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

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 gossipy details.

This epis...

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 London’, ‘Palaces of Pleasure’ an...

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 up in?

Joining Kate today ...

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 people washed, how they got rid of...

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 Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom'.

If there's one sure way to irritate an historian of the Medieval period, it's to ask why the people of the Middle Ages didn't wash.

In this episode, we did just that with Dr Eleanor Janega. Kate and Eleanor get into whether there really was poo everywhere, how the Victorians ruined the Medieval reputation, and what they were actually up to at the public baths.

Eleanor co-hosts our sister podcast Gone Medieval and is the autho...

For over a century, a series of gruesome murders have gone unsolved. Until now?

The Thames Torso Killer terrified Victorian Londoners by dismembering their victims and scattering their body parts along the River Thames. Kate is joined by Lucy Worsley in this episode to discuss their investigation into the Thames Torso Killer for 'Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club'. They discuss how the killer evaded discovery, and how their c...

Lead in eyes, scented animal fat melting over wigs, teen circumcision - the Ancient Egyptians went to great lengths for beauty and hygiene. So how clean were they, and how has the colonial perspective impacted history's view of them?

To find out, Kate is joined once again by Manchester Museum's Campbell Price.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

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Being single in 2026 is a major disadvantage, so what was it like as a single woman in the Medieval period?!

Joining Kate today is the always-fantastic Eleanor Janega, author and co-host of our sister podcast, Gone Medieval.

How common was it to be single in this period? What kind of life could you hope to have? And why would both Kate and Eleanor have been looked at suspiciously in the medieval period?

This podcast was ed...

Some of the key remnants of the Roman Empire are their public baths - huge complexes, multiple different rooms, the basis of many of our modern spas. But were the Romans clean?

How regularly did they wash? Were they really using urine to wash clothes? And what's this about a communal wiping stick?

Kate is joined by the wonderful Alexander Meddings for the first episode in a series where we are trying to find out just how smel...

There's a bit of interest around Shakespeare at the minute - can we call this the Paul Mescal effect?

The Bard’s work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But what does the work reveal about the sexuality of Shakespeare himself?

Despite being married with three kids to Anne Hathaway in the sleepy suburbs of Stratford-upon-Avon, there’s much to suggest he lived a more extravagant life ...

How 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' was Lord Byron really?

We know the Romantic poet had a bit of a reputation, but how true was it? And how unusual would his behaviour have been?

In this episode from our series on the worst f*ckboys in history, we're digging into Byron's relationships with Andrew Stauffer, President of the Byron Society of America, professor and chair of the Department of English at the University of Virgin...

With Christmas around the corner and everything being oh-so wholesome, we thought we would offer an episode from the archives of something not-so wholesome: a history of porn.

What did porn look like before the internet? Who was it for? And how has it changed since?

In this episode, Kate chats to Kathleen Lubey, a professor at St. John’s University and specialist in eighteenth-century literature.

Kathleen talks us through ...

Despite virginity being a myth, why has Mary’s virginity been considered so important?

What does this tell us about the relationship between Christianity and sex? And what else do we know about this woman?

Joining Kate today to help her get to know more about Mary, her life and its influence is author and historian Sir Diarmaid Macculloch.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior...

It's the one we've all been waiting for!

The Oedipus Complex; the oral, anal and phallic stages; penis envy; psychoanalysis - we've all heard of Sigmund Freud's work. But who was he?

What did Freud really think about sex and sexuality? What was his own sex life like? And finally, why do we owe so much of today's understandings of psychology to a woman called Anna O?

Kate is joined by Carolyn Laubender, Senior Lecturer at t...

You can't move for people talking about the Roman Empire or the British Empire, but what about the Ottoman Empire?

It spanned a huge period of time and at the heart of it was the Royal harem: enslaved women who lived in closed-off servitude to the Sultan.

Peaking in the 17th century, who were these women? What were their lives like inside the palace? And why have westerners been particularly fascinated by this part of history...

Ever heard of Margaret Beaufort? Probably not. But whilst her name has been overshadowed by those of her son, grandson and great-grandchildren, her impact on history remains.

Lauren Johnson joins Kate for this episode to explain how this woman put the Tudors on the throne. Why was she married aged 12? How did she use marriage to her advantage? And was she as manipulative as she has been portrayed?

Lauren's new book is ‘Margar...

What did the Ancient Egyptians think about sex? Is there any truth to a rumoured royal sex scandal? What did they think of same-sex relationships?

In today's episode, Kate's joined by the fantastic historian and author Dr Campbell Price to go back thousands of years to the always-fascinating world of Ancient Egypt.

Find out why the Victorians sexualised the Ancient Egyptians, what an Ancient Egyptian mummy smells of, and what...

Myths are incredibly powerful, especially when it comes to creating nations.

Why are mythical women so central to how we think about our nations? When women had so little power in creating them in the first place.

Joining Kate to explore these fascinating and important ideas today is the fantastic author and historian Dr Janina Ramirez.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior prod...