My Dad Wrote a Porno is a British podcast hosted by Jamie Morton, James Cooper, and Alice Levine. Each episode features Morton reading a new chapter of a series of erotic fiction novels, titled Belinda Blinked, written by his Northern Irish father under the pen name Rocky Flintstone; Morton, Cooper and Levine react to the material and provide running commentary. Cooper and Levine are hearing the chapter for the first time, whereas Morton usually reads the chapter before recording the episode. As of February 2018, the series has had over 100 million downloads.
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Origin and format
The podcast began in 2015 and is presented by television writer and director Jamie Morton, digital executive James Cooper, and BBC Radio 1 presenter Alice Levine. The three had met at University of Leeds, were all working in broadcasting, and had worked together on projects before. The podcast was spawned when, at a family gathering for Morton's sister's birthday, Morton's father took him into the study and handed him some chapters of a novel he had been writing under the pen name Rocky Flintstone in his garden shed (Morton claims his mother won't let his father write it in the house). Morton realised with shock that he was reading the first chapter of his father's erotic literature novel, Belinda Blinked. He shared the chapter with friends at a Christmas lunch, where Levine suggested they should create a podcast.
Morton played the My Dad Wrote a Porno pilot to his family, who were encouraging; while his mother initially found it disgusting, she is now fully supportive. The podcast recording usually takes place informally in one of the hosts' houses and 90 minutes of recording is edited by Morton into one 40-minute episode. The podcast is hosted by Acast, which secures the advertising that funds the production. The advert is then scripted into the advertising section of the podcast and performed by the three presenters. The rest of the podcast is unscripted and spontaneous. Cooper and Levine have not heard the chapter before the recording, whereas Morton has read through it shortly before recording the episode to familiarise himself with the phrasing and prepare for any accents he may have to adopt.
Series 1 (2015) consisted of 13 episodes, with 4 "Footnotes" episodes and a "Best of" episode. Series 2 (2016) consisted of 16 episodes, with 15 "Footnotes" episodes and a "Best of" episode. Series 3 (2017) consisted of 15 episodes, with 14 "Footnotes" episodes.
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Belinda Blinked
Belinda Blinked is a genuine series of at least six books, three of which are available as self-published e-books for sale and download. As of 2017, Flintstone was working on the sixth book and has said he intends to continue as he "needs the money". The first four books were written and completed before the podcast began airing in 2015. The first was released in March 2015 under its full title, Belinda Blinked; 1 A modern story of sex, erotica and passion. How the sexiest sales girl in business earns her huge bonus by being the best at removing her high heels. The second followed in July 2016, entitled Belinda Blinked; 2 The continuing story of, dripping sex, passion and big business deals.: Keep following the sexiest sales girl in business as she earns her huge bonus by removing her silk blouse. The third was released in May 2017, called Belinda Blinked; 3: The continuing erotic story of sexual activity, dripping action and even bigger business deals as Belinda relentlessly continues to earn her huge bonus.
The novels tell the story of the sexual exploits of Belinda Blumenthal and her work in the sales and marketing department of the fictional company Steeles Pots and Pans. Belinda's work takes her around the world, where she meets various sales reps, suppliers, and business associates. Many characters regularly appear throughout the series, although some are introduced only to never be heard from again, or even change name halfway through a chapter. The writing is erratic and Morton has said, "One moment Belinda is handcuffed to a trellis in a 'medium-sized maze', the next she's at a charity tombola raising funds for the Asses & Donkeys Trust."
"Rocky Flintstone" is the pen name of Morton's father, a retired Northern Irish builder. According to Flintstone, the name "Rocky" was inspired by The Rockford Files and a family friend's dog living in Brazil, also named Rocky. "Flintstone" is inspired by the author's degree in geology and his self-identification with Fred Flintstone as he batters on the door waiting to be allowed back indoors at the end of each Flintstones episode. Before retiring, Flintstone worked as a builder, teacher, and, like his protagonist, in sales. Flintstone prefers to remain out of the podcast spotlight.
