<p>How did a working class illiterate woman become King Charles II's favourite mistress?</p><br><p>Nell Gwyn was an incredibly talented comedy actor who came from a working class background, and was part of a group of pioneering women who were the first allowed to take to the stage to play women's roles.</p><br><p>Her personality was huge, audiences loved her ability to swear, and she was described as "the wildest creature to ever be seen at court." No wonder Charles loved her!</p><br><p>What was the wild world of 17th century Restoration Theatre like? How did she change comedy acting? What did the general public think of her?</p><br><p>Joining Kate to take us back to this world is Dr. David Taylor, Associate Professor of English at Oxford University.</p><br><p>You can also watch both Kate and David in the History Hit documentary, <a href="https://access.historyhit.com/royal-favourites" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Sex and Scandal: Royal Favourites</em></a>, for more about Nell's extraordinary life. </p><br><p>This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.</p><br><p>If you'd like to get in touch with the show you can contact us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>.</p><br><p>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 <a href="https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe</u></a>. </p><br><p><u>You can take part in our listener survey</u><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u> here</u></a><u>.</u></p><br><p>All music from Epidemic Sounds.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.</p>
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