Was Elizabeth I really a virgin? When we talk about queens being remembered for their sex lives, we absolutely have to mention the woman so often remembered for her lack of one.

Kate is joined by Professor Anna Whitelock, author of ‘Elizabeth’s Bedfellows: An Intimate History of the Queen’s Court’ and, more recently, ‘The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of a Global Britain’.

This episode was edited by Tomos Delargy. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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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.

In the summer of 1889, a London police officer stopped and searched a telegraph boy, suspecting him of stealing from the Post Office he worked for. What he uncovered was not theft, but instead a network of male sex workers being frequented by some of the most respectable gentlemen in the country.

Kate is joined by John Scott to discuss the scandal that ensued. John is Head of School in the School of Justice at Queensland University of Technology.

This episode was edited by Tomos Delargy. It was produced by Sophie Gee and Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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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.

Did Catherine the Great really die having sex with a horse? Was she involved in her husband's death? And were her lovers selected for political reasons?

In this episode, Kate speaks with Virginia Rounding about the real Catherine the Great. We find out why Catherine's sex life still intrigues so many, and what kind of ruler she was. Virginia is the author of 'Catherine the Great: Love, Sex and Power’.

This episode was edited and produced by Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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.  

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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.

As the Roman Empire grew, so did the importance of its army - the Roman Legion.

But what was life on the march like? What happened on the encampments after dark? And why couldn't eunuchs join the Roman legion?!

Joining Kate today to tell her all about this battle-hardened rabble, is Rome-based historian and tour guide Alex Meddings. Find out more about his work here: https://alexandermeddings.com/ 

Episode edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.

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.  

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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.

Behind the wild accusations of extra-marital affairs and a lavish lifestyle, who was the real Marie Antoinette? Why did her marriage to King Louis XVI go unconsummated for 7 years? And why did her life of luxury end in tragedy amidst the French Revolution?

Joining Kate today for the second episode in our Royal Sex mini-series, is Professor of French literature, Catriona Seth, to help us get to know this remarkable woman.

This episode was edited by Tomos Delargy. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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.  

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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.

People have always gossiped, but what did they gossip about in medieval times? How were women punished for gossiping? And where does the term 'gossip' come from?

Joining Kate today to gossip about all things medieval gossip is the wonderful Eleanor Janega, co-host of our sister podcast Gone Medieval.

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

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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.  

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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.

With NINE children, it can probably be assumed that Queen Victoria was no stranger to the sheets, but what do we actually know about her love (and sex) life?

To examine Victoria's diaries, her passionate relationship and her society's attitude to sex, Kate is joined for this special episode by Royal Historian Kate Williams and journalist Robert Hardman. Kate and Robert are cohosts of 'Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things', a podcast from the Daily Mail.

Listen to find out why bicycle porn was all the rage!

This episode was edited by Tomos Delargy. The producers were Sophie Gee and Benedick Devlin. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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.  

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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.

Have you ever been puzzled by proportions when looking at Ancient Greek statues? It can't just be us.

From quarrying the stone to chipping away the final touches on your masterpiece - sculpting is a drawn out process. So why, after possibly years of work, did Ancient Greek artists make penises so small?

Kate is joined by Professor Caroline Vout to find out what these sculptors meant by their statues' modest members, and what this tells us about the Ancient world.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Find the History Hit film 'Dicking About' here: https://access.historyhit.com/videos/dicking-about

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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.  

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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.

What were the lives of women like who sold sex in the Victorian era? How did the law makers and moral crusaders of the time try to control it? How did sex workers create community in the 19th century?

In the final part of our mini-series on sex work throughout history, Kate's joined by Dr. Julia Laite, historian, professor of history at Birkbeck University, to take us back to the Victorian era.

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

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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.  

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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.

Almost half of births in the UK are delivered via Cesarean section. But when was this operation first performed?

Kate Lister is joined by Hannah Marsh, author of 'Thread, A Cesarean Story of Myth, Magic, and Medicine', to hear how this medical procedure developed, and how it has become safer.

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

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.  

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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.