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<\/p>\nAmanda Holden has done almost everything. She\u2019s an actress, a TV presenter, a talent show judge and a West End star. But one thing she\u2019s never done before is gone back in time to look at sex habits alongside historian Dan Jones \u2013 Horrible Histories-style. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve kept my hands clean, Dan\u2019s done all the dirty work!\u201d Amanda laughs. \u201cFor anything that was a bit too risqu\u00e9, I\u2019ve said, \u2018Dan can do that!\u2019 Like working with pig semen, no thanks!<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing to me when I signed up to this was that, yes, it\u2019s a little bit cheeky, but I didn\u2019t want it to become a net curtain-twitching, click bait thing. It had to be informative and educational, and I really think it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is the horniest person in the whole of history?\u201d asks Dan. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Amanda and Dan look back in time, they don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey hooked me up to a heart-rate monitor and I watched guys boxing, which couldn\u2019t have been less of a turn-on for me,\u201d she explains. \u201cI think it\u2019s completely incomparable because back in the day, gladiatorial behaviour was more like a football match than anything. You\u2019re looking at heroes of the time fighting for their lives, oiled up in a ring and you\u2019re vying for them, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
So what did Amanda learn from the show?<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of freedom of expression, but everyone\u2019s sexuality was pretty fluid,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe 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!"<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe're looking at things from a very light-hearted point of view,\u201d continues Amanda. \u201cIt 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\u2019s always women, standing up for themselves or pushing things forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sex: A Bonkers History begins on Monday 18th September, 9pm, Sky History<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n