She’s spent the last six months talking to people about the low points in their sex lives. Now, heavily pregnant, Franki’s struggling to find the spark herself. Could listening to audio porn be the solution? She grabs her headphones to find out. The Second Circle is produced, written, and hosted by Franki Cookney Audio production: Anouszka Tate The…

Whether it’s with our friends or, more crucially, with our partners, sex IS something we need to be able to communicate about if we want it to be good. But it’s so hard! Why? Because for all the other messages we get around sex, all the things we’re taught or that we glean from our culture or the media… no one tells us how to talk about it. The Sec…

Somewhere along the way we’ve been taught that desire should just exist without any conscious effort, like hunger or thirst. And if it doesn’t – uh oh – that means something is wrong. But this idea of sex as a “drive” is actually a myth. And like so many myths, it’s standing in the way of us having good, fulfilling sex lives. The Second Circle is p…

Faulty penises, unruly pubes, and unexplained pain: When our bodies don’t look or work the way they’re “supposed” to, it can feel like a real barrier to good sex. So what can we do about it? Do we push on through anyway? Seek treatment? Or adjust our expectations? The Second Circle is produced, written, hosted by Franki Cookney Audio production: An…

One in eight women and one in twenty men say they lack enjoyment during sex. For all the conflicting messages we get around sex, most of us know that on some level we’re supposed to enjoy it. But there are a lot of things that can stand in our way. The Second Circle is produced, written, hosted by Franki Cookney Audio production: Anouszka Tate Titl…

Where do we learn about sex? Who do we learn it from? What do those people and establishments actually tell us… about what sex IS and what it’s supposed to mean? And is it possible… is it possible… that some of what we’re being told might be directly contributing to our experiences of bad sex? The Second Circle is produced, written, hosted by Frank…

While plenty of us still grow up in families and communities where sex is taboo or there are strict rules around it, on a broader societal level here in Western Europe it’s fair to say sex is no longer seen as sinful. Sex is good, it’s healthy, it’s normal, it’s empowering! We’re living in this lovely, glossy, horny world where we’re told that good…

Awkward. Dissatisfying. Painful. Shameful. Disappointing. Miserable. Or just a bit… meh. The Second Circle is back with a NEW series looking at the type of sex we’ve definitely all experienced: bad sex. Combining in-depth reporting with real life stories, BAD SEX takes listeners on a journey through the less desirable side of sex: from dissatisfyin…

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers. On this episode Franki talks to writer Sangeeta Pillai about the stigma and stereotypes around sex when you’re a South Asian woman. Sangeeta is the founder of Soul Sutras and creator of The Masala Monologues as well as the forthcoming Masala Podcast. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex we h…

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers. Franki talks to sex worker and co-curator of Objects of Desire Rory about having sex for money and what kinds of stories get left out of conversations about sex work. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex, we hear how a university hookup made Heather re-evaluate her approach to kink. We also …

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers. On this episode Franki talks to sex and libido blogger Laura about her experiences with low sex drive. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex we hear from disabled sex writer Finn about how a period of singleness taught them more about what they want from sex and relationships than being coupl…

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers. On this episode Franki talks to trans activist and all-round kinkster Alyssa Henley about her experiences with sex and gender identity. And in The Overthinkers Guide To Sex, we hear how alcohol shaped Africa Brooke‘s relationship with sex and how she went about relearning how to connect …

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers. This week Franki talks to bisexual polyamorous woman L about opening up her marriage and managing multiple relationships. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex, Frankie Wells and Anouszka Tate of sex podcast Project Pleasure tell us how some of their best and worst sexual experiences shaped t…

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers. This week Franki talks to filmmaker and porn performer Rooster about the difference between fucking on and off screen. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex Cosmpolitan journalist Paisley Gilmour realises that even when you write about sex and consent for a living, it doesn’t mean you always …

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers. In episode seven, Franki talks to sex educator Ruby Stevenson about why wanking gets a bad rap and whether masturbation it could ever be considered as important as partnered sex. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex we hear how a disappointing sexual encounter turned out to have unexpected b…

