Mary Queen of Scots had a life that resembled a Game of Thrones plot: she had awful taste in men, and a cousin in Queen Elizabeth I of England, who - spoiler alert - eventually signed her death warrant.

In the face of some outrageous adversity, though, Mary Queen of Scots was an extraordinary woman and queen.

Was it all bad luck, or was there poor judgement from Mary, too? What are some of the conspiracies that brought about her downfall? And what's her legacy that lasts to this day?

Joining Kate today is the wonderful Kate Williams, author of The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots: Elizabeth I and Her Greatest Rival. Follow her on Instagram, here.

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

Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting

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://www.historyhit.com/subscription/

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What were condoms like in Tudor times? Before you were able to pop to the supermarket to pick some up, where did people buy them?

Joining Kate today is historian Dr. Kate Stephenson, to explore what the earliest evidence of condoms is, just how effective they were, and to smash some of the myths surrounding their history.

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

Voting is open for the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards, so if you enjoy what we're doing, we'd love it if you took a quick follow this link and click on Betwixt the Sheets: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting

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://www.historyhit.com/subscription/

You can take part in our listener survey here.

What's the worst thing you could accuse someone of in Ancient Rome? There are a few strong candidates, but incest is definitely up there.

In today's episode, Kate speaks with Roman historian, Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, to find out more about the different ways the Ancient Romans thought about incest.

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://www.historyhit.com/subscription/

You can take part in our listener survey here.

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 our third episode in our REAL Bridgerton mini-series, we're looking at the the booze and drugs that took 18th and early 19th century Britain by storm.

Why was opium taken for health purposes? How did gin get the nickname "mother's ruin"? And what does it feel like to take snuff?

Joining Kate today are Maddy Pelling, co-host of our sister podcast After Dark and author of Writing on the Wall: Graffiti, Rebellion and the Making of Eighteenth-Century Britain; Marina Capaldi from Summerhall Distillery, and Robert Good from Segar & Snuff Parlour.

Also, if you'd like to find out more about this incredible period, you can watch Kate present a two-part documentary - Georgian Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll: Unbuttoning Bridgerton - over on History Hit. Simply click here for a free 14 day trial and watch now.

This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. Additional production was provided by Annie Woodman. 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://www.historyhit.com/subscription/

You can take part in our listener survey here.

From the first fleet of convict ships arriving in Australia in 1788, sex work was a central part of the new society British colonialists were building.

What was the reality for women when they arrived? What records are there of sex workers from this time? And how has sex work shaped modern Australia?

Today, Kate's joined by the fantastic Rae Frances, author of Selling Sex: A Hidden History of Prostitution, to find out more about sex work in early Australia.

This episode is edited by Tom Delargy. The producer is 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://www.historyhit.com/subscription/

You can take part in our listener survey here.

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 celebrities who filled the newspapers during 18th and early 19th century Britain.

What was Queen Charlotte really like? What was the genius Mozart's fascination with fart jokes? And was Lord Byron as dangerous to know as they say he was?

Joining Kate today are Catherine Curzon, Judith Grohmann and Emily Brand.

Also, if you'd like to find out more about this incredible period, you can watch Kate present a two-part documentary - Georgian Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll: Unbuttoning Bridgerton - over on History Hit. Simply click here for a free 14 day trial and watch now.

This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. Additional production was provided by Annie Woodman. 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://www.historyhit.com/subscription/

You can take part in our listener survey here.

From the earliest iterations on the plains of Africa, to 21st century reconsiderations of it: are humans meant to be monogamous?

Joining Kate today is Helen Fisher, author of ANATOMY OF LOVE: A Natural History Of Mating, Marriage, And Why We Stray, to shed a light on our own relationship with this ancient social status.

How successful is it really? And will it survive well into the future?

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://www.historyhit.com/subscription/

You can take part in our listener survey here.

The long-awaited third season of Bridgerton is here! And with it, we all become obsessed with a particularly sexy version of Regency-era history.

Today's episode is the first in our mini-series on the REAL Bridgerton. Across four episodes we'll uncover Georgian attitudes to drugs and alcohol, insights into the celebrities of the time, and a re-cap on the historical accuracies of the latest season.

First and foremost, though, what was sex really like in Georgian England? How effective were the fashionable animal gut condoms? And what erotica were people enjoying?

Today's guests are Catherine Curzon, Kate Stephenson, Julie Peakman and Katie Wignall.

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://www.historyhit.com/subscription/

You can take part in our listener survey here.