Episodes
-
Whose idea was the patriarchy? How long has it been a part of our lives? And how do we even define it?
For something that's so prevalent in most of our lives, it can sometimes feel like there's an inevitability to it.
However, there are so many examples of alternatives, and surprising reasons to its origins.
Exploring all of this with Kate today is Angela Saini, author of The Patriarchs: How Men Came To Rule.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
From recent research we know that the great boy king Tutankhamun was a result of incest.
How did it effect him? And was incest in Ancient Egypt mostly for symbolic reasons of retaining power, or did it go further than that?
Joining Kate today is the wonderful Sarah Parcak, archaeologist and Egyptologist, to help us find out more. Importantly, they also touch on why the Ancient Egyptians found lettuce sexy.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
Missing episodes?
-
When we think of Henry VIII we think of a big, blood thirsty tyrant.
But was there more to this caricature of a king then we give him credit for? Joining Kate today to help us get to know this man better is the fantastic Tracy Borman, author of Henry VIII and the men who made him.
Why did Henry love his daily horoscopes? How did his hypochondria affect his sex life? And was he in, in fact, a bit of a prude?
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
*SPOILER ALERT: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS DETAILS OF SEASON 3 OF BRIDGERTON*
With the second part of season 3 of Bridgerton dropping on Netflix in the last few days, Kate is joined by Catherine Curzon, author of Inside the World of Bridgerton: True Stories of Regency High Society, to break down how it stands up to historical accuracies of the era.
How does season 3 match the historical goings on of the time? How did gossip become a form of power for women? Especially in a society that didn't allow them a voice in other areas of life. And who was the real Lady Whistledown?
Also, if you'd like to find out more about this incredible period, you can watch Kate present a two-part documentary - Georgian Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll: Unbuttoning Bridgerton - over on History Hit. Simply click here for a free 14 day trial and watch now.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy, the producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
Throughout history, it's mostly been queer men who were persecuted under the historical sodomy laws, but the Tudor period saw a spike in women being tried under it.
Why was this? And why was it mostly happening in what is modern day Belgium and Netherlands?
Joining Kate today is historian Jonas Roelens, who specialises in sexuality in the early modern period, to explore the unique things that were happening in Europe during this time that gave rise to such persecutions.
His book, Citizens and Sodomites: Persecution and Perception of Sodomy in the Southern Low Countries (1400–1700), can be found here.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
Mary Queen of Scots had a life that resembled a Game of Thrones plot: she had awful taste in men, and a cousin in Queen Elizabeth I of England, who - spoiler alert - eventually signed her death warrant.
In the face of some outrageous adversity, though, Mary Queen of Scots was an extraordinary woman and queen.
Was it all bad luck, or was there poor judgement from Mary, too? What are some of the conspiracies that brought about her downfall? And what's her legacy that lasts to this day?
Joining Kate today is the wonderful Kate Williams, author of The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots: Elizabeth I and Her Greatest Rival. Follow her on Instagram, here.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
What were condoms like in Tudor times? Before you were able to pop to the supermarket to pick some up, where did people buy them?
Joining Kate today is historian Dr. Kate Stephenson, to explore what the earliest evidence of condoms is, just how effective they were, and to smash some of the myths surrounding their history.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy, the producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
What's the worst thing you could accuse someone of in Ancient Rome? There are a few strong candidates, but incest is definitely up there.
In today's episode, Kate speaks with Roman historian, Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, to find out more about the different ways the Ancient Romans thought about incest.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
The third season of Bridgerton is out and we are back in sexy scandalous Georgian society. But while we watch, we're taking a step back to ask: how real is Bridgerton?
On our third episode in our REAL Bridgerton mini-series, we're looking at the the booze and drugs that took 18th and early 19th century Britain by storm.
Why was opium taken for health purposes? How did gin get the nickname "mother's ruin"? And what does it feel like to take snuff?
Joining Kate today are Maddy Pelling, co-host of our sister podcast After Dark and author of Writing on the Wall: Graffiti, Rebellion and the Making of Eighteenth-Century Britain; Marina Capaldi from Summerhall Distillery, and Robert Good from Segar & Snuff Parlour.
Also, if you'd like to find out more about this incredible period, you can watch Kate present a two-part documentary - Georgian Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll: Unbuttoning Bridgerton - over on History Hit. Simply click here for a free 14 day trial and watch now.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. Additional production was provided by Annie Woodman. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
From the first fleet of convict ships arriving in Australia in 1788, sex work was a central part of the new society British colonialists were building.
What was the reality for women when they arrived? What records are there of sex workers from this time? And how has sex work shaped modern Australia?
Today, Kate's joined by the fantastic Rae Frances, author of Selling Sex: A Hidden History of Prostitution, to find out more about sex work in early Australia.
