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

Berlin in the early 1930s was a place of incredible liberation for its queer community.  There were over 100 gay clubs, and Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science - the first sexology research centre in the world - developed pioneering gender assignment surgery.  Sadly, with the Nazis rising to power, dark days were to come.  What was it like for the gay community during t...

Many of them pre-date modern religions and defy what science tells us about the world - from saluting magpies, to wearing lucky pants. Yet why do superstitions still have such a strong hold on our lives? Today we’re joined by Sally Coulthard, author of Superstition - the History of Common Folk Beliefs , to find out the origins and meaning behind some of our most common ritualistic behaviours. Why...

The polyamory movement has a long and interesting history. It takes in Pilgrims meeting Native American Indians, Mormons having their take on it, and a modern version born from 60s counterculture and the civil rights movement. But what beliefs underpin this lifestyle choice? And who are the figureheads who have defined it historically? Today we’re joined by Glen Olsen, author of  50 Years of...

A good old smooch. It’s something that we do on a daily basis in one form or another (if we’re lucky), and yet have you ever stopped and wondered why we do it?  Wonder no more.  On today’s Betwixt the Sheets we’re joined by Emmy award-winning scientist and author of The Science of Kissing, Sheril Kirshenbaum, to find out answers to questions such as, why has the letter X has come to mean...

Most of us present ourselves with some form of cosmetic, so it’s strange that historically there’s been so much judgement around the use of it. It’s something that’s been there from the Ancient world to the present day, and speaks to so much of the human experience. Today we’re joined by Susan Stewart, author of Painted Faces - A Colourful History of Make-Up, to answer questions such as, how did r...

You would think that a woman who was queen several times, commanded armies and was possibly the most powerful woman in medieval Europe would need no introduction…yet here we are. On today’s show we’re joined by author and new co-host of the History Hit podcast Gone Medieval, Eleanor Janega, to learn more about this most badass medieval woman: Eleanor Aquitaine. Did she really have an affair with h...

From the seaweed-strewn shores of Ancient China to the American army camps in the Middle East, lube has been on a long and slippery journey.  Wherever it’s been derived from, the history and importance of this substance is as fascinating as its ingredients.  What does its marketing tell us about our own prejudices? Did the Ancient Greeks really believe it was a contraceptive? And why is...

We’re connected to the past in more ways than you might think.  For example, the 1861 Offences against the person Act is an abortion law that is still largely in place today. What does this Victorian law dictate? How does it still effect our lives today? And who were the brave pioneers who challenged it?  Today we’re joined by historian Lesley Hall to find out more about what abortion me...

Barbie is many things: an astronaut, a robotics engineers, a judge, and now a movie star! But can she be considered a feminist icon?  For a toy with such incredible appeal around the world, especially to young children, it’s an important question to ask.  Today we’re joined by Lenore Wright, author of Athena to Barbie: Bodies, Archetypes, and Women’s Search For Self , to find out what th...

One thing royal families strive for is the common touch. Whilst some have struggled with it, King James IV and V in the 15th and 16th centuries excelled in it.  It could be said, however, they took the term ‘common touch’ too literally, as it wasn’t uncommon for them to have sexual liaisons with their subjects.  Who were some of the women they had their many affairs with? And what does t...

The world of tennis in the 1940s wasn't made for someone of Althea Gibson's background. She was the descendent of slaves, and grew up in South Carolina with the nearest tennis courts available to an African American at that time being hundreds of miles away. How did Althea Gibson go on to become the first African American to win a Grand Slam title? What challenges did she face on and off the court...

When we think of the biggest pop icons of all time, we might reach for Madonna, Elvis, or yes, even Michael Jackson.  One name that’s not thrown into the pot is Mozart. But why? His music was undoubtedly the pop music of his day, and as we’ll find out today, he had all the stardom and groupies of anyone in the modern day.  Joining us is Judith Grohmann, author of The Real Mozart: The Ori...

