People Are Praising A Sex Scene In BBC Drama Normal People

Sex in the world of film and TV isn't always that realistic - the messy practicalities are often omitted, and it's rare to see the characters crying throughout and falling asleep immediately afterwards.

However, a sex scene in BBC drama Normal People is being singled out for praise, with viewers commending its authenticity and also its emphasis on consent.

BBC

Based on Sally Rooney's best-selling novel of the same name, the 12-part series follows Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) as they navigate through their teenage years and emerge into adulthood, weaving in and out of each other's lives as they grow older.

The entire series dropped on iPlayer on Sunday and has proven a hit, with Marianne and Connell's first sex scene in the second episode being singled out for commendation by viewers as one of the best representations of sex they have seen on the gogglebox.

BBC

In the scene - in which Marianne has sex for the first time - Connell puts on a condom and reiterates to Marianne that they can stop at any time.

He says: "If you want to stop or anything, we can obviously stop... If it hurts, or, anything, we can stop, it won't be awkward. You can just say."

After watching the scene - ideally not with their parents - people flocked to social media to shower praise on it:

Much of the credit for this depiction must go to Ita O'Brien, an intimacy coordinator who also worked on Netflix's hit comedy-drama Sex Education.

Speaking to LADbible about O'Brien's role, Sex Education director Ben Taylor said: "The way she explained it is that if you have a fight scene on a show you have a fight coordinator, and if you have a dance scene in a show you have a choreographer, and why do we not approach intimacy scenes like that?

"That's the role that she and her team fulfil, which they are there to help you do it really well, help you do it really safely and they take care of the cast and the crew before, during and after those scenes and hopefully take away some of the fear and anxiety that can come up around shooting sex scenes."

All of Normal People is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. Double bills of episodes air on BBC One each Monday at 9pm.

Topics: TV and Film, Sex, UK Entertainment

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey