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

<p>Bras are an everyday item for around half of the adult population, and for as long as humans have developed breasts they have been faced with the question of how to keep them contained within intricate outfits and during strenuous activity.</p><br><p>But how has the modern day bra developed from strapping and so-called bra bags? When did cups and cup sizings make their debut? What about underwires and padding? And has the pandemic changed our preferences?</p><br><p>Kate is joined by Lorraine Smith, twitter’s Master of Bras, to find out about the technical and stylistic development of bras, and what burning them is all about.</p><br><p>*WARNING There is some fruity language in this episode*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Edited & Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society.</p><br><p>A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>Vote for Betwixt the Sheets in the Listener’s Choice Award at <a href="https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The British Podcast Awards</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Warrior. Diplomat. Queen.</p><br><p>From fighting alongside her father and negotiating with the Portuguese on her brother’s behalf, to campaigning for the freedom of Ndongo and Matamba until her death aged 82, Queen Nzinga’s life was full to the brim with drama.</p><br><p>So who was the Mother of Angola? Why did she have to lead an army for three decades? And what is her legacy?</p><br><p>To get some answers, Kate spoke to Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata, the authors of a new book ‘<a href="https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/chinny-ukata/its-a-continent/9781529376784/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">It’s a Continent’ </a></p><br><p>*WARNING There are adult themes and discussion of racism in this episode*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Edited & Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society.</p><br><p>A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>Vote for Betwixt the Sheets in the Listener’s Choice Award at <a href="https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The British Podcast Awards</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Outside Medieval London’s city walls, Southwark was a land without rules. It was the place where people went to partake in theatre, watch bear baiting and visit brothels. It was also under the control of the Bishop of Winchester.</p><br><p>Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Matt Lewis from History Hit’s Gone Medieval to talk about the sex workers of Southwark, once known as the Winchester Geese. They explore the role of the church and state in controlling Medieval sex work, and how this is mirrored today.</p><br><p>*WARNING There are adult themes and discussion of sex, abuse and abortion in this episode*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>On 29 August 1867, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs stood in front of the Congress of German Jurists in Munich and urged them not to extend sodomy laws across the soon to be unified Germany.</p><br><p>He was booed off stage, but this stands as the earliest public queer protest in history. Similarly, his definition of his own identity and sexuality serves as one of the first times this was put into words. </p><br><p>So how did Ulrichs define his own sexuality? What is an ‘urning’? And what did Ulrichs believe was behind his attraction to men?</p><br><p>In this episode, Kate is introduced to Ulrichs and his early queer identity by Douglas Pretsell.</p><br><p>*WARNING There are adult themes in this episode*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Stuart Beckwith.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Pint, bottle, schooner, tinny … no matter how you drink it, beer is undeniably a part of social life here in Britain and around the world.</p><br><p>But how did it come to hold this position? Why has this been more true for British men than for British women? And what did beer taste like before mass production and microbiology?</p><br><p>Kate has a pint with author, broadcaster and beer lover <a href="https://www.petebrown.net/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pete Brown</a> to find out.</p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes some fruity language*</p><br><p>Senior producer: Charlotte Long. Assistant producer: Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sound and archive clips from "Brooklyn Bar Owner Wins Irish Sweepstake", 1937.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>We’re used to exhibits in museums detailing our ancestors’ home lives and work lives, but what about their sex lives?</p><br><p>On a sunny day in London, Kate met Deborah Sim, the Keeper of the Museum of Sex Objects, who brought along a collection of objects that represent just that.</p><br><p>From a china figurine to a mysterious mudlarking discovery, what can these objects tell us about the history of sex and sexuality?</p><br><p>*WARNING: There are adult themes in this episode*</p><p> </p><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Pete Dennis.</p><br><p>To find out more about the museum, you can find it <a href="https://www.museumofsexobjects.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><p> </p><p>This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>In 1870, two young women were arrested after leaving a theatre in London. These women, so-called Fanny and Stella, were in fact Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park, and they were charged with ‘buggery’.</p><br><p>So who were Boulton and Park? What was the evidence against them? And why did this create such a stir across the front pages and the world?</p><br><p>Neil McKenna joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to share Stella and Fanny’s extraordinary life stories and trial.</p><br><p>*WARNING: There are adult themes, explicit descriptions of sex and suicide references in this episode*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p><strong>*WARNING There are adult themes and explicit descriptions of drug use in this episode. All drugs come with their own risks and legal implications. For more information please see the links below*</strong></p><br><p>Angina treatments, room aromas and leather cleaners: amyl nitrite has had a wide range of reported uses over the years.But in reality the substance, better known as poppers, is usually used as something entirely different: a recreational drug.</p><p>But when did people start using them, why are they called poppers and how did they come to be so intrinsic to gay culture?