Professor Cath Mercer from University College London on asking people about how many opposite-sex sexual partners they’ve had and what the average numbers are for British people.

Does your sexual history matter, and is it relevant whether you’re a man or a woman?

A viral tweet criticised a woman for having a high 'body count' - a term used to describe how many sexual partners a person has had. It’s a popular topic on platforms like TikTok, where some people boast about their big numbers, but others are critical of people with high body counts. Claims that women are less attractive if they’ve slept with lots of people have led to arguments about double standards and sexism. We look at how this debate emerged, the origins of 'slut-shaming,' and what we know about how many sexual partners the average Briton has had.

Professor Bryan Cheyette, Reading University, on the origins of ‘JewFace’ and the history of the portrayal of Jewish characters.

The debate about whether Jewish characters should always be played Jewish actors.

Guests:

Monica Moreno-Figueroa, Professor in Sociology at the University of Cambridge on the history of the word and its meaning.

The argument about prejudice, power, and the disputed idea of “reverse racism”.

A design guide from the Mayor of London’s office included a photo of a white family along with the caption “Doesn’t represent real Londoners”. A spokesman for Mayor Sadiq Khan said the text was “added by a staff member in error”, but some on social media said it showed City Hall was racist against white people. What was actually in the guide? Where does the concept of racism come from? And what does the law say about whether white people can be victims of racism?

Guests:

BBC Climate Disinformation Reporter Marco Silva explains the link between plans for 15-minute cities and conspiracy theories about the World Economic Forum.

Josh Adair, Professor of English at Murray State University, explains what is meant by the term ‘queering’ and gives the background to how museums and historians can ‘queer history’. He explains they reinterpret their collections to include LGBT stories or histories of people who don’t fit the typical gender roles of the time.

The debate sparked by reviewing historic collections through a queer or LGBT lens.

A “queering the collection” blogpost from the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth was criticised for making what some saw as tenuous links between historic objects from the ship and the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. Supporters of “queering” museums and galleries say it’s needed to redress a traditional approach to history that has often ignored non-heterosexual people or stories. But it’s led to controversy and criticism that some institutions have gone too far by focusing on the LGBT angle at the expense of others or imposing a modern interpretation that wouldn’t have made sense at the time.

Guests:

Ann John, professor of public health at Swansea University, digs into the stats on mental illness. What do they show? And how reliable are they?