Episodes
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We know the fates of Henry VIII's wives, but what were these iconic women really like?
In the first episode of this limited series, Secret Lives of the Six Wives, we'll explore the ways that Catherine of Aragon was a formidable queen and leader, and why, perhaps, she's been misunderstood all these years.
Joining Kate, is author and Tudor export Nicola Tallis, to take us back to Catherine's childhood growing up during war in Spain, to being thrown into the Tudor court aged just 16 and the surprise marriage to Henry.
Find out more about Nicola Tallis' work: https://nicolatallis.com/
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Who really were the gladiators of Ancient Rome?
With them once again hitting the big screens this month, we wanted to take you back a couple of thousand years to find out more about the people who fought and what their lives were really like.
What rights in society did they have? How often did they meet a gruesome end? And were they sex symbols?
Joining Kate is historian and expert in all things Ancient Rome, Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, to help us find out more.
This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Missing episodes?
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** TW: This episode contains themes of suicide **
Sylvia Plath was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.
During and since she died, she became known for her volatile relationship with fellow poet, Ted Hughes, as much as her own beautiful, confessional writing.
What was Sylvia Plath like as a woman? What drew her and Ted Hughes to each other? And how did sex and sexuality influence her personality and writing?
Joining Kate today is Emily van Dyne, author of Loving Sylvia Plath: A Reclamation, to dispel some of the myths and help us get to know this remarkable woman.
This podcast was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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With the US election happening, we wanted to take a look back at the presidents from the past what we know about their sex lives.
Which president was well-endowed and supposedly presented it to staff in the Oval Office? Which president had an affair on his honeymoon? And which had an affair with his wife's secretary?
And no, they're not all JFK.
Joining Kate today to help us find out is Eleanor Herman, author of Sex with Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House.
This podcast was edited by Freddy Chick. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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When we think about Greek and Roman beauty, we think of marble statues of huge men with tiny...feet.
But what did it mean to be a beautiful woman? What role did their ideas of ugliness play in these ideas? And how did Christianity throw a curveball in all of this?
Taking us back to this world is Caroline Vout, author of Exposed: The Greek and Roman Body, to give us a learned glimpse beneath the togas.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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We often think of the witch trials as something in the deep and distant past.
But, as we'll hear in today's episode, the attitudes and behaviour that led to witch trials is as present today as it was then.
In this third and final episode of our limited series, Inside the Witch Trials, we go back to Salem, Massachusetts, to find out how colonialism, racism and a radical ideology created a witch trial that's as relevant today as it was in the 17th century.
What was life like for Puritans in this new and unfamiliar land? Why did so many people willingly admit to being witches? And what became of Tituba, the enslaved woman whose testimony sparked panic in this remote village?
Kate is joined by Professor Marion Gibson, author of Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials, to find out.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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What was life like as a single person in the 18th century? What if you became pregnant out of wedlock?
In today's episode, Kate talks to Angela Muir, author of Deviant MaternityIllegitimacy in Wales, c. 1680–1800, to find out what navigating single life was like for the lower classes: from strange dating customs such as 'bundling', to evidence we have of Georgian booty calls and the stigma of being single.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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When we think of the witch trials, we often think of women being charged.
Whilst misogyny was at the heart of many of the witch trials, this isn't the full story.
In this second episode of a limited series, Inside the Witch Trials, we go back to the the Westfjords of Iceland, to find out why it was mostly men, not women, who were burned at the stake for witchcraft.
How did society differ to the rest of Europe at this time? How did Iceland's history of magic impact ideas around witchcraft? And what hope did you have if you were accused of being a witch?
Kate is joined by Dr. Ólína Kjerulf Þorvarðardóttir, Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Bifröst.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Ancient Egyptian rulers, incest, the Nazis and female empowerment, all in one episode! 'But how?' You say. 'What story could possibly bring all of these things together?'
This is the story of Queen Nefertiti and her bust. Kate is joined by Joyce Tyldesley and Monica Hanna to find out just who this woman was, and how a statue of her ended up in Berlin.
Joyce Tyldesley is Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology at the University of Manchester. She is the author of many books including ‘Nefertiti's Face: The Creation of an Icon’.
Monica Hanna is an Egyptologist, Associate Professor and Acting Dean of the College of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, in Aswan, Egypt. You can find out more about her work here.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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People in the 17th century were at spiritual war with the devil.
It was a time of huge upheaval. What became known as the witch trials soon followed.
In this first episode of a limited series, Inside the Witch Trials, we go back to the English village of Pendle in 1612, to find out how and why a nine year old girl was able to condemn her family to death, as witches.