</p><br><p>Kate is joined by Adam Zmith, author of ‘Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queers Futures’ to discuss the history of poppers, from its discovery and use as medicine in the Victorian age, through its height of popularity in the clubs of the 1970s and the moral panic surrounding it in the 1980s, to today.</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound.</p><br><p><a href="https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/poppers#how-it-looks-tastes-and-smells" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/poppers#how-it-looks-tastes-and-smells</a></p><br><p><a href="https://www.release.org.uk/drugs/alkyl-nitrites-poppers/law#:~:text=The%20Medicines%20Control%20Agency%20say,attempt%20to%20circumvents%20the%20law" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.release.org.uk/drugs/alkyl-nitrites-poppers/law#:~:text=The%20Medicines%20Control%20Agency%20say,attempt%20to%20circumvents%20the%20law</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>This is the story of Marguerite Steinheil, the woman who shook Paris at the turn of the 20th century with one scandal after the next…one of which involving the French president apparently dying in the midst of a sex act.</p><br><p>Marguerite is an ambitious woman, but being born into a middle-class family and trapped in a marriage with a failed artist 20 years her senior, she knows her life choices are limited.</p><br><p>So how did Marguerite, who became known as ‘the Red Widow’, find herself at the centre of a scandal (and it’s not <em>even</em> the one involving the president) with both her husband and mother dead?</p><br><p>Author Sarah Horowitz joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to share Marguerite’s story.</p><br><p>You can find out more about Sarah’s book <a href="https://sarahehorowitz.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><br><p>*WARNING There are adult themes and explicit descriptions about sex and death in this episode. *</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. </p><br><p>This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Who was Sarah Baartman? Why was she paraded across Europe as part of a 'freak' show? And why did it take until 2001 for her remains to be repatriated to her birthplace of South Africa?</p><br><p>Born around 1770, Sarah, who was derisively named as the 'Hottentot Venus', was publicly examined and exposed inhumanly throughout her life. Her brain, skeleton and sexual organs remained on display in a French museum until 1974.</p><br><p>Dr Robin Mitchell from joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to discuss the tragic life of Sarah Baartman.</p><br><p>You can find out more about Robin's book <a href="https://ugapress.org/book/9780820354323/venus-noire/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>, or follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisNoire" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes adult themes, explicit words, and graphic discussion about slavery and racism featuring words which are now rightly deemed as offensive.*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>From goddesses to demons, witches to saints, women have held power of many shapes and sizes throughout history and around the world. Whether they were bringers of chaos, salvation, desire or justice, this year these women are being given the spotlight.</p><br><p>On this Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Kate went to see the British Museum’s new exhibition ‘Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic’.</p><br><p>Curator Belinda Crerar joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to explore some of the most powerful items on show, and the women that they represent.</p><br><p>More information on the exhibition can be found <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/feminine-power-divine-demonic#explore-feminine-power" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a> </p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes themes of an adult nature*</p><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.</p><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Have you ever been told you’re bringing women’s rights back one-hundred years because of what you’re wearing?</p><br><p>The guest on Betwixt the Sheets today has. And it was a corset.</p><br><p>Dr Alanna McKnight has dedicated her career to researching the social and cultural history of corsets, and to challenging the idea that corsets were imposed on women as a tool of patriarchal control.</p><br><p>Find out why people started wearing corsets, whether men ever wore corsets, what were they made of, and how they’ve paved the way for shape wear like Spanx and waist-trainers.</p><br><p>Find out more about Alanna’s work <a href="https://www.fashionstudies.ca/the-kurious-kase-of-kim-kardashians-korset" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>, and read her article on Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala corset <a href="https://twitter.com/alanna_mck?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes some fruity language*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from the Public Health Film Goes to War from the National Library of Medicine 1945.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Genital warts fashioned into necklaces, teeth harvested from the battlefield and blood vessels eternalised in wax: these are some of the things that you might find inside Edinburgh’s <a href="https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Surgeons’ Hall Museums</a>.</p><br><p>But who did they belong to? Kate is talking to Thomas Elliot, head of learning and interpretation, to find out.</p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes themes of an adult nature*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Lewis Mason.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>What do you think of when you think of birth control? Is it condoms, IUDs, the pill? What about vasectomies?</p><br><p>From monkey testicles to possible cancer treatments to ties of honour, over the past 150 years ‘the snip’ has had a few variations and uses … not all of them scientifically sound. But what is it? And how did it come about?</p><br><p>Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Georgia Grainger (https://twitter.com/sniphist) to discuss the vasectomy’s place as a contraceptive, as well as its relationship with eugenics and masculinity.</p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes mentions of mental illness, eugenics and themes of an adult nature*</p><p> </p><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Pete Dennis.