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PODCAST

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

Join sex historian Dr Kate Lister on Betwixt the Sheets as she gets intimate with the stories that would make your history teacher blush.What were the Victorians really like behind closed (bedroom) doors? How did the Black Death favour women in medieval England? And what was Caesar like in the sack?Join Kate as she bed-hops around different time periods; from ancient civilisations, to the middle ages, to renaissance and early modern...right up to now.You’ll laugh, you’ll wince, and you’ll ask

history

All Episodes

39:27

Real Wives of Dictators | Börte, wife of Genghis Khan

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2025/03/07

What was life like to be married to Genghis Khan?In this new limited series, Real Wives of Dictators, we're finding out all about the women behind, or alongside, some of histories most notorious men.First up is Börte Üjin, the woman who built the Mongol empire alongside her husband, Genghis, in the 12th and 13th centuries.Were they in love? What happened when she was kidnapped by a rival tribe? And what was her relationship like with the other women in Genghis' life?Joining Kate today is historian

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46:09

The Dark History of BMI & Fatphobia

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2025/02/18

Dark ideas and stigma around different body sizes really took hold in the Enlightenment.Very unenlightened, if you ask us.This started all sorts of awful movements, and one result was BMI - or Body Mass Index - which is still used as a measure of health by doctors today.What even is the BMI? Why are women and people of colour particularly affected by these harmful ideas? And what's the future of fatphobia and BMI?Joining Kate is the fantastic Amy Farrell, professor of women’s, gender and sexuality

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45:17

Sex Lives of Spartans

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2025/02/04

When you hear the word Sparta, what do you picture?Well, put aside the images of the rippling six packs for just a moment, as there's a lot more to this workout-obsessed state of the ancient world than you might imagine.Joining Kate today to get to know the Spartans is the master of all things Ancient Greece, Helen King. You can check out Helen's book, Immaculate Forms: Uncovering the History of Women's Bodies, here.What were the Spartans views on same-sex relationships? Were they really as ripped

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39:36

How Did Dinosaurs Have Sex?

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2025/01/24

What's the dinosaur equivalent of Netflix and chill? Were they capable of flirting?In today's episode, Kate speaks with Dr. David Hone, author of Uncovering Dinosaur Behaviour: What They Did And How We Know, to find out more about how different dinosaurs might have had sex.Could the T-Rex's little arms aid their sexual performance? How did they penetrate through so much heavy protective armour? And were they monogamous?This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was

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45:38

Medieval Lesbians

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2025/01/17

How do you begin to look for examples of lesbians in the medieval period?Even though it was deeply frowned upon by the powers that be, the clues are very much there... if you know where to look.What examples do we have? How did the male-run church respond to fears that nuns were getting too close for their liking? And how did a 13th century court react when a dildo was presented in a case against a woman accused of sodomy?Joining Kate today is medieval historian Tess Wingard to help us find out

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40:16

Ancient Eroticism, Pagan Workouts & Body Ideals:...

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2025/01/07

It's January and (reluctant) thoughts turn to gym memberships, but what are the ancient origins of this phenomena?From the naked workouts of Ancient Greece to the bodybuilders of the 19th century, a lot has influenced exercise culture over the centuries - and it's always had a healthy dose of homoeroticism to it.Joining Kate today is Eric Chaline, author of The Temple of Perfection, to take us inside these spaces and find out more about them.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy, the producer was

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46:04

Medieval Sex Myths

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2025/01/03

From medieval d*ck pics to sex with monks, how did people in medieval times think about sex and sexuality?It was a period that spanned roughly 1,000 years and even though views on sex were largely shaped by the dominant Christian faith, whether this filtered down to every day experiences is another question.Joining Kate today is the legendary sex historian Professor Ruth Karras, author of Sexuality in Mediaeval Europe: Doing Unto Others.Why did people in the middle ages think that women were more

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59:46

When Was The First Boob Job?

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/12/31

Cosmetic procedures are a huge part of (most of our) worlds.With new ones seemingly cropping up all the time, the boob job feels like an old classic.What are the origins of the boob job? Who had the first ever one? And how has it changed over time?Today we're revisiting a conversation Kate had with Professor Ruth Holliday and cosmetic surgeon Professor Vikram Devaraj, to find out more about this bumpy history.This episode was edited by Annie Coloe & Tom Delargy. The producer was Sophie Gee. The

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42:10

Did Ancient People Have Sex Toys?

