From Boudicca to Ukrainian snipers, battlefields have always contained a surprising number of women.Today Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Sarah Percy to get to the bottom of why women were allowed to be astronauts a full thirty years before they were allowed to fight in combat.From women who disguised themselves as men in order to be allowed to fight, to the Soviet all-female regiments who Nazi Germany learnt to fear, they'll be discussing fearless women warriors on the frontline.You can find out more about Sarah's book here.If you're enjoying Betwixt please vote for us at the British Podcast Awards here. It would mean the world to us!Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here.

In 1969 America, it was illegal to be gay in 49 out of 50 states. You could be fired from your job and evicted by your landlord if you were found out to be gay. Whilst protests from the gay community and its allies had happened before there, anger against this oppression was reaching boiling point. As we move past the 54th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, we take a look at the significance of this fateful night. The Big Bang moment of a large-scale civil rights movement and what now marks Pride in our calendars each year. Who were the heroes who fought for LGBTQ+ rights in the years prior to what we now know as Stonewall? Why were the mafia so heavily involved the night of the riots? And what’s been the legacy of that courageous stand for civil rights in the years and decades since? Joining Kate today is Ann Bausum, author of Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights, to delve into the details of this pivotal moment in civil rights history. Find out more details here: http://www.annbausum.com/stonewall.htmlThis episode was produced by Stuart Beckwith, and edited by Tom Delargy. The Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here.

As the old adage goes, attitude is everything. And if there’s one attitude that stands proud above the rest it’s the utterly fabulous, camp. Whether it’s embodied in Disney villains or Oscar Wilde, there’s a charm and defiance to camp that is both powerful and fun. In today’s episode, Kate is joined by Paul Baker, author of Camp! The Story of the Attitude that Conquered the World, to discuss the origins of this fantastically outrageous trait.*Trigger warning: This episode features language which some listeners may find offensive.*This episode was produced and edited by Stuart Beckwith. The Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here.

Depictions of dicks have been an obsession in art for as long as art has been around, but the act of sending a real life image of ones penis is a cultural phenomenon all of its own. Additionally, the implications of receiving a dick pic nowadays isn’t just the image itself, but the context of it being one that you maybe didn’t ask for - a form of sexual harassment and violence in and of itself. So why do men send them? Is there an equal culture of a female equivalent? And what have images of dicks meant to different cultures historically? Today Kate is joined by Andrea Waling, researcher and author of Exploring the Cultural Phenomenon of the Dick Pic, to look long and hard into all of these questions and more. Senior Producer Charlotte Long. Edited and mixed by Tom Delargy.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here.

The Bard’s work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But what does the work reveal about the sexuality of Shakespeare himself? Despite being married with three kids to Anne Hathaway in the sleepy suburbs of Stratford-upon-Avon, there’s much to suggest he lived a more extravagant life during his visits to London. Joining Kate today is author of The Life of the Author: William Shakespeare, Anna Beer, to unpick the hints and clues to the playwright’s sexuality that lay within his work. Produced by Stuart Beckwith & Sophie Gee. Senior Producer Charlotte Long. Mixed by Tom Delargy. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here.

It’s a rare thing to hear first hand the experiences of marginalised people in history. So often their voices are silenced, and their histories erased. Which is why Anne Lister’s diaries, which tell us in intimate details what it was like to be a proud lesbian in 19th century Yorkshire, are such an important resource. What was grobbling? What is Anne Lister’s legacy? And what do her coded diaries tell us about life as a lesbian during the industrial revolution? Join us today as we delve Betwixt the Sheets on the legacy of Anne Lister, with historian Anne Choma, the lead adviser on BBC One’s series of Anne Lister, Gentleman Jack, and author of ‘Gentleman Jack - The Real Anne Lister’.Produced and edited by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe

Why did Victorian doctors recommend women to lie still in solitary confinement for days after giving birth? What was the 'sit up and cough' method of contraception? (not the most reliable) And what was the level of infant mortality in the 19th century?Today Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with Jessica Cox to talk about the hidden history of maternal bodies in the Victorian era, everything from fertility and contraception, to labour and child loss.You can find out more about Jessica's book here.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsely, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here.

The Pre-Raphaelites: Art & Sexual LiberationIf there’s one thing we like to embrace on this podcast, it’s a slice of controversy. Which is why today’s topic of the Pre-Raphaelites movement is such a joy to explore: this was the swinging 60s of the Victorian era. A time when a group of artists, including Dante Rossetti and John Millais, refused to conform to the artistic norms at the time, and instead embraced sexuality and nature in a style that was more luscious and medieval than modern. What exactly did they stand for? Who were the women that inspired them? And why did the establishment’s feathers become so ruffled? Today, Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with legendary art historian Jan Marsh to find out. Senior producer: Charlotte Long. Producer: Sophie Gee. Mixed by Stuart Beckwith. We’re trying to understand our audience a bit better. You can take part in our listener survey here.

One thing’s for certain, queer people have always been a part of society. The language may not have always been there to describe them in all of their wonderful forms, and the history books may not have always told their stories, but they have always been there. To celebrate the start of Pride month, Kate is joined by author Kirsty Loehr, who’s book A Short History of Queer Women is here to shine a spotlight on some of the marvellous people and their lives. From the woman who’s thought to be the OG lesbian in Ancient Greece, to more modern intersectional gay black feminists via a runaway lesbian pirate in the 18th century, it’s important their stories are heard. Produced and edited by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer Charlotte Long. Lyre music provided by Michael Levy: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelLevyMusic 

Any of us who have happened to see a celebrity in the wild can admit to the strange thrill you get. It doesn’t matter if it’s C, D, or Z-list celebrities, even, they all count! But why are we as a society so obsessed with celebrities? From Ancient Greek Gods to Kim Kardashian, our obsession has endured. And what does it say about us, when most young people just want to be famous when they grow up? Without a thought for what they might be famous for. Kate is joined by Landon Jones, former managing editor of People Magazine and author of Celebrity Nation: How America Evolved Into A Culture Of Fans And Followers. He’s here to take us back through history to where it all began, speculate what the future of celebrity may hold, and share tales of his own, such as why Princess Diana refused to dance with him.Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer Charlotte Long. Mixed by Stuart Beckwith.