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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

50:40

Sex in Ancient Mesopotamia

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

2024/09/26

How sexually liberated were the people of Ancient Mesopotamia? In what is modern day Iraq and dates back to around 3000 BC.The answer may surprise you, with gender fluidity and sexual diversity quite commonplace. Look no further than their frisky goddess, Ishtar.Taking us back to this fascinating period is Stephanie Budin, historian and author of Gender in the Ancient Near East.This episode was produced and edited by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to

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34:35

Underwear: Codpieces, Loin Cloths & Thongs

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

2024/09/24

Whatever your underwear preferences, have you ever wondered about their history?From the Tudor codpiece to Victorian bloomers, they've all got a story to tell. Sharing them with Kate today is Nina Edwards, author of The Virtues of Underwear: Modesty, Flamboyance and Filth.This episode was edited by Max Carrey, the producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign here

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40:04

What Did The Vikings Really Look Like?

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

2024/09/20

Were the Vikings the original trendsetters?Even when they were raiding the poor monks in Lindsfarne in 793, they were passing on hairstyles that annoyed some of the local elders.Why did they file their teeth? How often did they bathe? And what influence did their gods have on all of this?Joining Kate today to explore the beauty standards of the Vikings isDr. Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was

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39:23

Cruising & Cottaging: Sex in Public Places

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

2024/09/17

With privacy being a modern luxury, where did people in the past go to meet and hook up? Public toilets were (and can still be) a popular option.But what were secret signals? And what were the risks? Especially if, like many of the people who did it, you were part of the gay community.Joining Kate today is Dr. Jeff Meek, lecturer in economic and social history at the University of Glasgow, to take her into this world and help us find out.You can find out more about Jeff's work at

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44:41

Ancient Goddesses: Rebellion, Magic & Sexual Liberation

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

2024/09/13

Struggling for role models in the modern world? We've got your back, looking way back to the ancient world.Join Kate and Jasmine Elmer, author of her new book, Goddess With A Thousand Faces, as they explore the remarkable stories of some of histories most incredible ancient Goddesses and the lessons we can learn from them.What can Artemis the Greek Goddess of Wild Hunting and Virginity tell us about sexual autonomy? And what does Huitaca, the Goddess of Rebellion tell us about taking a stand when

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38:29

Pagan Ritual Nudity

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

2024/09/10

Rituals are a big part of this funny human experience, aren't they?Whether that's morning rituals like making your bed... or pagan rituals that involve stripping down to your birthday suit for certain ceremonies.The importance of nakedness is a big part of it, too, that can help separate you from this world and bring you closer to nature, and other realms.What other ways have naked rituals played a part in our history? And are they still practiced today?Joining Kate is the fantastic friend of the

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43:56

Could You Survive Victorian Surgery?

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

2024/09/03

What was it really like inside a Victorian operating theatre? Did people really smoke cigars and eat oysters while they watched high risk surgery taking place? And what were the most common procedures?In today's episode Kate joins Dr. Monica in the Old Operating Theatre in London, to find out about the sights, smells and screams you would have heard there in the 19th century.Find out more about the museum here: https://oldoperatingtheatre.com/This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was

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40:42

Medieval Life During Plague & War

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

2024/08/30

When so much of history is written by men, Margaret Paston's letters offer us a rare insight into the life of a woman and the world around her in 15th century England.How did she cope with waves of plague wiping out her town? What did she do when the War of the Roses reached her home? And what family gossip did she write about?Joining Kate today for this insight into every day medieval life is Diane Watt, author of God’s Own Gentlewoman: The Life of Margaret Paston to take us back to this period of

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48:43

The Real Princess Diana

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

2024/08/27

However you feel about the royal family, there's no denying, there was something about Princess Diana.From the clothes she wore to the causes she championed, she set the template for the modern royal, ruffling a lot of feathers in the process.Why did she speak to us so much? Was there any truth to rumours of the affairs both Charles and Diana had? And were the public in any way complicit in her downfall?Helping Kate separate Diana fact from fiction is author and royal historian, Dr. Tessa Dunlop. In

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35:48

Life Lessons From Historical Women

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

2024/08/23

When women's stories aren't being flat-out ignored from the history books, they can often be sidelined.Well not here! Joining Kate today is the comedian and author of Life Lessons from Historical Women, Eleanor Morton, to share some of her favourite stories of inspirational women through history and the lessons they have taught her.What would it have taken to make a daring escape from colonial Australia? And how did working class women in Victorian London create collective power?This episode was

