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

Who were Ignatius Sancho, Dido Elizabeth Belle and Francis Barber?Between 10,000 and 30,000 black people lived in Britain during the Georgian period. Despite this, some people have remained convinced that black British history doesn't start until after the Second World War.In this episode, Kate speaks to Gretchen Gerzina about some of the individuals who lived in Georgian Britain, their lives and their livelihoods.*WARNING there are naughty words and discussions of slavery and racism in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Edited by Sophie Gee and Thomas Ntinas.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 - enter promo code BETWIXTTHESHEETS for a free trial, plus 50% off your first three months' subscription. To download, go to Android or Apple store.

What does it take to get the reputation as one of the least popular queens in history?Should we remember Henrietta Maria as the wife of the King executed by his subjects, the Catholic influencer and a serial adulterer? Or as a prankster, a patron of the arts and a mother of two Kings?Henrietta Maria became Queen Consort of England, Scotland and Ireland aged 15. A quarter of a century and a civil war later she was widowed when her husband, Charles I, was executed. By the end of her life she was restored to court on a generous pension.Her life, therefore, was a busy one, and in this episode of Betwixt the Sheets Kate is joined by Leanda de Lisle to bring Henrietta Maria out of the shadows. We look into her marriage, her motherhood and her life after the death of her husband.*WARNING there are naughty words and adult themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Edited by Joseph Knight.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 - enter promo code BETWIXTTHESHEETS for a free trial, plus 50% off your first three months' subscription. To download, go to Android or Apple store.For your chance to win 5 Historical Non-Fiction Books (including a signed copy of Dan Snow's On This Day in History), please fill out this short survey.

What is it with our culture’s fascination with serial killers? Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Peter Sutclifffe, Jack the Ripper….these violent people are as well known as our national treasures, but we only know them for their horrific crimes.What role does misogyny play in how these serial killers are portrayed on our screens and in our newspapers? And how does it affect court cases? Today Kate is joined by historian Hallie Rubenhold, who wrote the bestselling book The Five, which looked into the lives of Jack the Ripper’s victims, and highlighted the sexism in our society’s obsession with the case.The new series of Hallie's podcast, Bad Women, investigates the lives of the victims of the Blackout Ripper, a serial killer who hunted down women during the Blitz of World War Two.*WARNING there are naughty words and adult themes in this episode*Senior Producer: Charlotte Long. Producer: Sophie Gee. Edited and mixed by Anisha Deva.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 - enter promo code BETWIXTTHESHEETS for a free trial, plus 50% off your first three months' subscription. To download, go to Android or Apple store.For your chance to win 5 Historical Non-Fiction Books (including a signed copy of Dan Snow's On This Day in History), please fill out this short survey.

What did Salvador Dali, Elizabeth I and Sigmund Freud have in common? They all had phobias, and it's possible you do too.As ‘normal’ as you might consider yourself to be, it is highly likely that you have an irrational streak. Phobias and manias are very common, and we have a lot of names for them.In this episode of Betwixt the Sheets, Kate is joined by Kate Summerscale. Find out when we started naming our fears and compulsions, why kleptomania is mainly associated with affluent women, and what Founding Father of the United States of America, Benjamin Rush, has to do with all this.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!

Why is there an assumption that Victorian Britain was white? Who does this mean is missing from our history books? And how can we find out more about the lives of black people in the Victorian Era?Today, Kate is joined by Dr Keshia Abrahams and Dr John Woolf, authors of ‘Black Victorians: Hidden in History’. Keshia and John introduce us to physician George Rice, abolitionist Sarah Parker Remond and more.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!For your chance to win 5 Historical Non-Fiction Books (including a signed copy of Dan Snow's On This Day in History), please fill out this short survey.

You might know him best as the longest reigning Scottish king, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, the father of Charles I, or the eponymous poster of the translation of the bible into English.But King James VI of Scotland, and I of England, had some very questionable traits and got up to shady stuff… Today Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets with Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller to explore why James was actually a very naughty King indeed.You can listen to Huw and Ben’s podcast, Bad Gays, here.*WARNING* There are adult themes and fruity language in this episode.Senior Producer: Charlotte Long. Producer: Sophie Gee. Edited and mixed by Anisha Deva.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!For your chance to win 5 Historical Non-Fiction Books (including a signed copy of Dan Snow's On This Day in History), please fill out this short survey.

Private Members’ Clubs are often the location of suspected scandal - from Oscar Wilde to Chris Pincher, what happens behind these elitist doors?Seth Alexander Thévoz joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to reveal the secret history behind some of London’s most famous members’ clubs, from 1693 to the present day.*WARNING there are naughty words and adult themes in this episode*Senior Producer: Charlotte Long. Producer: Sophie Gee. Edited and mixed by Anisha Deva.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!For your chance to win 5 Historical Non-Fiction Books (including a signed copy of Dan Snow's On This Day in History), please fill out this short survey.

Marilyn Monroe. She's got to be one of the most famous people of all time, hasn't she?But what happens when an investigative war reporter dedicates years of his life to finding out who real Marilyn was, interviewing hundreds of people who knew her, from her co-stars, to her psychiatrist’s family, to her hairdresser?Today Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with journalist Anthony Summers who began his research after the inquest into Marilyn's death was reopened in 1982.Hear what he discovered about her relationship with the Kennedy brothers, her mental health, and the circumstances surrounding her death.You can find out more about Anthony's book, Goddess, here.*WARNING there are naughty words and adult themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Edited and 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.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 makes a book bad? Does it have to be nonsensical? Heretical? Libellous? Sexy?Well for 500 years, a panel from the Roman Catholic Church attempted to grapple with this distinction.Today Betwixt the Sheets, we find out what this collection of people deemed unsafe for the eyes of their worshippers.Kate is joined by Robin Vose, a professor of history at St Thomas University in Canada to find out what made the cut, and what didn't.*WARNING there are naughty words in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Edited and 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!You've been listening to a History Hit podcast. Please take a couple of minutes to fill out this survey with your feedback, we'd really appreciate it.

What do Hatshepsut and Hillary Clinton have in common?Well, what do they have in common with the vast majority of women who have been so successful as to gain power? Women like Britain’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, just the third woman to hold the title.They have been subject to some very specific criticism which, whether it’s based on their looks or their character, would be unlikely to be directed at men in the same position.We’re joined again Betwixt the Sheets by Eleanor Herman, whose new book ‘Off With Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonising Women in Power’ is out now.*WARNING there are naughty words and adult themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Sophie Gee.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!