Channel 5 and Cosmo pair up with sex show
By Jason Deans, THE GUARDIAN
Wednesday October 2, 2002
It has just relaunched as Five and spent months carefully planning a new-look schedule complete with upmarket drama, a Chris Moyles show and a slot for BBC star Gaby Roslin.
But now Channel 5 has revealed it has no intention of disguising its roots. It has signed a deal with Cosmopolitan to make a factual entertainment documentary about the 50 best ways for men and women to pleasure each other in the bedroom.
Dawn Airey, the recently departed Channel 5 chief, declared recently that the station was "more than just football, films and fucking" in reference to its early line-up of football, 9pm movies and late night pornography.
But privately the channel knows sex - even the relatively upmarket Cosmopolitan variety - turns viewers on.
Cosmopolitan's 50 Ways To Please... will tie in with a survey in the magazine's November issue, which asks readers to spill the beans about their sex lives.
The results of the survey will be used to draw up a list of readers' 50 favourite sexual practices, which will form the basis of the Channel 5 show.
Interviews with psychologists, sex therapists and celebrities will also feature in the two-part programme, which will be screened in a peak time slot.
"We are delighted to be working with such a forward thinking channel," said the Cosmopolitan editor, Lorraine Candy.
"This will bring Cosmopolitan to life, helping to improve the nation's relationships and sex lives."