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

Sadism - the derivation of pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering and humiliation on others - is named after this man. So what exactly did he do? Kate is joined by journalist and author Joel Warner to discuss the Marquis de Sade, an 18th Century French aristocrat who committed a multitude of crimes, yet survived three distinct political regimes and decades of imprisonment. Joel is the author of...

The Moulin Rouge opened its doors in 1889, at the height of the Belle Epoch - 'the Beautiful Age'. Its famous windmill structure stood on the fringes of Paris, where intellectuals and artists mixed with thugs and criminals in a hedonistic neighbourhood. What really went on inside the Moulin Rouge? Why was there a giant elephant in the garden? And did sex workers really solicit business while ridin...

What is a mermaid? Do sirens, selkies and Aquaman fit into this category? And how far back in history do they go? Kate is joined by Diane Purkiss to discuss the Little Mermaid, both the Disney and Hans Christian Anderson versions, and more! Professor Diane Purkiss is a Fellow and Tutor of English at Keble College, Oxford. She specialises in Renaissance and women's literature, witchcraft and the En...

Storyville was the red-light district in New Orleans, created in 1897. What was it like in this neighbourhood, and inside the brothels there? How was race and segregation a factor in Storyville? And what triggered the downfall of Storyville? Joining Kate today is the wonderful Dr. Alecia P. Long, Professor of History at Louisiana State University, to take us back to this time and place. This episo...

Was there really a boom in sex trafficking at the end of the 19th century? What was 'white slavery'? And how often did the traffickers get caught? Kate is joined by Dr Julia Laite for this episode. Julia is a historian at Birkbeck, University of London, and the author of 'The Disappearance of Lydia Harvey'. This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior produce...

Charlie Chaplin had an extraordinary life: from the workhouses of Victorian London to the glamorous films sets of Hollywood's Golden Age. He revolutionised the art form, but he wasn't without his scandals. So much so that he was monitored by the FBI and eventually exiled from America. Joining Kate today is Charlie Chaplin expert Dr. Lisa Stein Haven, Professor of English at Ohio University Zanesvi...

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 An...

Nearly 100 years ago, films in Hollywood were so much sexier and shocking than you might think they were. One of the most shocking things was how empowered and sexual women were in those films. Who were these women? And what are the scandalous reasons behind the censorship that came in? Joining Kate to tell her about these incredible women is journalist and author Mick LaSalle. This episode was ed...

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 wa...

In post-war Hollywood, the film industry had a reputation for its dark side as much as anything happening on the big screen. So when Elizabeth Short was dramatically - and cinematically - murdered in Hollywood, the press called her the Black Dahlia and made a sensation out of her. Who was the real woman behind the terrifying headlines? What did she have to do with the film industry? And why was no...

Henry VIII, Charles II and Richard the Lionheart. What do all of these men have in common? They're incredibly eligible bachelors! Well, if not that then they are all former kings of England. At this live show in London we asked our audience which of these men they would shag, marry or avoid, keeping in mind style, syphilis and sex appeal. This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer wa...

Over 100 years ago the Hollywood film industry was shiny, new and sexy. Sex and sexuality was present on screen, but as the 1920s drew to a close, scandals and censorship crept in. Why did films begin to be made out in Hollywood? How raunchy was it? And what was the impact of such extreme censorship? Joining Kate today is the fantastic historian and author William Mann, to take us back to Hollywoo...

The 17th century witch trials in Scotland were many and they were brutal. Amongst the many people tried for being a witch, one woman's confessions stood out for being the most scandalous across all of Europe: Isobel Gowdie. What made Isobel confess to having sex with the devil? What are the details of what she said? And what was happening in Scotland to create such a fear of witches? Joining Kate...

By the age of 30, George Sand's literary career was soaring. She was internationally renowned, outselling Victor Hugo in English. So why is she now better known for wearing mens clothes and having a relationship with Chopin? In this episode, Kate is joined once again by Fiona Sampson to meet the woman behind the name. Who was Aurore Dupin? Why did she dress in men's clothes? And why have her liter...

If people are still talking about your divorce and rumoured penis related issues 500 years later, it's safe to say you've had a bad break up. For the final episode in our Worst Breakups series, we’re heading back to Renaissance Rome to meet Lucrezia Borgia, the daughter of history’s naughtiest pope, and her first husband, Giovanni Sforza, in a story that ended mired in controversy over incest and...

Neither woman expected to rule, but Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici became two of the most powerful women in Europe. Was their relationship a fierce rivalry or something more respectful? And how did they navigate the Mary Queen of Scots crisis? Joining Kate today is the fantastic historian and author Estelle Paranque to help us get to know these two women. This episode was edited by Hannah Feo...

A 'bad boy' of Austrian art meets the 'loveliest girl in Vienna', what could possibly go wrong? Why did artist Oskar Kokoschka commission a life sized doll of his ex lover, Alma Mahler? And why did that doll end up beheaded in his back garden? Kate is joined by Caitlin Hoerr, art historian and writer who is currently Chief of Staff and Board Liaison at The Phillips Collection in Washington DC. Thi...

Frida Kahlo is an icon of art, feminism and... eyebrows. Her art and imagery has entered into the mainstream like few artists have, and her life was as colourful and challenging as her creations. She lived through revolutions, crippling accidents and illness, had a complicated marriage (to say the least) and many lovers. Who was the woman behind all of this? Joining Kate is Professor Patience Sche...

Sending a lock of hair to your lover has fallen a little out of fashion. Sending a lock of pubic hair to your ex- lover ... well, we aren't sure that was ever in fashion. This is just one of the things that Lady Caroline Lamb is alleged to have done when her heart was broken by Lord Byron. For this episode, Kate is joined by Professor Paul Douglass to discuss the affair between Byron and Lamb, how...

Wuthering Heights is a story full of passion, violence and sexual tension. So it's no surprise that it shocked Victorian readers when it first came out. How did Emily Brontë, the daughter of a clergyman, create such a provocative world? How did the Brontê sisters write about sex and sexuality in their work? And how accurate is the new film to the original story?! Joining Kate today is Dr Claire O'...

Welcome to a brand new mini-series on Betwixt the Sheets, where our host, Dr Kate Lister, takes you through the most catastrophic breakups in history. We're starting with one that our guest, author and historian Gareth Russell, calls "the most important breakup in British history by a country mile." Find out the ins and outs of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon's breakup, including all the awful...

They say people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. The Victorians might have done well to live by that rule. For all of the dirt that the Victorians threw at other eras, suggesting that all those who came before them were filthy, they weren't that clean themselves. Lee Jackson joins Kate for this final episode of our filthy series to talk toilets and more. Lee is the author of ‘Dirty Old Lond...

Dublin in the 18th century was a wealthy colonial capitol, but only for a select few. Amongst this hugely divided and politically charged world was the infamous sex worker Peg Plunkett, who counted some of society's most well to-do as her clients. What was life like for most people in the Empire's 'second city' at this time? Did she really flirt with royalty? And what scandals did she get wrapped...

The Renaissance, a period of transformation in art, learning, philosophy and science that brought us Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello (the artists, not the turtles). This era of the Early Modern period seems to have been tinted with reds and golds, it all sounds very classy ... but how filthy was it? Kate is joined once again by Dr Julia Martins to explore how Early Modern pe...

It's been estimated that between eight and twelve percent of soldiers contracted a venereal disease during the American Civil War. What on earth were they up to? Kathryn Olivarius is a Professor at Stanford. She joins Kate to discuss syphilis, why it spread so far during the war and how it's impact continued after the war ended. Kathryn is the author of 'Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capita...