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

Sex in the distant past is often thought about with all the fun taken out of it.Pleasure must have been a part of the sex lives of women and men in the past, so what evidence do we have to back this up? What evidence of queer sex and attraction is there? And how did the Victorians try to cover up sex and pleasure in Ancient Greece and Rome?Joining Kate today is the wonderful historian and author Jean Menzies, whose new book explores all of this and more.*TW: sexual violence discussed at the start of the episode*Edited by Hannah Feodorov. Producer by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s got many names: giving head, going down, eating out, dining at the Y, muff diving.Why has cunnilingus been stigmatised and feared so consistently throughout history?! When the Kama Sutra is turning its back on it, you know something is up.Today is a special solo episode where Kate takes you through the history of cunnilingus, to find out why this sex act has been so insulting, demonised and feared.This episode a special celebration of Kate's new book, Flick: The Story of Female Pleasure, which is published on May 28th. Pre-order your copy here: https://linktr.ee/FlickDrKateLister.Edited by Hannah Feodorov. Producer by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There will be giggling and gasping galore! And that's just when you listen to this episode!Dan Snow quizzes Kate on all things female pleasure. When was the first recorded female orgasm? Has there always been an orgasm gap? And is there any possibility of it closing?Kate's new book is 'FLICK: The Story of Female Pleasure'.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has there ever been a time when homophobia did not exist? And what causes it to rise and fall?Kate is joined by Dr. Harry Tanner, author of 'The Queer Thing About Sin: Why the West Came to Hate Queer Love'. Harry has been exploring ancient and biblical sources to find out where homophobia began, and why it seems to intensify in times of inequality.This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marie Antoinette went to her death as one of the most hated people in the world, but in recent years she has inspired millions with her style. How did she become such a contradiction?For this episode, Kate and the Betwixt team went out and about, specifically to the V&A Museum in London. There, Kate met Dr Sarah Grant, curator of the exhibition 'Marie Antoinette Style', about the life of Marie Antoinette, just how much she spent on her clothes and jewelry, and how this may have led to her death.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Roman Emperor Tiberius has a harrowing reputation based on stories surrounding his latter years on the island of Capri. Stories of debauchery and abuse of the worst kind. But who was Tiberius and where does the truth lie?Kate Lister is joined by is Rome-based historian and tour guide Alex Meddings.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.