Iconic TV and film ranked as Brits’ role-play inspirations revealed
· Survey finds bedroom role-play is on the cards for almost two thirds of British adults and strong north-south divide with ZERO southern cities in top 10 list of play-acting hotspots
· Wales engaging in the most role-play, and 100% of Swansea respondents reportedly dominated by pull of Fifty Shades scenarios
· Northern Ireland’s top inspiration is Spider-Man, and Northampton is most turned on by boardroom dramas like Industry
· Gavin and Stacey, EastEnders and Last of the Summer Wine also named by respondents who use TV and cinema as a source of bedroom inspiration
· Sex and relationship expert from LELO provides tips for safely introducing, and making the most of, fantasy scenarios with a partner
Wicked, Gladiator II, Bridgerton, House of the Dragon and… Gavin and Stacey: these are just some of the shows ranked as most likely inspire fancy dress this October. But this list has nothing to do with Halloween; rather, these are among the top fantasy scenarios taking place in bedrooms across Great Britain, according to latest research by sexual wellness brand LELO.
The list was revealed in a study of UK adults’ role-play preferences*, which showed a huge two thirds (65%) of Brits are well up for a bit of bedroom play-acting: a third (33%) engage in role play during sex, while a further 32% haven’t yet – but want to.
The top genres for inspiration were:
1. Relationship dramas (including rom coms, love stories and even friendship dramedies such as Wicked)
2. Action-Adventure Fantasy (including Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Lord of the Rings)
3. Historical cinema and series (including period pieces such as Bridgerton and ancient civilisations such as Gladiator II)
4. Superheroes
5. Real life TV (such as Love Island, Traitors, etc)
6. Sci-fi (such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Dr Who)
7. Workplace dramas (including shows like Succession, Suits and smash hit Industry)
When it comes to historical inspiration, women said they prefer Bridgerton-style period dramas (17% women vs 10% men) whereas men narrowly prefer action-packed ancient history themes, including Roman blockbuster, Gladiator II (15% men vs 12% women)
The greatest disparity between the sexes is with Dr Who and Spider-Man (in both cases nearly four times as many men as women like to act out scenes from these shows or films); followed by Star Wars and Wicked which fuelled the fantasies of over twice as many many men as women.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is the most equally popular persona; this is the only character called upon as much by men as by women in a role-play scenario.
Inspiration can come from all quarters, though, with many respondents preferring to take on characters from shows including James Bond, EastEnders, Last of the Summer Wine and Gavin and Stacey – while others, using their own imaginations, and most commonly calling upon the emergency services (nurses and fire fighters) or workplace scenarios including office colleagues.
BEDROOM ANTICS UK HEAT MAP
Out of the 15 top cities most open to role play, only two lie in the South of the UK: Plymouth and London. Neither of them is in the top 10. **
The Welsh are by far the most adventurous nation in this regard, with almost three quarters (73%) of Welsh respondents saying they do, or would like to, engage in role play, followed by nearly two thirds (65%) of Scots. In close third place came the English (63%), with Northern Ireland fourth – just over half (54%) of adults there have any interest in spicing up their bedroom activity.
Spider-Man is particularly popular in Northern Ireland with 25% of respondents in Belfast and 50% respondents in Derry preferring Peter Parker’s alter ego to any other source of inspiration (compared with a national average of 6%).
Meanwhile Dr Who is most popular in Newport (50%) and Edinburgh (20%); here the time-lord lords it over the rest of the competition.
Swansea on the other hand is fully dominated by the erotic pull of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey’s relationship: with every single respondent saying that Fifty Shades of Grey film is their ideal role play scenario.
Interest in green-tinted romance Wicked peaks in Durham (25% of respondents) whilst Northampton is most turned on by the boardroom powerplays of Succession and Industry (50%).
The most novice role players are in the Northern Irish city of Lisburn where 0% of people have ever pretended to be somebody else in the bedroom, but 50% are keen to try – putting them in the top 4 cities in the UK willing to give sexual play-acting a go (following Newport – 56%, Swansea 55%, and equal to Durham).
When it comes to role play, experience doesn’t always come with age – in fact it seems to diminish – more Millennials have tried role play (48%) than 45-54 year-olds (33%) or 55-64 year olds (28%), with only just over one in 10 (13%) 65+s having given it a go. The only age group bucking that trend are Gen Zs who come in after the Gen X and Ys (at 34%).
Psychotherapist Kate Moyle, LELO‘s in-house relationship and sex expert reveals her top top tips for before, during and after sexual activities involving role-play – however whether seasoned experts or first timers:
- Start Small:
“If it’s the first time you have tried role playing together then start small – nobody is expecting you to be an award-winning actor or actress on your first attempt. You may find it easier to go to a new environment, a new bar, pub or restaurant that you don’t usually visit. However, if home is the only option then try and shift the mood by using sensory cues like music or lighting. And remember it’s meant to be fun – if you’re taking it so seriously to the point that you’re not enjoying it then the balance isn’t working.” - Communicate Preferences:
“Talk about any firm yes’s and firm no’s in advance. Whilst the idea of talking about it before might make it feel less spontaneous, a bit of planning will go a long way. You may really like the idea of a certain character or scene but it’s useful to identify to your partner the specific parts of it that feel most erotic or exciting to you so that they can really run with that.” - Stick to Fictional Characters:
“It’s best to stick to fictional characters – blurring the boundaries between IRL relationships and role play can get murky and it can be hard to separate out the two if you then meet or spend time with the person you were role-playing in real life, and it can create anxieties or worries where there don’t need to be.” - Establish a Safe Word:
“Whatever theme is, pre-decide on a word which means that you stop, sometimes called a safe word, which is out of context of the roleplay and cannot be confused. For example, many people use a traffic light system like green (feels good, carry on), amber (I’m not sure/let’s slow it down) or red (stop). If it goes too far or one or both of you are starting to feel uncomfortable then you can guide each other and avoid any confusion.”
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