Sex & Scandal in UK Politics
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
History Hit
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 2 July 2024
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
With the UK election a mere few days away (at time of release), what better time to look back at some of the biggest scandals in our political history?
In this episode, Kate's exploring the notorious Profumo affair of the early 1960s and the Thorpe Affair of the 1970s.
They had it all: sex, espionage and corruption at the highest level of society. It's no wonder they caught the attention of the world's media.
Joining Kate today is Richard Davenport-Hines, author of An English Affair: Sex, Class and Power in the Age of Profumo to find out more about them.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello my lovely betwixters it's me Kate Lister I am here once more you are here we're all together again and I do enjoy our time together so very much |
| 0:08.8 | But before we can keep going I have to let you know that this is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about |
| 0:14.0 | adult things in an adult way covering a range of adult subjects and you should be an adult too. |
| 0:19.1 | And if you're not an adult, if you've snuck through somehow, this is your warning to clear off right now. We don't need you around here. |
| 0:25.9 | But before you go, if you can legally vote for things, I would really appreciate it if you could vote for us |
| 0:31.8 | for the Listeners Choice Awards at this year's |
| 0:33.7 | podcast awards that would be great before you disappear I'd really like that and you |
| 0:38.9 | can do that by going to the website www www |
| 0:41.6 | dot British podcast awards dot com forward slash voting and click going to the website www |
| 0:45.0 | British Podcast Awards dot com forward slash voting and clicking on betwixt the sheets |
| 0:46.4 | and maybe we could win it this year we were placed top 10 last year you know |
| 0:50.1 | and that's all thanks to you let's do it. I think that we can take it this year. |
| 0:54.1 | On with the show! |
| 1:00.1 | Today's story is one of Sex and scandal that changed Britain forever. |
| 1:03.7 | Said in the early 1960s it came at a time of huge social change. |
| 1:08.8 | Cultural movements from the likes of the Beatles shook young people out of the shadow of a post-war gloom, |
| 1:13.7 | and satirists were braver and bolder at challenging politicians than ever before. |
| 1:18.8 | So when the news broke that Christine Keeler, a 19-year-old showgirl had an affair with John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War. |
| 1:26.7 | The once impenetrable divide between the establishment and the rest of us plebs started to crumble. |
| 1:33.0 | To add further fuel to the fire and stoking paranoia about the Cold War |
| 1:38.0 | Christine was also sleeping with an alleged KGB agent. Whoopsy. |
| 1:45.0 | With all the sex and espionage and corruption you could wish for from a scandal, |
... |
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