Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society – Details, episodes & analysis

When so much of history is written by men, Margaret Paston's letters offer us a rare insight into the life of a woman and the world around her in 15th century England.

How did she cope with waves of plague wiping out her town? What did she do when the War of the Roses reached her home? And what family gossip did she write about?

Joining Kate today for this insight into every day medieval life is Diane Watt, author of God’s Own Gentlewoman: The Life of Margaret Paston to take us back to this period of tumultuous English history.

This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

If you enjoy what we're doing, please take one minute to vote for us to win the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards! Voting closes on August 29th and we're in the top 10! Simply click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting

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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

However you feel about the royal family, there's no denying, there was something about Princess Diana.

From the clothes she wore to the causes she championed, she set the template for the modern royal, ruffling a lot of feathers in the process.

Why did she speak to us so much? Was there any truth to rumours of the affairs both Charles and Diana had? And were the public in any way complicit in her downfall?

Helping Kate separate Diana fact from fiction is author and royal historian, Dr. Tessa Dunlop. In the second part of the episode, Kate is speaking to Dominic Wong, curator of the photography exhibition Princess Diana: Accredited Access, to find out the backstory to some of the most iconic photos of Diana during her lifetime.

This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

If you enjoy what we're doing, please take one minute to vote for us to win the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards! Voting closes on August 29th and we're in the top 10! Simply click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting

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.

Why did the Victorians dress up their dead relatives for photo shoots?

What are the origins of embalming? And why do most of us have such a separated relationship with death?

Helping Kate get to the bottom of all of this is the wonderful Brandy Schillace, author of Death's Summer Coat: What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living.

This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting

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.

From tip-off letters about the gun powder plot to village quarrels that lead to jail time - today we’re going Betwixt the Sheets to find out about the history of hate mail. 

Joining Kate is Dr. Emily Cockayne, author of Penning Poison and consultant on the forthcoming film Wicked Little Letters, starring Olivia Coleman, based on a famous case of anonymous letters from the early 20th century. 

This episode was edited by Stuart Beckwith and produced by Charlotte Long.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.

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Holywell Street, just off London's Fleet Street, was the hidden epicentre of Victorian pornography.

The Daily Telegraph described it as "the vilest street in the civilised world," so naturally, we wanted to know all of the smutty details.

Joining Kate to take us into this hidden world is Dr. Matthew Green, author of Shadowlands: A Journey Through Lost Britain.

What does this tell us about Victorian society as a whole? What went on upstairs in these shady bookshops? And what were some of the most popular titles of the period? Let's go Betwixt the Sheets to find out.

This episode was edited by Siobhan Dale and producer by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK 

Why did Cleopatra soak the sails of her ship in jasmine? How did Queen Elizabeth smell? And why was perfume an essential tool of power for women across history? 

Whilst it’s hard to research the history of something that leaves no physical trace, we actually know a great deal about how some of the most iconic women in history would have smelt. 

Joining Kate to evoke these scents and what they stood for is award-winning fragrance journalist Suzy Nightingale.

Here are the perfumes listed in the episode:

Cleopatra: The Merchant of Venice Queen of the Night

Joan of Arc: Histoire de Parfums Encens Roi

Elizabeth I: Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady

Jane Austen: Commodity Book (Personal strength) 

Cora Pearl: Robert Piguet Fracas 

This episode is edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. 

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK 

When sex between two humans can be many things, how do we define bestiality - that is, sex between a human and a non-human? 

Especially when the farming industry relies on certain sex acts on animals - or ‘animal husbandry’ to use the correct term - to function. 

These are an uncomfortable but important question, and we’re joined by academic Joanne Bourke, author of Loving Animals: On Bestiality, Zoophilia and Post-Human Love, to discuss these topics and more. 

This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long. 

If you're enjoying Betwixt the Sheets please vote for us at the British Podcast Awards here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting. It would mean the world to us!

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Today we’re looking into self sacrifice in ancient India. Why did people do it? How did people think about death and the afterlife? Who were the gods people would sacrifice themselves for? And why would a widow sacrifice herself by sitting on top of her dead husband's funeral pyre? 

Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with Mary Storm to find out all about it.

You can find out more about Mary’s work here.

If you're enjoying Betwixt please vote for us at the British Podcast Awards here. It would mean the world to us!

This podcast was produced by Charlotte Long and mixed by Siobhan Dale.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Many people claim sex work to be the oldest profession, but we can likely put that down to being midwifery or medical professionals of some sort.

However, since money has changed hands, it has also done so for sex.

In today's episode of Betwixt the Sheets we're going back to a conversation I had with Dan Snow on Dan Snow's History Hit,

How have attitudes to those who sell sex changed through history? What might you find in a Roman brothel? And were the Victorians really as prudish as we think them to be?

This podcast was edited by Dougal Patmore and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

If you're enjoying Betwixt please vote for us at the British Podcast Awards here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting. It would mean the world to us!

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT.

Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK

What scares you? Some of humankind’s most common fears and phobias include fear of heights, flying, spiders, snakes, injections, germs, public speaking and….death.

When you think about it…fear, and the panic it produces ,has long been driving forces — perhaps the driving force — of world history: fear of God, of famine, war, disease, poverty, and of other people. 

So how did it shape history? Fear not Betwixters - Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Robert Peckham to find out.

You can find out more about Robert’s book here.

This episode was produced by Charlotte Long and mixed by Tomos Delargy & Stuart Beckwith.

If you're enjoying Betwixt please vote for us at the British Podcast Awards here. It would mean the world to us!

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here.