The Family Sex Show was due to open this month in at least seven theatres, from Norwich to Bristol, but had to be cancelled following a backlash, with more than 38,000 people (ordinary mums, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, for the most part) signing a petition calling The Family Sex Show 'profoundly irresponsible and wholly inappropriate'. As the organisers make crystal clear: 'This is a show for everyone. The target audience, remember, includes pre-teen children. Youngsters are urged to explore 'sexual pleasure' and 'try sexual practices' with the help of an online information pack that includes questions such as, 'Do you make enough time to experience pleasure?'Īnd, 'If some of your pleasures are sexual, are there any sexual practices you might like to try? Or 'Which pleasures are experienced alone and which are with other people?' Parents are encouraged to bring their kids to 'learn about sex' as an 'alternative to porn' during the hour-long production, if that is the right word. The quote, apparently from a fan, is reproduced in big letters inside a speech bubble.Ĭould there be a more inappropriate, misleading description? 'It's like Pixar meets Sesame Street meets Flight Of The Conchords' is how the 'show' is promoted on The Family Sex Show website.
The more shocking revelation, though, is that the production, The Family Sex Show, subsidised to the tune of nearly £40,000 from the National Lottery, via Arts Council England - public money, in other words - is aimed at children as young as five. Many might wonder why such a production, featuring full-frontal nudity apart from anything else, is being put on at a much-respected auditorium in the heart of one of our most historic cities instead of, say, the backstreets of Soho. Parents are encouraged to bring their kids to 'learn about sex' as an 'alternative to porn' during the hour-long production, if that is the right word