In Victorian Britain, there was no formalised state adoption. Instead, desperate mothers paid other families to take their newborns. This tragic system was known as baby farming. As we’ll find out in today’s episode, Amelia Dyer was a notorious serial killer who saw this as a money-making opportunity, cruelly deceiving mothers and killing infants over a 30 year period. How did she get away with it...

How has our relationship with breast milk changed through history? Why are there associations of shame with this most natural act, of us consuming humanities first food? And what does the formation of our galaxy have to do with it? Joining Kate today is Joanna Wolfarth , art historian and author of Milk: An Intimate History of Breastfeeding , to unpack all of this and more. This episode was edited...

As the UK’s second person to go through gender reassignment surgery, April Ashley was a trans trailblazer, breaking new ground fearlessly and with humour and grace. She wowed the crowds of Le Carrousel as a showgirl in 1950s Paris, graced the pages of Vogue and, when accepting her MBE for services to transgender equality in 2012, she stood every bit as gracious and regal as the Queen herself. Apri...

From Boudicca to Ukrainian snipers, battlefields have always contained a surprising number of women. Today Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Sarah Percy to get to the bottom of why women were allowed to be astronauts a full thirty years before they were allowed to fight in combat. From women who disguised themselves as men in order to be allowed to fight, to the Soviet all-female regiments who...

In 1969 America, it was illegal to be gay in 49 out of 50 states. You could be fired from your job and evicted by your landlord if you were found out to be gay.  Whilst protests from the gay community and its allies had happened before there, anger against this oppression was reaching boiling point.  As we move past the 54th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, we take a look at the signi...

As the old adage goes, attitude is everything. And if there’s one attitude that stands proud above the rest it’s the utterly fabulous, camp.  Whether it’s embodied in Disney villains or Oscar Wilde, there’s a charm and defiance to camp that is both powerful and fun.  In today’s episode, Kate is joined by Paul Baker, author of Camp! The Story of the Attitude that Conquered the World , to...

Depictions of dicks have been an obsession in art for as long as art has been around, but the act of sending a real life image of ones penis is a cultural phenomenon all of its own.  Additionally, the implications of receiving a dick pic nowadays isn’t just the image itself, but the context of it being one that you maybe didn’t ask for - a form of sexual harassment and violence in and of itse...

The Bard’s work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But what does the work reveal about the sexuality of Shakespeare himself?  Despite being married with three kids to Anne Hathaway in the sleepy suburbs of Stratford-upon-Avon, there’s much to suggest he lived a more extravagant life during his visits to London.  Joining Kate today is author of...

It’s a rare thing to hear first hand the experiences of marginalised people in history. So often their voices are silenced, and their histories erased.  Which is why Anne Lister’s diaries, which tell us in intimate details what it was like to be a proud lesbian in 19th century Yorkshire, are such an important resource.  What was grobbling? What is Anne Lister’s legacy? And what do her co...

Why did Victorian doctors recommend women to lie still in solitary confinement for days after giving birth? What was the 'sit up and cough' method of contraception? (not the most reliable) And what was the level of infant mortality in the 19th century? Today Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with Jessica Cox to talk about the hidden history of maternal bodies in the Victorian era, everything from fertili...

The Pre-Raphaelites: Art & Sexual Liberation If there’s one thing we like to embrace on this podcast, it’s a slice of controversy. Which is why today’s topic of the Pre-Raphaelites movement is such a joy to explore: this was the swinging 60s of the Victorian era.  A time when a group of artists, including Dante Rossetti and John Millais, refused to conform to the artistic norms at the time, a...

One thing’s for certain, queer people have always been a part of society. The language may not have always been there to describe them in all of their wonderful forms, and the history books may not have always told their stories, but they have always been there.  To celebrate the start of Pride month, Kate is joined by author Kirsty Loehr, who’s book A Short History of Queer Women is here to...

Any of us who have happened to see a celebrity in the wild can admit to the strange thrill you get.  It doesn’t matter if it’s C, D, or Z-list celebrities, even, they all count!  But why are we as a society so obsessed with celebrities? From Ancient Greek Gods to Kim Kardashian, our obsession has endured. And what does it say about us, when most young people just want to be famous when t...