delving into everything from Vikings and the Battle of Clontarf to the real story of Saint Patrick, the two will do their best to break down their favourite bits of Irish history into digestible, bite-sized pieces.
"It's a combination of stories that are kind of already out there - Fionn mac Cumhaill, the Vikings - things that you might have knowledge of, telling those stories in a way you haven't heard before, but also picking things that we ourselves hadn't heard about before hand," explains Shane.
I think there's a good balance of things that did happen but all the myths and legends as well."
Ready and waiting for the 'umm, actually' crowd, as Hazel lovingly calls them, the two insist that anyone who tries to correct them on minor details (like facts) are clearly missing the point.
"I'm interested in history but I don't know a lot about it," says Shane. "I wasn't a textbook kind of guy, I've seen films like Gladiator and 300 and that's where my knowledge comes from. People think that Scottish and English history is a big subject but once you see Braveheart, you know all you need to know," he quips.
"I have more of a free wheeling approach to historical knowledge," he adds, laughing. "History was one of the subjects I really engaged with because it was storytelling, at the end of the day."
"I was really interested in Irish history," agrees Hazel, "particularly paganism and the old traditions and the old ways. Less about the facts and figures and dates, it was more sort of who we used to be, and what my heritage was and what my culture was and where I had come from."
As a self-professed "sad little loner child", the Dublin woman says she would visit the library as a student to read books about classical studies and Irish mythology in her spare time. Unfortunately, the way it was being taught in classrooms put her off the subject.
The podcast, she says, is her chance to make history fun again.
"I'd always loved history but then dropped it so I didn't have much of an academic grounding in it - and still very much don't - but it was fun to come back to. What we've done is put the fun back in it. I stopped caring about history because a teacher had taken the fun out of it, but now it doesn't get more fun than chatting s**t with Shane."
Possibly best known for her hit interview series, Tipsy Talk, which saw Hayes have a tipple with A-list celebrities like Taika Waititi, Margot Robbie and Amy Schumer, the Out of Love author says that the two hope to add a celebrity guest element to the show.
"I think we definitely want to, so anyone reading this at the moment, if you're interested in talking about Irish history, get in touch," she laughs. "I love interviewing people, it's something I really enjoy, so to get to interview Irish people about their favourite parts of Irish history would be really fun."
"Hazel probably knows more people in that world than I do," adds Shane. "Like, I know a guy who used to be Mr. Tayto at some corporate events."
"That's huge," Hazel jumps in. "That would be the dream. I'd rather Mr. Tayto than Liam Neeson, honestly."
Touching on a more serious note, as someone who lives in London, Hazel says that she hopes the podcast reaches ears outside of Ireland, whether it be the Irish diaspora or other nationalities.
"I genuinely do hope that it's not just Irish people who listen, that other people from different cultures and different nationalities will get more of an idea - even if it's a silly one - of our past. But I also think it will be really lovely for Irish people living abroad."
"I have found myself educating friends over the years on really, quite basic stuff," she adds, saying that she is often asked by friends in England to explain the Troubles and Irish history at large.
"It's a comedy podcast and we want to keep it light but we have talked about covering the famine or the Troubles, in as light a way as possible with as much reverence as possible and I think it will be nice, once we gather an audience, where we can actually educate a little bit as well."
"I'll be ill during the recording of that episode so I'll leave that to Hazel," jokes Belfast-born Shane.
"I think we're really good at taking the piss out of ourselves and not taking ourselves too seriously," he continues. "I think you can look at more serious subjects but maybe, for the likes of those, we'd have an expert on so it's more official. So we don't go to jail for it."
"If there's anyone who can laugh and joke about these sort of things, it's people that are from Ireland."
If not, though, just remember - they're not f***ing historians.
We're Not F***ing Historians is produced Stak and is available to download wherever you get your podcasts.
