It's January and (reluctant) thoughts turn to gym memberships, but what are the ancient origins of this phenomena?

From the naked workouts of Ancient Greece to the bodybuilders of the 19th century, a lot has influenced exercise culture over the centuries - and it's always had a healthy dose of homoeroticism to it.

Joining Kate today is Eric Chaline, author of The Temple of Perfection, to take us inside these spaces and find out more about them.

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

All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3 Media.

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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

From medieval d*ck pics to sex with monks, how did people in medieval times think about sex and sexuality?

It was a period that spanned roughly 1,000 years and even though views on sex were largely shaped by the dominant Christian faith, whether this filtered down to every day experiences is another question.

Joining Kate today is the legendary sex historian Professor Ruth Karras, author of Sexuality in Mediaeval Europe: Doing Unto Others.

Why did people in the middle ages think that women were more highly sexed than men? What did they believe were aphrodisiacs at this time? And what did they think caused STIs?

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

All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3 Media.

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.

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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Cosmetic procedures are a huge part of (most of our) worlds.

With new ones seemingly cropping up all the time, the boob job feels like an old classic.

What are the origins of the boob job? Who had the first ever one? And how has it changed over time?

Today we're revisiting a conversation Kate had with Professor Ruth Holliday and cosmetic surgeon Professor Vikram Devaraj, to find out more about this bumpy history.

This episode was edited by Annie Coloe & Tom Delargy. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3 Media.

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.

Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.