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

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!

Did Alexander the Great and the Queen of the Amazons really have sex for 13 days solid? What do we know about his male lovers? And how did his sex life stand up to that of his dad’s?Kate is joined by The Ancients’ Tristan Hughes to find out about Alexander III of Macedon’s time Betwixt the Sheets. *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!

From reality television to theatre productions to foreign goods, the word trash has a long history of being used to deride things that are thought to have no value.To find out what this history is, and how this language has been used against women in particular, Kate spoke to Kat Marchant of Reading the Past. *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. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!  We're offering a very special discount. The code HISTORYHIT will provide 60% off the first 6 months. This means you can subscribe to History Hit for under £3 per month!

How much did Britain and its allies know about the Holocaust? Could the Bengal Famine of 1943 have been helped? And was Elizabeth I really the Virgin Queen?  Lynsey Calver is a history teacher, and in this episode, she helps us to fill in some of the gaps on the history curriculum. *WARNING There are adult themes and discussions of racism and the Holocaust 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.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

Why were the ovaries once seen as inverted testes? What words might you use if you were trying to describe a condition 'down there' to your doctor? And why did people once believe that you couldn't conceive a baby whilst standing up?In this episode of Betwixt the Sheets, we're clearing away the smoke, mirrors and occasional cobwebs from the mysterious realms of sexual science. Kate is joined by Emily Nagoski, author of 'Come As You Are' and expert on sexual wellbeing, healthy relationships, and the prevention of sexual violence and harassment.*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!

*This episode contains very strong language and adult content*A semi autobiographical account from a conflicted man? An ode to a wife’s sexual desire? A criminally obscene novel?Lady Chatterley’s Lover is one of the most famous texts from the past century, but why?In this episode, we hear from the director of the new Netflix movie Laure De Clermont-Tonnerre about why this story is important to the 21st century. Then, Kate speaks to Frances Wilson about D.H. Lawrence, his final novel, and the trial that made them the sexual mascots of the 1960s.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!

It’s so important that it’s been ‘discovered’ at least twice, but what is the clitoris and why has it previously been so hard to find?The clitoris is the human female’s most erogenous zone, and is responsible for 75% of women’s orgasms. So why has it been so overlooked and demonised, and how have people sought to control female pleasure through it?Kate is joined by Sarah Chadwick, author of ‘The Sweetness of Venus’ to discuss the stimulating history of the clitoris.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit To download, go to Android or Apple store.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.