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

Why might a medieval nun drink the pus of an ill patient? Where does ‘fishy Friday’ come from? And what does all of this have to do with religion?Today, Kate is joined between some Reformation sheets by Eleanor Barnett, from instagram's @historyeats. They talk about how religion, and in particular the switch from Catholicism to Protestantism in England, influenced eating habits.We will also find out how eating habits from this period can be compared with those of today.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Stuart Beckwith. Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.If you have an idea or comment for the show, we welcome you to get in touch at betwixt@historyhit.com.Sign up to History Hit with the code HISTORYEATS to get half price for the first three months.

Can you imagine being SO smooth-talking and seductive your surname becomes an actual noun in the dictionary to describe someone who has a reputation for being an expert at in the sack?Well today we’re going to be talking about a man who was just that…Giacamo Casanova.But is his legacy accurate? Was he really a prolific ladies man? And did he do anything else in his life other than seduce women…and if he did, why do we only remember him for that reason? Today we’re bringing you a very special Betwixt the Sheets mash-up episode with History Hit’s very own Casanova, Dan Snow (don’t worry he has humbly confirmed we could call him that).Kate and Dan will be discussing why there is much more to Casanova than just womanising - he was a scam artist, outlaw, alchemist, spy and church cleric. He wrote satires, fought duels, and escaped from prison more than once. He even set up the French national lottery. Join Kate and Dan for this special collab episode of History Hit in the Sheets to find out all this and more!Produced by Freddy Chick, Charlotte Long and Mariana Des Forges. Mixed by Dougal Patmore.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.Email us with your subject ideas at betwixt@historyhit.com.

Why would someone disown their son over a pair of glasses? How could an unmarried woman in 1918 have published a book about sexual pleasure? And what is an appropriate gift for a newlywed prince and princess? Today, we’re looking at the complicated woman who was Marie Stopes - family planning pioneer on one hand, very problematic eugenicist on the other.Kate is joined once again by Deborah Cohen to explore Stopes’ life and influence.*WARNING there are discussions of eugenics, 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.Email us with your subject ideas at betwixt@historyhit.com.

Facelifts, liposuction and nose jobs: since the mid 20th century people have saved up to have their faces and bodies transformed into their dreams.But why might these procedures have been offered in prisons across the US, the UK and Canada? And what was the desired outcome?Today, Kate is joined by Zara Stone, author of Killer Looks: The Forgotten History of Plastic Surgery in Prisons to discuss re-conviction rates, ‘pretty privilege’ and the so called ‘hot felon’.*WARNING there are discussions of race, 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.Email us with your subject ideas at betwixt@historyhit.com.

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!