Amanda Holden has done almost everything. She’s an actress, a TV presenter, a talent show judge and a West End star. But one thing she’s never done before is gone back in time to look at sex habits alongside historian Dan Jones – Horrible Histories-style.
“I’ve kept my hands clean, Dan’s done all the dirty work!” Amanda laughs. “For anything that was a bit too risqué, I’ve said, ‘Dan can do that!’ Like working with pig semen, no thanks!
“The most important thing to me when I signed up to this was that, yes, it’s a little bit cheeky, but I didn’t want it to become a net curtain-twitching, click bait thing. It had to be informative and educational, and I really think it is.”
In the brand new series, the pair explore how attitudes towards sex and sexuality have evolved throughout the ages, from the ancient Egyptians right up to the 20th century.
“Who is the horniest person in the whole of history?” asks Dan. “The Marquis de Sade would take some beating. Samuel Pepys was surprisingly smutty, I guess. On his 30th birthday, he went out to Westminster Hall and kissed the long-dead corpse of Catherine De Valois, the widow of Henry V.”
As Amanda and Dan look back in time, they don’t just hear what the experts have to say. When it came to proving theories, Amanda helped the team test to see if women were turned on by gladiators.
“They hooked me up to a heart-rate monitor and I watched guys boxing, which couldn’t have been less of a turn-on for me,” she explains. “I think it’s completely incomparable because back in the day, gladiatorial behaviour was more like a football match than anything. You’re looking at heroes of the time fighting for their lives, oiled up in a ring and you’re vying for them, aren’t you?”
So what did Amanda learn from the show?
“There was a lot of freedom of expression, but everyone’s sexuality was pretty fluid,” she explains. “We learned that the Spartans just got on with it really and just enjoyed themselves. I also enjoyed learning that Queen Victoria was a sex kitten!"
“We're looking at things from a very light-hearted point of view,” continues Amanda. “It is a bit of light relief, a bit of fun, it's knowledgeable. We're studying the past and the impact that it's had on society now and how things have changed because of rebellion and because of women. It’s always women, standing up for themselves or pushing things forward.”
Sex: A Bonkers History begins on Monday 18th September, 9pm, Sky History
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