The Week The Women Came, MOre4 - TV review

 

Ellen E. Jones
Tuesday 17 December 2013 01:00 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Fiona and Elaine, the two stars of More4's The Week The Women Came documentary, suffered from low desire, one of the most common sexual problems, and had bravely/madly allowed cameras to film their sessions with psychosexual counsellor, Trudy Hannington.

Hannington's message for the viewers was simple: sexual problems are rarely just about sex. An estimated one in four women have trouble reaching climax at some point in their lives, and around 10 per cent never do. They can't all have a headache.

Fiona, in particular, had some very sound practical reasons for a flagging libido. Not only did she have two children (one teenager and one under five), but she worked nights while her husband did a day shift. I'd be impressed if these two ships even passed in the night, let alone found time to dock. Meanwhile, 58-year-old Elaine and her husband had slept in separate beds for four years, after the menopause brought their formerly satisfying sex life to a premature end. Both couples had almost given up hope until Hannington's techniques yielded some impressively speedy results.

There's no ignoring the inherent cringe factor in discovering so much intimate detail about two absolute strangers, but this documentary's sensitive handling of such a tricky – and potentially icky – topic was a marvel. It didn't feel like exhibitionism; it felt like a real public service.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in