How was magic viewed and used before the witch trials? What influence did the Reformation play in stoking fears and paranoia? And what became of the girl who stood up in court to accuse her family of witchcraft?
Kate is joined by historians Eleanor Janega, co-host of Gone Medieval, and Ronald Hutton.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th century nun, was a certified genius and a true polymath.
From her many side hustles to her skincare recommendations, she wrote about everything from what happens when the world ends to what the female orgasm feels like.
Why would a celibate nun know about this? What did she have to say about swollen testicles? And why were her achievements so significant?
Joining Kate today is the one and only Eleanor Janega, co-host of History Hit podcast Gone Medieval. You can also check out her website here: https://eleanorjanega.com/
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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When Henry VIII wanted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, he needed to prove that she was not a virgin when they wed.
One woman was key to proving this: Catalina of Motril, Catherine's enslaved servant who was always present in the royal bedroom.
Before the divorce, though, what was Catalina's experience like in the heart of the Tudor court? What would it have been like for her, as a person of colour in Tudor England? And did Henry's lawyers ever track her down?
Joining Kate today is historian and author Lauren Johnson, to help us get to know Catalina's remarkable story better.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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Why were children punished for illegitimacy in the 18th century? And what does the word even mean?
The truth is quite shocking, and probably still affects a lot of the people you know today.
Joining Kate today is Kate Gibson, historian and author of Illegitimacy, Family, and Stigma in England, 1660-1834, to explore the ways that female sexuality played a part in the stigma of illegitimacy, and how attitudes evolved, from the Victorians up until the modern day.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.
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Sexual purity was hugely importance in the medieval world, especially for women.
How did chastity work in practice? Why was it so important? And was the infamous chastity belt really used?
Joining Kate today is friend of the show and co-host of our sister podcast, Gone Medieval, Eleanor Janega, to help us unlock the mysteries of Medieval chastity once and for all.
This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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How sexually liberated were the people of Ancient Mesopotamia? In what is modern day Iraq and dates back to around 3000 BC.
The answer may surprise you, with gender fluidity and sexual diversity quite commonplace. Look no further than their frisky goddess, Ishtar.
Taking us back to this fascinating period is Stephanie Budin, historian and author of Gender in the Ancient Near East.
This episode was produced and edited by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Whatever your underwear preferences, have you ever wondered about their history?
From the Tudor codpiece to Victorian bloomers, they've all got a story to tell. Sharing them with Kate today is Nina Edwards, author of The Virtues of Underwear: Modesty, Flamboyance and Filth.
This episode was edited by Max Carrey, the producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Were the Vikings the original trendsetters?
Even when they were raiding the poor monks in Lindsfarne in 793, they were passing on hairstyles that annoyed some of the local elders.
Why did they file their teeth? How often did they bathe? And what influence did their gods have on all of this?
Joining Kate today to explore the beauty standards of the Vikings is Dr. Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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With privacy being a modern luxury, where did people in the past go to meet and hook up? Public toilets were (and can still be) a popular option.
But what were secret signals? And what were the risks? Especially if, like many of the people who did it, you were part of the gay community.
Joining Kate today is Dr. Jeff Meek, lecturer in economic and social history at the University of Glasgow, to take her into this world and help us find out.
You can find out more about Jeff's work at https://queerscotland.com/.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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Struggling for role models in the modern world? We've got your back, looking way back to the ancient world.
Join Kate and Jasmine Elmer, author of her new book, Goddess With A Thousand Faces, as they explore the remarkable stories of some of histories most incredible ancient Goddesses and the lessons we can learn from them.
What can Artemis the Greek Goddess of Wild Hunting and Virginity tell us about sexual autonomy? And what does Huitaca, the Goddess of Rebellion tell us about taking a stand when our freedoms are in danger?
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. Sign here for up to 50% for 3 months using code BETWIXT
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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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Rituals are a big part of this funny human experience, aren't they?
Whether that's morning rituals like making your bed... or pagan rituals that involve stripping down to your birthday suit for certain ceremonies.
The importance of nakedness is a big part of it, too, that can help separate you from this world and bring you closer to nature, and other realms.
What other ways have naked rituals played a part in our history? And are they still practiced today?
Joining Kate is the fantastic friend of the show, Ronald Hutton, author of The Pagan Rituals of the British Isles, to help us find out.
This podcast 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. Sign here for up to 50% for 3 months using code BETWIXT
You can take part in our listener survey here.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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