</p><p> </p><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><p> </p><p>This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sound and archive clips from Singer Sewing Machines “Three Smart Daughters” advertisement, 1940, and Beich Whiz Bar “Party Magic” commercial, 1938.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Using leeches to suck the blood from patients, mercury pills, and removing limbs with NO anaesthetic - healthcare throughout history hasn’t been the most…appealing.</p><br><p>But have you ever thought about the difference in how men and women were treated?</p><br><p>From witch trials to hysteria to wandering wombs, today Betwixt the Sheets Kate speaks to Dr Elinor Cleghorn, author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/646468/unwell-women-by-elinor-cleghorn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">'Unwell Women' </a>to find out about gender bias in medicine.</p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes fruity language and themes of an adult nature*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from Body-care and Grooming public video 1948, and Good Grooming for Girls, 1946 (GlamourDaze).</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Was sex always just for the love of their country and the want of an heir, or were some royals into different kinks?</p><br><p>And what about outside marriage? From an official mistress who does not have sex with the king, to one who put laxatives in her rival’s food, what does it take to get and keep this position?</p><br><p>Kate is Betwixt the <em>royal</em> Sheets with bestselling author Eleanor Herman to find out the nitty gritty from the royal bedchambers.</p><br><p>This episode includes archive clips from Sixty Glorious Years, 1938 and The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1933.</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Matt Peaty.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Hidden in bedside tables or proudly displayed on mantelpieces, wherever you keep them (<em>if</em> you do), sex toys have come a long way since the first phallic-shaped object was found around 30,000 years ago.</p><br><p>But before they were arriving through our post boxes in unmarked, tracked packages, what did sex toys look like? What were they made from? And why were doctors using them to treat... back pain?!</p><br><p>Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by writer, sex and gender historian Hallie Lieberman to discuss the first dildo, the myth of the vibrator, and more…</p><br><p>Find out more about Hallie's book, Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy, here.</p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes fruity language and themes of an adult nature*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from public vocational video from 1940.</p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Bedlam: a scene of uproar and confusion, a noisy situation with no order or, originally, the slang name for a mental hospital in London… which for a while also happened to be a popular tourist attraction.</p><br><p>From chains on the wall to leeching - the history of mental health treatments is a lesson in questionable science and humanity.</p><br><p>Bethlehem hospital, founded around the 11th century in London, is a study of this history.</p><br><p>Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Catharine Arnold: journalist, academic, popular historian and author of ‘Bedlam: London and Its Mad’.</p><br><p>*WARNING this episode includes adult themes and conversations about mental health*</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Matt Peaty.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from an American public service announcement from 1952.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>WARNING: This episode includes adult themes and explicit words.</p><br><p>Why did Henry VIII want everyone to know about his wet dreams? What animal product were condoms made from? And was coffee really ruining the sex lives of wives?</p><br><p>Suzannah Lipscomb from our sister podcast, Not Just the Tudors, joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to talk all things sex in the 16th century.</p><br><p>Find out whether sex back then really was just to reproduce, the ‘discovery’ of the clitoris, and the truth about royal syphilis.</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sounds and an archive clip from The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1933.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>*WARNING this episode includes adult themes and conversations about mental health and drug use.*</p><br><p>In 2020, the UK government revealed that 17% of the adult population of Britain were prescribed medication for their mental health. But when were these drugs invented? How were they tested? And how have they become, in some cases, ‘mother’s little helper’?</p><br><p>From antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to stimulants and mood stabilisers - Dr David Healy takes us on a journey through the development and use of psychiatric - or psychotropic - medication, and how this development has in turn affected our diagnoses.</p><br><p>David is a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, and is a professor of Psychiatry at McMaster University in Canada.</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Aidan Lonergan.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and archive clips from Zoloft commercial 2001.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>I’m something that you wear, I always come in twos, I get put on your feet. I’m not socks, I am … SHOES.</p><br><p>Humans have been protecting their feet for a very long time.</p><br><p>But over the years the types of footwear we choose have developed and multiplied. Each new shoe has a new use, and often a new social meaning.</p><br><p>So what is the history of shoes? To find out about the masculine beginnings of heels, the reclamation of crocs, and the political ideals of docs, Kate chats to Elizabeth Semmelhack, creative director and senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.</p><br><p>If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at <a href="https://access.historyhit.com/?utm_source=audio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast+Campaign&utm_id=Podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>History Hit</strong></a> - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the<strong> </strong><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.historyhit&hl=en_GB&gl=US" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Android</strong></a> or <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/history-hit/id1303668247" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Apple</strong></a> store.