Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Who had the very first boob job? And did our ancestors have their unmentionables pierced?
Join historian, Kate Lister, Betwixt the Sheets as she unashamedly roots around the topics which seem to have been skipped in history class.
Everything from landmark LGBTQ+ court cases, to political scandal, to downright bizarre medieval cures for impotence. The etymology of swear words, gender bias in medicine, and satanic panic and cults – there’s nothing off limits.
She’ll be bed-hopping 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 yourself how much has actually changed.
So join Kate Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society – a podcast from History Hit.
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 show, Ronald Hutton, author of The Pagan Rituals of the British Isles,to help us find out.
This podcast was edited and produced by 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 for up to 50% for 3 months using code BETWIXT
You can take part in our listener survey here.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Joining us today is writer, actor and all-round Charles Dickens superfan Miriam Margolyes.
You might be familiar with Dickens’ hugely popular stories and characters, but what influence did the women in his life have on them?
Having written and starred in the play, Dickens Women, Miriam knows better than most the complicated relationships he had in his life: from his mother who took him out of school to work in a rat-infested blacking factory aged 12, to his wife whom he had a bookcase wall built to separate her from him.
How did Dickens take revenge on one lover for scorning him earlier in his life? How does Miriam square Dickens the man vs. Dickens the artist? And how did Dickens portray lesbian love?
Find out more about Miriam’s tour this year, Oh Miriam!, here.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Don’t miss out on the best offer in history! Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts.
Get a subscription for £1 for 3 months with code BETWIXTTHESHEETS1 sign up now for your 14-day free trial https://historyhit/subscription/
