SEX AND SEX EDUCATION IN TV SHOWS

SEX AND SEX EDUCATION IN TV SHOWS

Part 2: UK Teen Dramas

Read on as we continue with the next part in our ‘Sex and Sex Education in TV shows’ series. From ‘Sugar Rush’ to ‘Sex Education’, these three series perfectly capture the chaos of adolescence. When shopping for toys in Flirt sex shop Wagga Wagga located or elsewhere in New South Wales, how many of us think back to our early initiation into the big wide world of sex?

For lots of us, our first encounters of sex education are during our teen years. And what better source for enriching our understanding of sex and adolescence than through the shows that we watch? The charm and allure of teen tv shows lies in the magic of how they capture that very specific time in a person’s life, one that is often fraught with challenges and impossibly messy.

No place in the world does a humble coming-of-age tale better than the UK. Our teen years are dramatic, confused and glorious, and for all of its intense awkwardness, the teen drama is a subgenre of television that will forever have a place in our hearts. Here are our top three teen shows for you to discover for the first time or indulge in a re-watch.

Sugar Rush (2005-2006)

What It’s About

Based on the Julie Burchill novel of the same name, Sugar Rush depicts the life of 15-year-old lesbian Kim (Olivia Hallinan), who has recently moved from London to Brighton, a small seaside town on the south coast of England. Follow Kim as she learns to cope with her growing infatuation with her new (heterosexual) best friend, Sugar (Lenora Crichlow).

Why You Should Watch It

Channel 4, the original network for the show, was praised for pushing boundaries through its depiction of LGBTQIA+ youth, at a time when portrayals of queer teens were very few and far between. Watch out for the infamous masturbation scene involving an electric toothbrush.

Skins (2007-2013)

What It Is About 

The OG coming-of-age show, Skins crashed onto our screens in the late 2000s and has remained the gold standard for teen drama. It follows a group of friends in Bristol as they explore love, drugs, sex and chaos. The parties were ones we all wished we could be a part of but were also somewhat terrified by, and the pitfalls were what had everyone hooked until the very end.

Why You Should Watch It

Skins was celebrated for presenting a more raw and grittier version of adolescence, portraying real teenagers with delicate nuance compared to the plastic, filthy rich kids from American teen shows (think Gossip Girl, The OC and Pretty Little Liars). Tune in to see a young Nicholas Hoult in the role that catapulted him to fame. 

Sex Education (2019-)

What It Is About

Sex Education centres around the nerdy and awkward teen Otis (Asa Butterfield) who starts an underground business therapising his peers at school. Teaming up with Moordale’s resident bad-girl Maeve (Emma Mackey), Otis embarks on a journey offering sex-related advice to other students. This show is very NSFW and after seasons one and two won our hearts, it has been renewed for a third season.

Why You Should Watch It

If you’re deeply nostalgic and want to relive your teenage years, this is a great watch. So many people will be able to relate to the rite of passage of adolescence. The critically acclaimed show was praised for its ground-breaking inclusion of characters experiencing less talked about sexual themes such as pansexuality, as well as brilliantly and sensitively handling subjects such as harassment and sexual assault.

From the underrated to the gold standard of teen drama, we hope this list has got you feeling nostalgic for the good old days. Tune in next month for some recommendations of TV shows from across the pond. 

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