“Bad sex writing is just really funny to dissect”

This month the team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote A Porno take their sell-out show on tour.

What would you do if your dad wrote a dirty book? Ignore it? Not Jamie Morton. He reads it to the world. Along with his best mates James Cooper and Radio 1 DJ Alice Levine, Jamie reads a ‘Lost Chapter’ from his dad’s [pen name Rocky Flintstone] notoriously brilliant Belinda Blinked saga. Let’s meet the trio.

So, Jamie, why did your father decide to write erotica?
Jamie: This is one of the biggest questions in my life: and I’m still not 100% sure on the answer. Neither is he. He was a retired builder, looking for something to pass the time. He’d heard about the success EL James had with 50 Shades and thought ‘if she can do it, so can I.’ It turns out he can’t. Saying that, he’s created an incredible and arguably iconic world and cluster of characters, so credit to him.

What do your dad think of the podcast?
Jamie: Dad’s the biggest fan. He’s a wind-up merchant himself, so he loves the fact that we rib him every week. He has the best sense of humour and takes a lot of happiness from his work being enjoyed by millions of people around the world.

How would you describe the live show?
James: You’ll definitely have a laugh – but you might also need a shower afterwards. We read a ‘Lost Chapter’ that you will never hear on the podcast – but it’s a proper show, rather than a straight podcast read. So, there’s loads of audience participation, videos, a very useful presentation on female anatomy – we’ve tried to make the most of the opportunity to be visual rather than just audio.
Alice: Eye-opening. You definitely Google ‘cervix’ at work the next day.
Jamie: It’s so much fun and there is no need to have ever heard the podcast before. My Dad’s books famously make no sense so even if you’re a Belinda virgin, you’ll be starting at pretty much the same place as everyone else. Bad sex writing is just really funny to dissect.

The trio at the Royal Albert Hall

How would you describe Belinda to anyone who has not encountered her stories before? 
Alice: I would describe her as ‘mad as a box of frogs’. She’s unlike anyone I have ever encountered or read about.
James: Belinda is the global sales director of a pots and pans company. Her methods to secure big deals (basically, having sex with anyone and everyone) are unorthodox but effective. Plot-wise, you might think that nothing really happens… and you’d be right. But as you delve deeper into the book, you soon realise that there’s more than meets the eye and that Rocky might actually be smarter that we all think.
As a character, I’ve never met anyone like Belinda Blumenthal. First of all, she may be the last living owner of a waterbed. Secondly, her tireless dedication to her job, her seize-the-day attitude to life, and her unfaltering self-confidence (she’s pretty much always naked) should be an inspiration to us all. She will challenge everything you ever thought you knew about literature – and about life.

My Dad Wrote a Porno Colston Hall, Monday, April 16. For more info, visit www.colstonhall.org/shows/dad-wrote-porno