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/12/27

Dating back some 30,000 years, sex toys have a long (no pun intended) and fascinating history.What were the earliest sex toys like? How did technology change them? And did Victorian doctors really prescribing them for back pain?In today's episode, we're revisiting an episode where Kate was joined by writer, sex and gender historian Hallie Lieberman to discuss the first dildo, the myth of the vibrator, and more.Find out more about Hallie's book, Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy, here.This

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39:38

Anne of Cleves | Secret Lives of the Six Wives

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/12/06

Anne of Cleves gets a pretty raw deal in the history books.She's often accused of being ugly, after Henry VIII claimed the painting he had made of her was overly flattering.While their marriage was short-lived, is it time we give Anne of Cleves, who hailed from a small state in Germany, the props she deserves?Just who was this woman who came from relative obscurity into the madness of the Tudor court, and came out one of life's winners?In the fourth episode of our limited series, Secret Wives of the

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38:43

Jane Seymour | Secret Lives of the Six Wives

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/11/29

Meek and mild, or smart and scheming? Have we all been underestimating the third wife of Henry VIII?Was Jane Seymour the meek and mild lady she's often portrayed as, or was she more smart and scheming than we give her credit for?Although her time as queen didn't last long, Seymour's legacy was huge. Not only did she give Henry his first son, she was also the only one of his wives not to lose her title, her head, or her husband.Who was the real woman behind the reputation? How did she cleverly win

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44:35

Gladiators' Sex Lives

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/11/12

Who really were the gladiators of Ancient Rome?With them once again hitting the big screens this month, we wanted to take you back a couple of thousand years to find out more about the people who fought and what their lives were really like.What rights in society did they have? How often did they meet a gruesome end? And were they sex symbols?Joining Kate is historian and expert in all things Ancient Rome, Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, to help us find out

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58:08

The Real Sylvia Plath

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/11/08

** TW: This episode contains themes of suicide **Sylvia Plath was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.During and since she died, she became known for her volatile relationship with fellow poet, Ted Hughes, as much as her own beautiful, confessional writing.What was Sylvia Plath like as a woman? What drew her and Ted Hughes to each other? And how did sex and sexuality influence her personality and writing?Joining Kate today is Emily van Dyne, author of Loving Sylvia Plath: A

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36:57

Sex Lives of Presidents

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/11/05

With the US election happening, we wanted to take a look back at the presidents from the past what we know about their sex lives.Which president was well-endowed and supposedly presented it to staff in the Oval Office? Which president had an affair on his honeymoon? And which had an affair with his wife's secretary?And no, they're not all JFK.Joining Kate today to help us find out is Eleanor Herman, author of Sex with Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House.This podcast was

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43:06

What Made You Ugly In The Ancient World?

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/11/01

When we think about Greek and Roman beauty, we think of marble statues of huge men with tiny...feet.But what did it mean to be a beautiful woman? What role did their ideas of ugliness play in these ideas? And how did Christianity throw a curveball in all of this?Taking us back to this world is Caroline Vout, author of Exposed: The Greek and Roman Body, to give us a learned glimpse beneath the togas.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was

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43:00

Inside the Witch Trials: Salem | Fear In A New World

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/10/29

We often think of the witch trials as something in the deep and distant past.But, as we'll hear in today's episode, the attitudes and behaviour that led to witch trials is as present today as it was then.In this third and final episode of our limited series, Inside the Witch Trials, we go back to Salem, Massachusetts, to find out how colonialism, racism and a radical ideology created a witch trial that's as relevant today as it was in the 17th century.What was life like for Puritans in this new and

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37:25

18th Century Dating: From Booty Calls to 'Bundling'

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/10/25

What was life like as a single person in the 18th century? What if you became pregnant out of wedlock?In today's episode, Kate talks to Angela Muir, author of Deviant MaternityIllegitimacy in Wales, c. 1680–1800, to find out what navigating single life was like for the lower classes: from strange dating customs such as 'bundling', to evidence we have of Georgian booty calls and the stigma of being single.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer

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32:35

Inside the Witch Trials: Iceland | The Men Who Burned...

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/10/22

When we think of the witch trials, we often think of women being charged.Whilst misogyny was at the heart of many of the witch trials, this isn't the full story.In this second episode of a limited series, Inside the Witch Trials, we go back to the the Westfjords of Iceland, to find out why it was mostly men, not women, who were burned at the stake for witchcraft.How did society differ to the rest of Europe at this time? How did Iceland's history of magic impact ideas around witchcraft? And what hope

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1:00:28

Nefertiti: The Greatest Ancient Egyptian Queen?

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/10/17

Ancient Egyptian rulers, incest, the Nazis and female empowerment, all in one episode! 'But how?' You say. 'What story could possibly bring all of these things together?'This is the story of Queen Nefertiti and her bust. Kate is joined by Joyce Tyldesley and Monica Hanna to find out just who this woman was, and how a statue of her ended up in Berlin.Joyce Tyldesley is Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology at the University of Manchester

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45:38

Medieval Chastity Belts: History Unlocked

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal &... ·

2024/10/01

Sexual purity was hugely importance in the medieval world, especially for women.How did chastity work in practice? Why was it so important? And was the infamous chastity belt really used?Joining Kate today is friend of the show and co-host of our sister podcast, Gone Medieval, Eleanor Janega, to help us unlock the mysteries of Medieval chastity once and for all.This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning

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