The Real Virgin Mary

What does it mean to be a geisha? How does someone become one? And how do they differ from sex workers?The geisha world is famously very secretive and private, and taking us into it today is Lesley Downer, who spent years befriending geishas in research for her book Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Mai 202442min

Glass of meat wine, anyone? That's right, the Victorians loved a glass of meaty wine.They loved drinking so much that it became a moral panic, with whole movements of temperance cropping up around Britain.What was drinking culture really like in the Victorian and Edwardian Britain? Were women able to drink as much as men? And what exactly went into that meat wine?Helping Kate get to the bottom of this is Thora Hands, author of Drinking in Victorian and Edwardian Britain: Beyond the Spectre of the Drunkard.This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Apr 202444min

Elvis Presley embraced sexuality from the start. Rock n roll was not tame music, and neither were his early performances.So much so that he was nicknamed Elvis 'the pelvis' after early TV performances.But were his personal relationships and relationship with sexuality like? How did his relationship with his mother influence him? And how was his relationship with a 14 year old Priscilla seen at the time?Joining Kate today is Alanna Nash, author of Baby Let's Play House: Elvis Presley And The Women Who Loved Him, to help us find out more.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Apr 202436min

If there’s one thing you’ll find out from this episode, it’s that the Ancient Greeks were better at philosophy than gynaecology.Struggling to conceive? You might be given a stuffed dead puppy to provoke fertility.Helping Kate make sense of Ancient Greek gynaecology today is Helen King, author of Hippocrates' Woman: Reading the Female Body in Ancient Greece.What questions will a visit to an Ancient Greek doctor be like? How would you stop your womb from wandering? And how would your body temperature help define your gender?This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Apr 202444min

The Aztec Empire might conjure up images of human sacrifice.And whilst religious violence was part of their society, theirs was also a very egalitarian society where pleasure was valued and sexuality was an unashamed part of every day life.How was queerness perceived and represented in this period? What sexual freedoms did they enjoy? And what part did the Goddess of Filth play in their lives?!Joining Kate today is Caroline Pennock, author of Bonds of Blood: Gender, Lifecycle and Sacrifice in Aztec Culture. Her new book, On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe, is out now.This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Apr 202444min

What is the origin of the word fetish? How did the war play a part in shaping fetishwear? And what are some of the styles that are most enjoyed?Kink and fetish scenes have been a part of society for years, and the clothing that participants wear is often very specific, and a key part of what makes them, well, effective. It’s a fascinating history, and to explain it to us is Frenchy Lunning, author of Fetish Style. Kate also speaks to professional dominatrix Mistress Jean Bardot.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Apr 20241h 3min

The word drag is synonymous with flamboyant, fun performances. But where does the term come from and what does it mean? This more modern story of playing with gender identity’s dates back to the 1870s, and it’s a history that takes in the wars, censorship and fears. Heaven forbid!Taking us through this fascinating history of drag as we know it today is Jacob Bloomfield, author of Drag: A British History. This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Apr 202442min

King James I was a man whose sexuality was known by people in France, let alone (the newly formed) Britain of the early 17th century.So it may come as no surprise that men, such as the handsome George Villiers, might use their sexuality to their advantage and gain status, money and power whilst romancing the king.Helping Kate explore the sex and scandal of the Jacobean court is Anthony Delaney, historian and co-host of History Hit sister podcast After Dark.As an added treat, Kate's also joined by Robbie Taylor Hunt, who was the intimacy coordinator on the hit TV show based on this story, Mary & George.Robbie can be found on @RTaylorHunt (X/Twitter), @robbietaylorhunt (Instagram).He's the co-creator of Pansexual Pregnant Piracy at Soho Theatre (March 26th - April 13th) which is a raucous comedy based on the true queer seafaring tale of 18th-Century pirate Anne Bonny. Was the King and George's well-known relationship purely sexual and conceited? Or was it a full blown love affair? How were same sex relationships thought of in the 17th century?This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Apr 20241h 1min