Polari: The Secret Language of Gay Men

Polari: The Secret Language of Gay Men

It's a credit to the resilience of the gay community that when society tried to outlaw and silence them, they just created a language of their own to keep conversation (and gossip) alive.


The language, polari, was born out of prejudice, and while it's now classified as endangered, many of its words are still used by us today.


What were its many origins? When was it at its peak? And why did some of the gay community eventually start to turn its back on it?


Kate's joined by Paul Baker, author of Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language, to find out more.


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


Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(400)

Gothic Fiction

Gothic Fiction

From Dracula, to Frankenstein, to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, to Twilight’s Edward Cullen…when did our fascination with gothic fiction begin?In today’s episode Kate is joined by Abby Boucher & Daniel Jenki...

1 Nov 202248min

Seances

Seances

Everybody hold hands! We're going for a seance!How long have we've been trying to talk to dead people for? And have we ever actually been speaking to the dead or just to somebody’s clicky toe joints?I...

28 Okt 202244min

Ghosts

Ghosts

How long have people believed in ghosts?Eleanor Janega is back Betwixt the Sheets with Kate to tell us why you should always stand up to ghosts and why you might be visited by a woman with frogs sucki...

25 Okt 202242min

The Grisly Deaths of Kings & Queens

The Grisly Deaths of Kings & Queens

Did Henry VIII really have syphilis? Who died from a red hot poker up the bum? And which king was taken down by a school of fish?To learn about the often gruesome ways that our royals have met their d...

21 Okt 202247min

Black Georgians

Black Georgians

Who were Ignatius Sancho, Dido Elizabeth Belle and Francis Barber?Between 10,000 and 30,000 black people lived in Britain during the Georgian period. Despite this, some people have remained convinced ...

18 Okt 202239min

Henrietta Maria: The Most Hated Queen Consort?

Henrietta Maria: The Most Hated Queen Consort?

What does it take to get the reputation as one of the least popular queens in history?Should we remember Henrietta Maria as the wife of the King executed by his subjects, the Catholic influencer and a...

14 Okt 202230min

Serial Killers & Misogyny

Serial Killers & Misogyny

What is it with our culture’s fascination with serial killers? Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Peter Sutclifffe, Jack the Ripper….these violent people are as well known as our national treasures, but we on...

11 Okt 202239min

Phobias & Manias

Phobias & Manias

What did Salvador Dali, Elizabeth I and Sigmund Freud have in common? They all had phobias, and it's possible you do too.As ‘normal’ as you might consider yourself to be, it is highly likely that you ...

7 Okt 202240min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
rss-katastrofe
henrettelsespodden
historier-som-endret-norge
med-egne-oyne
rss-historiske-romanser
sektledere
rss-benadet
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
historier-som-endret-verden
aftenposten-historie
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-gamle-greier
historiepodden-ww2
historiepodden
rss-historiepodden-ww2
liberal-halvtime
rss-alt-var-bedre-for
vare-historier