Woman’s Hour has sparked a backlash from Radio 4 listeners over a series of broadcasts about pornography.
The programme’s ‘Porn series’, examines how ‘porn is shaping our sex lives’.
It launched last month, with episodes including an interview with a woman deciding ‘where the line was’ over her husband’s porn use. Another featured an interview with a ‘recovering sex and love addict’, which included explicit terms.
The broadcasts have led to suggestions that the long-running series has become too preoccupied with ‘bodily functions’.
Some also questioned whether the content of the episodes was appropriate for its 10am broadcast slot, when it could be heard by young children.
Woman’s Hour has sparked a backlash from Radio 4 listeners over a series of broadcasts about pornography. The programme’s ‘Porn series’, examines how ‘porn is shaping our sex lives’
It launched last month, with episodes including an interview with a woman deciding ‘where the line was’ over her husband’s porn use (Stock Photo)
One listener told audience response show Feedback: ‘Might I suggest that if the woman telling her story isn’t prepared to divulge her name, it’s probably going to be unacceptable to a large number of listeners, of which my husband and I are definitely amongst them. By the way, neither of us are prudish or anti-sex.’
Another listener told Radio 4: ‘Please can someone do something to rein in the current Woman’s Hour preoccupation with masturbation, pornography and general bodily functions.’ They added: ‘Woman’s Hour is broadcast at 10am but with the current content, I think 10pm would be a better time.
‘I would also suggest that if the discussion was about men doing the same things, there would be an outcry.’ But some listeners defended programmes featuring explicit content, with one saying they had been ‘so insightful’.
They added: ‘I hope Woman’s Hour does not shy away from topics like this in the future as we need to hear them.’ A spokesman for Woman’s Hour told the Radio 4 listener response show: ‘Woman’s Hour doesn’t shy away from taboo topics and does so in the considered and sensitive way our listeners expect.’
He added: ‘Discussing pornography is not new to Woman’s Hour. It’s a topic which is culturally relevant and yet often under-discussed.
‘Women have told us that they are concerned about how porn use is affecting their relationships and sex lives.
‘Yet most women don’t feel able to talk openly about it, leaving them feeling confused and isolated. Radio 4 has an adult audience and this topic is handled in a manner that is appropriate for the time of broadcast.’