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July 12, 2022 • 70 mins

Dr Fern Riddell is a cultural historian specialising in sex, suffrage and culture in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. She appears regularly on TV and radio and hosts the history podcast Not What You Thought You Knew, where she explores how history has made us who we are today. She was also the Historical Consultant on the BAFTA award winning BBC drama Ripper Street and as an on screen expert has appeared in documentaries for the BBC, ITV, C4, C5 and Sky Arts.


In this episode we dive deep into Fern's new book, Sex: Lessons from History, in which she takes us on an illuminating journey to discover the sexual lives of our ancestors. From flirtation to masturbation and everything in between, we talk James Joyce's love letters, Victorian taboos, and when and why the female orgasm stopped being a top sexual priority.


You can find Fern being curious, informative and erudite on:

Instagram: @FernRiddell

and Twitter @FernRiddell


Support the podcast with a one off donation on https://ko-fi.com/helenduff or to get access to all sorts of extra audio / video content become a regular subscriber on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/HelenDuff


Intro / Outro music by Luisa Gerstein of Deep Throat Choir; musical interludes written and performed by Helen Duff, arranged by Torch & Compass; edited by Daisy Grant; produced by Helen Duff and Daisy Grant. 


Follow the podcast on Instagram: 

Instagram: @comeasyouarepod 

Twitter:  @ComeAsYouArePo2 

Facebook: @ComeAsYouArePod


Find Helen Duff www.helenduff.com

Instagram: @DuffMarvel

Twitter:  @DuffMarvel

Facebook: @helenduffcomedy


This podcast would not have been possible without the support and advice of Sam Sapin, Ben Target, Alice Freedman, Hayley Stirling, Catherine Brinkworth and Kate Watson.



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