Hi, I'm your host, Kate Lister.

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Hello, my lovely betwixters.

It's me, Kate Lister.

I'm me.

You're you and you are listening to Betwicks the sheets.

And we're so glad that you are.

But before we can go any further together, I do have to tell you,

this is an adult podcast, book, by adults, to other adults about adulty things in an adult way, covering a range

adult subjects. And you should be an adult too. And if you're not, then just go home right now

before your mum writes us angry letters in the morning. Right, the rest of you, on with the show.

If you're looking for signifiers of just how warped Victorian views on the human body truly were,

then look no further than the longstanding tradition of the sideshow.

Filling tents up and down the country were punters from all walks of life.

I mean, Queen Victoria herself was said to be a big fan of these.

And what more validation would you need?

Inside these curtain walls, however, lurks the sinister side of the 19th century notion of

entertainment.

Exploitation and racist portrayals of people's bodies

...