Interview

October was a depressing month for sex news but we managed to dig out a few rays of hope in the form of a new type of condom. We discuss the consultation on the Gender Recognition Act, dodgy biscuits and the appointment of Brett Kavanagh to the US Supreme Court. Then Franki sits down with porn performer Lina Bembe to talk about the ethics of porn (…

There’s a lot of vagina news this week including a discussion about summer vaginas… so we ask what a summer penis might look like. Franki interviewed sex and relationships therapist Dr Lori Beth Bisbey about how sexuality develops and changes throughout our lives and Rob has a lot of thoughts about that. Plus, we have a look at a question about pol…

I don’t write smut, I don’t share sexy pictures, I don’t wear slutty outfits. So am I sexy enough? Things get up close and personal in the first of The Second Circle’s Solo Sessions as Franki goes it alone in order to ponder a question that’s been on her mind. This episode looks at how it feels when everyone around you seems to be having more adven…

Are there any parts of sex that you find a bit disgusting? And is it OK to skip the bits you don’t like? We discuss straight men’s attitudes to female orgasms and why a pair of pants that shields you from bodily fluids while giving head is NOT empowering. Plus to do when you get a pube stuck in your mouth and Rob gets the lowdown on male masturbato…

Iceland is considering banning male circumcision. We discuss what the deal is with foreskins and whether it matters if you have one or not. Rob learns some new ways to boost a female partner’s chances of orgasm… but is orgasm even the best part of sex? And if it’s not, what is? Meanwhile, Franki is getting excited about upcoming sex writers’ confer…

Time Magazine have honoured the people who spoke out about sexual harassment this year, but what does this mean for the future? We look at the pros and cons of data-gathering sex tech and Rob ruins one of Franki’s sexual fantasies by recasting its key protagonist. We also talk about the role of fantasy in sex and discuss the best ways to ask someon…

The Second Circle is taking part in Scarlet Ladies’ #ITalkSex campaign this week as I’m joined by three of the campaign’s ambassadors, Elly, Rudo, and Kit, to delve into why silence around sex can lead to abuse and what we can do to help each other be more open. We also chat about why women are more content than men to be single and whether there’s…

More women than men say they regret casual sex… but why? We learn all the secret sexting codes that teenagers are using today and how virtual reality is going to take our sexual fantasies to new and surreal heights! We also discuss the language of sex and why context is everything when choosing how to talk dirty. If you enjoyed the show today, why …

Is it OK to be turned on by things that we find unacceptable in real life? Plus what happens when you apply a BDSM reading to Shakespeare? A listener asks whether toe-sucking is now ‘a thing’, Rob gives some truly terrible advice on how to manage your partner’s libido and we order off Dr de Wit’s Sex Menu. If you enjoyed the show today, why not buy…

The first sex robots are due to go on the market in 2050 and apparently they will improve your skills in bed. We take a look at the positive side of porn and discuss whether or not it’s okay to slut-shame Melania Trump for her career as a model (spoiler: it’s not). We also tackle a question about sexting and Rob goes off on a metaphorical tangent i…

Labour MP Keith Vaz met male escorts for sex but at what point does your sex life become public interest? We also bring you a Sexy Paralympics update (it involves Maltesers), a controversial question about virginity and some hot pillow talk about our earliest sexual memories. If you enjoyed the show today, why not buy me a coffee? LINKS The Mirror’…

Did you know the clitoris is shaped like a hi-tech boomerang? You do now! Also this week: why it’s important to talk about pleasure in sex education, a Sexy Olympics update, questions about going on top, and we chat about sex toys and how important it is for a guy to be able to ‘go again.’ If you enjoyed the show today, why not buy me a coffee? LIN…

Why doesn't the NHS want to pay for HIV prevention drugs? We find out. Plus, we discuss the recent sexism row at Saatchi & Saatchi and the report that millennials are having less sex, before throwing around some questions about douching, rough sex and threesomes. LINKS HIV campaigners win NHS drug battle …and the Daily Mail’s reaction to it. Franki…