Sex on TV, anyone? Erm…
For those of you who don’t remember, Sex Box was a show on Channel 4 way back in 2013 - blasted by critics for its controversial and cringe–worthy content. So imagine our surprise when the show returned this week (three years later) – apparently (and entirely unexpectedly) commissioned for a three–part series.
The show – fronted by former T4 presenter Steve Jones and sexologist Goedele Liekens – features a different couple each episode, who for some unknown reason, have agreed to go on TV, have sex in a box (as you do) and then come out and discuss it with each other in front of a live studio audience. Not to mention the British public, who are all watching at home, stuffing popcorn into their mouths and raising their eyebrows up towards the ceiling lights.
And it gets worse - while the brave/ totally bonkers couple are having sex in the private box, a panel of experts will be listening in, before giving their advice on how the partners could have a more fulfilling sex life. And we repeat, this is in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers.
But while it sounds like our worst nightmare (being open about sexual preferences and problems is tough enough in the privacy of our own bedrooms) that's actually exactly what the show's creators are trying to change.
Aiming to help buttoned-up Brits open up about their bedroom antics and speak freely about their relationships and sex lives, they're billing the experience as transformative, rather than, er, traumatic…
‘I'm looking forward to meeting more couples and getting an insight into their relationships through honest and open conversations’, explained Goedele Liekens: presenter and UN Ambassador for Sexual Health, ‘I can’t wait to spice up Britain’s love lives.’ Yikes.