Characters
Characters from the Belinda Blinked books include:
- Belinda Blumenthal, the protagonist of the novels. As the saga begins, Blumenthal has just been appointed Worldwide Sales Director of Steele's Pots & Pans. Previously employed at Typhoid Crockery Holdings. First appearance: S01E01.
- Tony, Managing Director of Steeles Pots & Pans. First appearance: S01E01.
- Bill, the Human Resources Director of Steeles Pots & Pans. First appearance: S01E01.
- Giselle. First appearance: S01E01.
- Bella/Donna. First appearance: S01E02.
- Jim Thompson (Sales Administration Manager, Steels Pots & Pans)
- Patrick O'Hamlyn (Scotland and Ireland RSM, Steeles Pots & Pans)
- Ken Dewsbury (Central and Northern England RSM, Steeles Pots & Pans)
- Des Martin (London RSM, Steeles Pots & Pans)
- Dave Willcox (Western RSM, Steeles Pots & Pans)
- Alfonse Stirbacker
- Peter Rouse
- Jim Stirling
- Alfie, the Smallish Man Dressed in Black
- Sir James Godwin (Company Chairman, Steeles Pots & Pans)
- The Duchess
- Zara, the Countess of Leningrad
- Helga
- Grigor Calanski
- Clarence, husband of The Duchess, Duke of Epsom
- Tara Gold is a television executive and journalist. First appearance: S03E03.
- Jim Walters is a CEO of Apollo Security Agencies. First appearance: S03E03.
- Norman Asquith OBE, is a city banker. First appearance: S03E03.
- Chiara Montague, a fashion designer to the rich and famous. First appearance: S03E03.
- Claus Bloch
- Hank Skank
- Greta
- Adaam
- Sam, the youngish man on reception
- Cedric
- Hazel, Co-Pilot
- Doris and Joan, the Hunts Girls
Podcast guests
The podcast features "Footnotes" episodes which run concurrently with the series, in which they discuss aspects of the phenomenon and invite notable listeners to discuss Belinda Blinked, offer suggestions, and discuss potential film castings. Footnotes began with episodes featuring Flintstone's biography and questions from listeners. Guests have included Elijah Wood, Joe Lycett, Thomas Middleditch, Charlotte Crosby, Michael Sheen, George Ezra, Stephen Mangan, Rachel Bloom, Daisy Ridley, Ben Barnes and Mara Wilson.
Other media
The first series of My Dad Wrote a Porno was published as a book on October 27, 2016. It was designed as a spoof "study guide" with comments, annotations, character appraisals, key themes, and games provided by the hosts. In June 2017, a copy of the book signed by the hosts and Flintstone was auctioned as part of a fundraiser for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.
The My Dad Wrote a Porno live show has toured the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the USA including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland and Just For Laughs comedy festival in Canada.
The team have also been approached about adapting the material into a film. Based on the "Footnotes" episodes the team have postulated, "Elijah Wood's playing the youngish man. Daisy Ridley's the Duchess. Michael Sheen's Dr. Robbins, he was very excited about that. Thomas Middleditch wanted to be Dr Robbins too, so they'll have to fight for that. Rachel Bloom wanted to be Jim Sterling in prosthetics."
Reception
The podcast initially ran into problems with its title, with iTunes refusing to list it and advertisers being reluctant to be involved.
As of February 2018, the podcast has been downloaded over 100 million times. Dedicated fans are known as "Belinkers" and on Mondays, when a new episode is released, the hashtag #PornoDay trends on Twitter. My Dad Wrote a Porno is frequently cited in best UK podcasts lists by media such as GQ, Square Mile (magazine),The Guardian, Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and Stuff.
The writing style has been described as "unerotic" and "hideous" (The Guardian), "unintentionally hilarious" and having an "extremely sketchy knowledge of female anatomy" (The Times), and "Shakespearesque" (Michael Sheen)
In 2016, My Dad Wrote a Porno was nominated for an Audio and Radio Industry Academy (ARIAS) award in the category Podcast of the Year.
In 2017, it was nominated for a Webby award in the category Comedy (Podcasts & Digital Audio). Also in 2017, the series was nominated in the Listener Choice category of the British Podcast Awards and the 7th annual Lovie Awards presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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