She is surely one of the most fascinating figures in royal history. Perceived as a bad match for Edward VIII, Wallis Simpson is at the centre of the scandal surrounding his abdication.But what do we know about her life besides this? From childhood to exile - Anne Sebba introduces us to the Duchess of Windsor.*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Joseph Knight.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. 

From Ancient Assyria to the Byzantine Empire, from the Qing dynasty’s Forbidden City to 19th century operas; Eunuchs have been present across a huge range of the world’s history. Despite this, they are often mainly thought of in terms of their private parts.So today, Betwixt the Sheets, Kate is joined by Shaun Tougher from Cardiff University to find out what the lives of Eunuchs were like, particularly in the Byzantine Empire. Why would people, or often their parents, make this choice? And how were they perceived in their societies?*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Sophie Gee.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.

What did porn look like before the internet? Who was it for? And how has it changed since?In this episode, Kate chats to Kathleen Lubey, a professor at St. John’s University and specialist in eighteenth-century literature. Kathleen talks us through the history of pornography … that is, the type of history that can’t be deleted.*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Anisha Deva.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.

So much of today’s music takes inspiration from the Blues, but where did Blues music itself come from?Kate is joined by Lamont Jack Pearley - applied folklorist, ethnographer and historian of African American traditional music - who takes us through the history of Blues music, from influence to appropriation. *WARNING there are adult words and discussions of racism in this episode* Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Joseph Knight. Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.

Just in case you haven’t heard, a certain prince has released a memoir recently detailing a challenging relationship between him and his brother, the heir to the throne.But royal sibling rifts are nothing new, in fact we can trace it back centuries… and we’re doing just that on Betwixt the Sheets today.Kate is joined by Gone Medieval’s Matt Lewis to talk about royal spats in the middle ages and the Tudor period, involving everything from chamber pot pranks to house arrests.Kate is also joined by biographer Anne Sebba to talk about more recent regal rifts between the Duke of Windsor and King George VI, and of course, a bit about Prince William and Harry (not much, we promise).*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Sophie Gee.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from a 1947 Coronet film.

From Acts of Parliament to unethical clinical studies to legendary symphonies (possibly) - syphilis has stained many different areas of history.To find out what this disease is, what it does to the body and how treatments of it and the people who have it have changed, Kate spoke to Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator for Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh.*WARNING there are adult words and discussions of illness and death in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed Thomas Ntinas.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

Do you remember the first time you thought about sex? Or the first time you talked to someone else about sex?In this episode, Kate is discussing mid-20th century teenage sexuality with Hannah Charnock from the University of Bristol. Hannah has been using first hand accounts to find out how teenagers would find out what's ‘wrong’ or ‘right’, ‘good’ or ‘bad’, and what role the American base system has played in British sexualities.*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.

The darkest nights of the year have long been the time for celebrations, from Yule and Mother Night, to Christmas and New Year's Eve. But where did these traditions come from? Who started kissing under the mistletoe? Why are trees decorated and brought into homes around this time of year? And how did the Romans bring in the New Year?Today Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Ronald Hutton to find out how these celebrations originated and developed, and just what has stayed the same.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Charlotte Long. Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

How long have people been hoping for Santa to hurry down their chimneys for?Whether it’s because he’s a bear, a dom or the ultimate daddy - in this episode we’re discussing attraction to Santa and Father Christmas.Listen as Kate takes us through Santa’s more sordid history. Then, to find out why people might be attracted to Santa, she speaks to NHS Junior Doctor, Psychosexual Therapist in Training and Sexual Wellness Consultant Elesha Vooght.*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Anisha Deva. Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

What is ‘good’ sex? Why might you need to get your protractor out in the bedroom? And when was foreplay ‘invented’?In this episode, Kate is getting sex advice from Sarah Jones. From handbooks to hardbacks, Sarah shares the different advice that men and women of different backgrounds would receive.Sarah is a social and cultural historian of gender and sexuality at the University of Bristol.*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Sophie Gee. Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!