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

Did Cleopatra have a bee-powered vibrator? Why did she marry both of her brothers? And how serious were her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony?

Kate is joined by Egyptologist Sarah Parcak to find out where Cleopatra's seductress reputation came from, and whether she lived up to it.

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

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People will do crazy things to keep hold of power.

The Habsburgs - one of the most powerful families in European history - were a prime example of this. To keep hold of their power, they decided they would keep their gene pool as small as possible.

What were the disastrous consequences of this incest? How common was incest in royal families? And how did it all end for this dynasty, which included Charles II of Spain and Marie...

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 prod...

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 Univers...

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 ...

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 T...

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...

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.

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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 podca...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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Early Modern Italy birthed artistic giants like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, saw architectural marvels like Florence's dome and St. Peter's Basilica, and pushed scientific frontiers in astronomy. This same vibrant era was also home to Bologna's uniquely regulated sex work industry.

So what was life like for the sex workers of Renaissance Italy? Kate is joined in this episode by Dr Vanessa McCarthy, historian of gender, se...

How could recording people having sex be 'for science'? Same question for sleeping with your colleagues? Well, these were just two of the practices embraced by the subject of today's conversation.

Donna Drucker is returning to the podcast to discuss pioneering sexologist, Alfred Kinsey. Donna, from Columbia University, is author of The Classification of Sex.

This episode was edited by Nick Thomson. The producer was Sophie Gee...

Despite Christianity coming in hot and heavy in the medieval period, sex work was thriving.

In many places it was legal, even.

In this second episode in our mini-series exploring sex work through history, Kate is joined by the legend of sex worker history, Ruth Karras.

What did a medieval brothel look like? How did sex workers dress? And why does the word 'spinster' mean sex worker?

This episode was edited and produced ...

She wrote some of the most enduring romances in literature. But what did Jane Austen really know about love ... and sex?

From longing looks and flirtation, to seduction and elopement, in this episode we're investigating how much of Jane Austen's works was based on experience.

Kate is joined by John Mullan, Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London and author of 'What Matters in Jane ...

What did it look like inside a Roman brothel? Who was the sex worker involved in a murder plot to kill an Emperor? And why was the Pope getting sex workers to race chariots?!

In this first episode of our brand new limited-series on sex work through history, Kate is joined by Professor Anise Strong, who takes us back to meet some of the amazing sex workers from Ancient Rome, including one who was involved in a murder plot to kill...

Childbirth isn't for the faint-hearted at the best of times, let alone in the medieval period. 

What was a birthing room like at this time in history? Who would have been in there helping bring a new baby into the world? And how suspicious were the church of these all-women spaces?

Joining Kate today is the always-fabulous Eleanor Janega, co-host of our sister podcast Gone Medieval, to take us back to this time and place...

Deep in an Ancient Greek labyrinth lurks the half bull half man monster: the Minotaur.

What did this wild myth about a woman having a baby with a bull have to say about how humans understood our taboo desires? How did they even make it happen? And what happened when you found him in the labyrinth?

Joining Kate today is historian and author, Jasmine Elmer, to help us get to the bottom of this myth and find out the truth behind...