When Britain was a Republic

When Britain was a Republic

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Royal Favourites: James I and George Villiers

How did a relatively humble gentleman become the most powerful man in Stuart England?Few figures embodied the glamour and instability of the Jacobean court more completely than George Villiers, who rose to become one of the most influential men in England. To some he was charisma ...  Show more

Hoaxes and Lies in the Enlightenment

How did a ghost story bring London to a standstill? Was it a haunting, a fraud, or something even more revealing about Georgian society? Why did rational, educated people fall for elaborate hoaxes?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr.Madeleine Pelling, co-host of History H ...  Show more

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History's Worst F*ckboys: Charles II
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

Our mini-series exploring the worst f*ckboys in history is back!In today's episode, Kate is joined by Dr. David Taylor of Oxford University to get to know the so-called Merry Monarch and the many women in his life.Was it better to be married or be a mistress to Charles II? How ma ...  Show more

What Made You Ugly In Tudor Times?
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

Why did royalty have worse teeth than commoners? How would the Tudor court have smelt? And when even the Queen of England can be accused of being a witch for a random mole, what hope did the rest of us have?


In this new mini-series, we'll be exploring the beauty stan ...

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The REAL Bridgerton: Queen Charlotte, Lord Byron & Georgian Celebrity
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

The third season of Bridgerton is out and we are back in sexy scandalous Georgian society. But while we watch, we're taking a step back to ask: how real is Bridgerton?


On this second episode in our REAL Bridgerton mini-series, we're looking at the royals and celebrit ...

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The Scandalous Royal Mistress Who Ruled France
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

Is this strangest threesome in royal history?!We're endlessly fascinated with the lives of royal mistresses, and this has to be one of the most notorious.It takes place in 16th century France between Henry II, his wife Catherine de Medici and his much older mistress, Diane de Poi ...  Show more