This episode is edited by Tom Delargy. The producer is Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
The third season of Bridgerton is out and we are back in sexy scandalous Georgian society. But while we watch, we're taking a step back to ask: how real is Bridgerton?
On this second episode in our REAL Bridgerton mini-series, we're looking at the royals and celebrities who filled the newspapers during 18th and early 19th century Britain.
What was Queen Charlotte really like? What was the genius Mozart's fascination with fart jokes? And was Lord Byron as dangerous to know as they say he was?
Joining Kate today are Catherine Curzon, Judith Grohmann and Emily Brand.
Also, if you'd like to find out more about this incredible period, you can watch Kate present a two-part documentary - Georgian Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll: Unbuttoning Bridgerton - over on History Hit. Simply click here for a free 14 day trial and watch now.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. Additional production was provided by Annie Woodman. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
From the earliest iterations on the plains of Africa, to 21st century reconsiderations of it: are humans meant to be monogamous?
Joining Kate today is Helen Fisher, author of ANATOMY OF LOVE: A Natural History Of Mating, Marriage, And Why We Stray, to shed a light on our own relationship with this ancient social status.
How successful is it really? And will it survive well into the future?
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
The long-awaited third season of Bridgerton is here! And with it, we all become obsessed with a particularly sexy version of Regency-era history.
Today's episode is the first in our mini-series on the REAL Bridgerton. Across four episodes we'll uncover Georgian attitudes to drugs and alcohol, insights into the celebrities of the time, and a re-cap on the historical accuracies of the latest season.
First and foremost, though, what was sex really like in Georgian England? How effective were the fashionable animal gut condoms? And what erotica were people enjoying?
Today's guests are Catherine Curzon, Kate Stephenson, Julie Peakman and Katie Wignall.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
When you say ‘going medieval’ on someone, it brings up quite nasty connotations.
But is this brutal suggestion a fair depiction of medieval times and their thoughts on torture and punishment? What are some of the more gruesome methods they employed? And why did Henry I give authorisation for his own granddaughter-in-law to be blinded?
Joining Kate today is Matt Lewis, co-host of our sister podcast, Gone Medieval, to find out more.
This episode was edited by Sophie Gee. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
When you look into the history of menopause it’s steeped in misogyny, fear and demonising women’s bodies.
But what is the truth behind some of the popular menopause myths? How has it been understood (or misunderstood) throughout history? And how have post-menopausal women essential to human evolution?
Joining Kate today is Dr. Jennifer Gunter, author of the Menopause Manifesto and gynaecology physician of 30+ years.
You can also read more of Jen’s writing on her blog here: https://vajenda.substack.com/
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
There are many privileges that come with being a royal, but where do mistresses lay amongst these? If you'll excuse the pun.
Charles II was notorious for the women in his life, from his wife Catherine to infamous mistresses like the formidable Nell Gwynn.
What was in it for them? And how did they all get along? Joining Kate today is Linda Porter, author of Mistresses: Sex and Scandal at the Court of Charles II.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit.com/subscription/.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
What does it mean to be a geisha? How does someone become one? And how do they differ from sex workers?
The geisha world is famously very secretive and private, and taking us into it today is Lesley Downer, who spent years befriending geishas in research for her book Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
Glass of meat wine, anyone? That's right, the Victorians loved a glass of meaty wine.
They loved drinking so much that it became a moral panic, with whole movements of temperance cropping up around Britain.
What was drinking culture really like in the Victorian and Edwardian Britain? Were women able to drink as much as men? And what exactly went into that meat wine?
Helping Kate get to the bottom of this is Thora Hands, author of Drinking in Victorian and Edwardian Britain: Beyond the Spectre of the Drunkard.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
Elvis Presley embraced sexuality from the start. Rock n roll was not tame music, and neither were his early performances.
So much so that he was nicknamed Elvis 'the pelvis' after early TV performances.
But were his personal relationships and relationship with sexuality like? How did his relationship with his mother influence him? And how was his relationship with a 14 year old Priscilla seen at the time?
Joining Kate today is Alanna Nash, author of Baby Let's Play House: Elvis Presley And The Women Who Loved Him, to help us find out more.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
-
If there’s one thing you’ll find out from this episode, it’s that the Ancient Greeks were better at philosophy than gynaecology.
Struggling to conceive? You might be given a stuffed dead puppy to provoke fertility.
Helping Kate make sense of Ancient Greek gynaecology today is Helen King, author of Hippocrates' Woman: Reading the Female Body in Ancient Greece.
What questions will a visit to an Ancient Greek doctor be like? How would you stop your womb from wandering? And how would your body temperature help define your gender?
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/
You can take part in our listener survey here.
- Show more
