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

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 Producer: Charlotte LongEnjoy 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 BETWIXTYou can take part in our listener survey here.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

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 will be back with its usual programming on Tuesday.

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 of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History, to help us uncover the real Anne Boleyn.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 British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingEnjoy 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.

Join Tabitha Barber, curator of the Tate Britain exhibition Now You See Us, as she reveals the profound impact of nudes on Victorian England. Discover how the 1894 rights for women to draw nude models sparked a cultural shift towards female artistic expression. Tabitha discusses the historical neglect of women artists and their fight for equality, and celebrates icons like Rosa Bonheur. The conversation uncovers the intersection of art and activism, illustrating how these women bravely challenged societal norms in a male-dominated art world.

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 of The 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 was Charlotte Long.Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingEnjoy 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 BETWIXTYou can take part in our listener survey here.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Author Brandy Schillace discusses the Victorians' fascination with death, including dressing up deceased family members for photoshoots. The episode explores cultural attitudes towards death, the origins of embalming, and the societal separation from death.

Explore the scandalous world of 18th-century flagellation brothels in London with guest Julie Peakman. Discover the opulent settings, origins of flagellation, and innovations in BDSM tools. Uncover the taboo sexual activities of upper-class men and the evolution of kinky culture in Georgian times.

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 keen on 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 Brian's work here.WARNING: There is adult content and explicit words in this episode.Senior producer: Charlotte Long. Producer: Sophie Gee & Stuart Beckwith. Mixed by Siobhan Dale.Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingEnjoy 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.

What does it mean to be 'woke'? What did the bluesman Leadbelly mean when he coined the phrase? And what does a story set in Victorian London have to do with the term gaslighting?Joining Kate today is Robbie Morgan, Lecturer and Consultant in Applied Ethics at Leeds University, to chat about the buzzwords we use and how their meanings have changed for better and worse since they were first coined.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 British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingEnjoy 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.

Author Jacky Colliss Harvey delves into the historical significance of red hair, from prejudices in medieval Europe to fashion trends in England. Explore myths, stereotypes, and cultural narratives surrounding redheads, debunk witch trial misconceptions, and discover the evolution of societal attitudes towards red hair.