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

In post-war Hollywood, the film industry had a reputation for its dark side as much as anything happening on the big screen.So when Elizabeth Short was dramatically - and cinematically - murdered in Hollywood, the press called her the Black Dahlia and made a sensation out of her.Who was the real woman behind the terrifying headlines? What did she have to do with the film industry? And why was no one ever caught?Joining Kate today is the fantastic historian and author William Mann, to take us back to post-war Hollywood.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Henry VIII, Charles II and Richard the Lionheart. What do all of these men have in common?They're incredibly eligible bachelors! Well, if not that then they are all former kings of England.At this live show in London we asked our audience which of these men they would shag, marry or avoid, keeping in mind style, syphilis and sex appeal.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Over 100 years ago the Hollywood film industry was shiny, new and sexy.Sex and sexuality was present on screen, but as the 1920s drew to a close, scandals and censorship crept in.Why did films begin to be made out in Hollywood? How raunchy was it? And what was the impact of such extreme censorship?Joining Kate today is the fantastic historian and author William Mann, to take us back to Hollywood's Golden Age.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

The 17th century witch trials in Scotland were many and they were brutal.Amongst the many people tried for being a witch, one woman's confessions stood out for being the most scandalous across all of Europe: Isobel Gowdie.What made Isobel confess to having sex with the devil? What are the details of what she said? And what was happening in Scotland to create such a fear of witches?Joining Kate today is author and witch historian Mary Craig, to help Kate find out more about this woman.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

By the age of 30, George Sand's literary career was soaring. She was internationally renowned, outselling Victor Hugo in English. So why is she now better known for wearing mens clothes and having a relationship with Chopin?In this episode, Kate is joined once again by Fiona Sampson to meet the woman behind the name. Who was Aurore Dupin? Why did she dress in men's clothes? And why have her literary achievements been overwritten in the history books by her personal life?Fiona's book on this is 'Becoming George: The invention of George Sand'.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

If people are still talking about your divorce and rumoured penis related issues 500 years later, it's safe to say you've had a bad break up.For the final episode in our Worst Breakups series, we’re heading back to Renaissance Rome to meet Lucrezia Borgia, the daughter of history’s naughtiest pope, and her first husband, Giovanni Sforza, in a story that ended mired in controversy over incest and impotence.For this episode, Kate is joined by Catherine Fletcher, author of ‘The Beauty and the Terror’, ‘The Black Prince of Florence’ and ‘Our Man in Rome: The Divorce of Henry VIII’.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Neither woman expected to rule, but Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici became two of the most powerful women in Europe.Was their relationship a fierce rivalry or something more respectful? And how did they navigate the Mary Queen of Scots crisis?Joining Kate today is the fantastic historian and author Estelle Paranque to help us get to know these two women.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

A 'bad boy' of Austrian art meets the 'loveliest girl in Vienna', what could possibly go wrong? Why did artist Oskar Kokoschka commission a life sized doll of his ex lover, Alma Mahler? And why did that doll end up beheaded in his back garden?Kate is joined by Caitlin Hoerr, art historian and writer who is currently Chief of Staff and Board Liaison at The Phillips Collection in Washington DC.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Frida Kahlo is an icon of art, feminism and... eyebrows.Her art and imagery has entered into the mainstream like few artists have, and her life was as colourful and challenging as her creations.She lived through revolutions, crippling accidents and illness, had a complicated marriage (to say the least) and many lovers.Who was the woman behind all of this?Joining Kate is Professor Patience Schell, Chair in Hispanic Studies at the University of Aberdeen, to help us get to know her.This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.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.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.