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44:43

Renaissance Beauty: Snails, Cat Poo & Fatal Make-Up

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

2024/08/20

Why did Renaissance women say the Lord's prayer while removing pubic hair?If you're like us you definitely want to know the answer to this, and so much more about beauty culture during the Italian Renaissance between the 15th and 17th centuries.Joining Kate today is Professor Jill Burke, author of How to be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty and Female Creativity, to help us find out if beauty culture was oppressive to women, or empowering.Edited: Tom Delargy. Producer: Stuart

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42:17

Sex Work in 18th Century Paris

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

2024/08/16

Paris was a wild place in the 18th century.It was the Age of the Enlightenment, cafe culture was exploding along with the world of ballet and opera, and there's the small matter of the Revolution in 1789.Before that kicked off, though, there were estimated to be 30,000 sex workers in Paris, plus an additional 10,000 high-class courtesans.What was the world of sex work like during this time? Who were the King's courtesans? And what happened to these people after the Revolution?Joining Kate today is

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45:34

The Real Cleopatra

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

2024/08/13

Cleopatra. One of the most famous people from history, and remembered for her beauty, power and scandalous love affairs. But how accurate is her legacy?Did you know she married not one, but two of her brothers? Or that she could speak eight languages? Or that she lived closer to the invention of the iPhone, than the construction of the pyramids (what?!).Egyptologist Sarah Parcak joins Kate to get to the bottom of who the REAL Cleopatra was.Mixer: Tomos Delargy. Producer: Stuart Beckwith. Senior

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33:51

The Curious History of Beds

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

2024/08/09

Sex and beds have a long, interwoven history. Here on Betwixt we often cover sex history, but we haven’t done a deep dive into the history of where it’s often done… in bed.So today we have something a little different for you, here’s an episode all about the history of beds, and it’s a story that will take us from medieval France, to 17th century Hertfordshire and beyond.It’s an episode from our friends over at the Curious History of Your Home podcast, which you can follow here.Betwixt the Sheets

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50:56

The Real Anne Boleyn: Sex, Scandal & Betrayal

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

2024/08/06

Anne Boleyn was smart, sophisticated and had SO much charisma.She kept Henry VIII waiting for SEVEN YEARS before they finally got together, and even then it was on her terms.So where did it all go wrong for Anne Boleyn? Were any of the wild accusations made against her true? And what do her last words tell us about her?Joining Kate today is the magnificent Tracy Borman, author ofAnne Boleyn and Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History, to help us uncover the real Anne Boleyn.This

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32:07

How Nudes Changed Britain

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

2024/08/02

Why were nudes so significant in Victorian England? What role did painting them play in wider social change at that time? And why didn't men think that women had the capacity for genius?Joining Kate today is Tabitha Barber, curator of the Tate Britain exhibition Now You See Us, which explores women artists in Britain over the last 500 years.You can also watch Kate in a documentary all about this, called The Fight To Paint, over on History Hit - simply follow this link.This episode was edited by Tom

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39:00

The Dark History of Bearded Ladies & the Victorian...

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

2024/07/30

What would it have really been like to visit a Victorian freak show? Were "freak performers" exploited, or empowered in a world that would likely have otherwise rejected them? And has the Victorian freak show ever really gone away?Joining Kate today is John Woolf, author ofThe Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age, to take us back to this world and explore its dark side.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy, the producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer

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43:23

History of Grief: Sky Burials & Victorian Death Photos

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

2024/07/26

Why did the Victorians dress up their dead relatives for photo shoots?What are the origins of embalming? And why do most of us have such a separated relationship with death?Helping Kate get to the bottom of all of this is the wonderful Brandy Schillace, author of Death's Summer Coat: What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living.This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the

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39:18

Flagellation Brothels: Georgian Spanking Houses

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

2024/07/23

18th century London was a haven for kinky connoisseurs, and flagellation houses were at the heart of it.Whatever your preference to be spanked by - birches, whips, paddles - they had you covered.What went on behind closed doors? Who was being spanked, and why was it all the range for upper class men?Taking Kate into this naughty underworld today is Julie Peakman, author of Lascivious Bodies: A Sexual History of the Eighteenth Century.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy, the producer was Stuart

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47:55

Incest & Royalty: House of the Dragon & Beyond

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

2024/07/19

With the House of the Dragon featuring *that* incest scene, we thought we'd look into the real history of sexual relations within families.Has it always been taboo? How have the necessary degrees of separation between partners grown and shrunk over the years? And why were so many royal families keenon familial relations in the past...Hapsburg chin anyone?Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with Brian Connolly to discuss the history of incest, an episode suggested to us by a listener. You can read more of

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