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and archive clips from The Wizard of Oz, 1939.</p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Who had the very first boob job? Why were women injecting liquid paraffin into their chests? And, how has the procedure developed over time?</p><br><p>Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Professor Ruth Holliday and cosmetic surgeon Professor Vikram Devaraj to find out the bumpy history of breast augmentation, involving lawsuits, pin-ups... and mattress foam.</p><br><p>Find out how a sixties American housewife was persuaded to have the very first silicone implants, and more about medical scandal involving boob jobs.</p><br><p>You can find out more about Ruth's book <a href="https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526134257/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>, and more about Vikram's work <a href="https://www.vikramdevaraj.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at <a href="https://access.historyhit.com/?utm_source=audio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast+Campaign&utm_id=Podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>History Hit</strong></a> - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the<strong> </strong><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.historyhit&hl=en_GB&gl=US" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Android</strong></a> or <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/history-hit/id1303668247" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Apple</strong></a> store.</p><br><p>This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and an archive clip from the Oprah Winfrey Network.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Warning: There are adult themes, explicit language and references of disordered eating and diets in this episode.</p><br><p>Did you know that before Queen Victoria married Albert she was a well-known party-animal, who could easily stay up until 5am, drunk on a concoction of red wine and whiskey?</p><br><p>Or that she was notorious for being able to eat seven or eight courses in half an hour, and had a penchant for mutton curries and the freshest fruit?</p><br><p>Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by food historian Dr Annie Gray to discuss Victoria’s very indulgent habits which spilled out into all areas of her life…including the bedroom.</p><br><p>You can find Annie’s incredible book, The Greedy Queen: Eating with Victoria, <a href="https://profilebooks.com/work/the-greedy-queen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.</p><br><p>If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at <a href="https://access.historyhit.com/?utm_source=audio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast+Campaign&utm_id=Podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>History Hit</strong></a> - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the<strong> </strong><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.historyhit&hl=en_GB&gl=US" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Android</strong></a> or <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/history-hit/id1303668247" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Apple</strong></a> store.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and archive clips from Sixty Glorious Years, 1938.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Warning: This episode includes strong language and some adult themes.</p><br><p>What comes to mind when you see the word voodoo? Most people tend to think of horror movies, zombies, dolls and witchcraft - but Vodou is a hugely misunderstood religion and spiritual practice.</p><br><p>Kate is joined by two experts Betwixt the Sheets on today's episode; Dr Kyrah Malika Daniels on Haitian Vodou and the part it played in the revolution of 1791, and Elizabeth James on New Orleans and Louisiana Voodoo.</p><br><p>Find out its long and fascinating history, and why it's become one of the most sensationalised religions in the world.</p><br><p>Learn more about Haitian Vodou and its history <a href="https://kosanba.org/ " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KOSANBA.Vodou" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>, and you can follow Dr Daniels work, <a href="https://bc.academia.edu/KyrahMalikaDaniels" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><br><p>For more on African and Diasporic Religious Studies, please click <a href="https://adrsa.org/about-adrsa/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sounds, and archive clips from White Zombie 1932.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>*WARNING this episode includes explicit language and adult themes*</p><br><p>What were your medieval ancestors getting up to in the bedroom? Join sex historian Kate Lister, Betwixt the Sheets, to find out.</p><br><p>Medievalist and George Michael super-fan Dr Eleanor Janega is on the podcast to chat all things aphrodisiacs, sex diaries and religious rules.</p><br><p>Hear about bizarre fertility treatments involving actual fish in places they should never go, medieval chat up lines, and much, much more.</p><br><p>You can watch Kate and Eleanor on screen together in History Hit's documentary, Medieval Pleasures <a href="https://access.historyhit.com/videos/medieval-pleasures-sex" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><br><p>Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.</p><br><p>This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and archive clips from The Princess Bride 1987, Angela MacNamara's Sex Education for Girls 1980.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Who had the very first boob job? And did our ancestors have their unmentionables pierced?</p><br><p>Join historian, Kate Lister, Betwixt the Sheets as she unashamedly roots around the topics which seem to have been skipped in history class.</p><br><p>Everything from landmark LGBTQ+ court cases, to political scandal, to downright bizarre medieval cures for impotence. The etymology of swear words, gender bias in medicine, and satanic panic and cults - there’s nothing off limits.</p><br><p>She'll be bed-hopping around different time periods; from ancient civilisations, to the middle ages, to renaissance and early modern...right up to now.</p><br><p>You’ll laugh, you’ll wince, and you’ll ask yourself how much has actually changed.</p><br><p>So join Kate Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society - a podcast from History Hit.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>