Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Emma Pryer

Ten sexy shows set to steam up your TV after Bridgerton and Normal People success

After the huge success of sexy dramas Bridgerton and Normal People, TV bosses reckon they know what tickles our fancy.

Shows lined up for 2021 are set to follow the same theme, with bathtub liaisons and pole dancing dates.

The Netflix and BBC Three hits were among the dramas that got us through the trials of lockdown. Now a whole raft of shows – new and old – are hot on their heels, hoping to send us into a steamy frenzy.

Here’s our pick of the most flirty and seductive of them, which are sure to get our pulses racing in the months ahead.

Get ready to be seduced on the sofa like never before…

Domina, Sky and Now TV, arrives in May

Game of Thrones fans will love this, not least because it stars GoT’s Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth).

The eight-part drama has strong female leads and centres on brazen Livia Drusilla – Perfect Strangers’ Kasia Smutniak – who becomes Rome’s first Empress, surviving a heady mix of conspiracy, murder and, of course, seduction.

Action-packed and brutal, it is based loosely on actual events in Ancient Rome. Which means we can expect some very sexy scenes.

Dating No Filter, Sky and Now TV, available now

Dating No Filter sees singletons mingle under the eye of comedians (Sky UK)

As if going on a first date isn’t taxing enough, these singletons do it under the watchful eye of some of Britain’s top comedians.

The result? A thoroughly entertaining watch.

Comics getting involved in the fun include everyone from Daisy May Cooper and Tom Allen to Joel Dommett and Josh Widdicombe.

Each comedy duo has to watch and weigh-in on the date, giving their unfiltered commentary on every interaction.

The dates themselves are devised to create TV gold. While one couple have to endure pole dancing, another pair visit a goat farm. Each to their own…

A Very British Scandal, BBC One, coming soon

Claire Foy in The Crown (Netflix)

There’s been a lot of noise about this drama since its announcement earlier this year – not least because it stars The Crown’s Claire Foy as a scandalous aristocrat.

The formidable actress takes on the role of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll – whose Sixties divorce trial was seen as scandalous.

Her bitter husband provided the court with explicit photos of her naked – but for a necklace of pearls – with another lover. The Duke is played by WandaVision’s Paul Bettany, reprising his role from Series 2 of the Jeremy Thorpe hit drama, A Very English Scandal.

The Duke claimed his wife took 80 lovers during their marriage, a scandal that muddied the reputation of one of Britain’s finest socialites.

Given the subject matter, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be lots of sex – although the drama is supposed to be sympathetic to the Duchess.

The BBC are tight-lipped but it may just make the 2021 schedule.

The Pursuit of Love, BBC One, later this year

Lily James is returning to our screens in the Pursuit of Love (BBC)

TV loves Lily James. The Downton Abbey star plays yet another aristo – this time the wild, wayward and love-addicted Linda Radlett.

Expect a period drama romcom with wit, frivolity and, yes, nudity.

The three-parter is an adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s 1945 novel, set in the interwar years.

Our heroine gallivants off to find true love, her hunt for a husband taking her from her Oxfordshire manor all the way to Paris – and there are suitors aplenty. Narrating her tale is Linda’s “more proper” cousin Fanny Logan, played by Emily Beecham – and we even see the pair sharing cheeky chats in a bath.

Better still, Fleabag’s Hot Priest, Andrew Scott, is neighbour Lord Merlin. Lily also appears alongside The Affair star Dominic West, who plays Linda’s strict father.

Love Island, ITV2, June

Love Island is coming back this year (ITV)

It feels marred by the tragic losses of former presenter Caroline Flack and contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, but after lockdown hold-ups it’s set to come back.

Expect the usual parade of body beautifuls, strutting up and down by the poolside.

There’ll be plenty of skimpy swimwear and mucho swooning and kissing in Casa De Amor – alongside a few shock recouplings, explosive exits and unexpected splits.

Lie With Me, Channel 5, later this year

Charlie Brooks (WireImage)

Charlie Brooks, famed for playing EastEnders’ Janine Butcher many moons ago, stars alongside Australian actor Brett Tucker – who is not as instantly recognisable but dashing nonetheless.

The chilling drama centres around a British woman (that’ll be Charlie) and her husband jetting to Australia after their marriage is rocked by infidelity.

Things go horribly wrong when they recruit a local nanny who is not the innocent woman she appears to be.

Full details are still under wraps but there will be sex and seduction aplenty, as well as some very tense moments.

Naked Attraction, Channel 4, April 13, 10pm

Naked Attraction is back later in April (Channel 4)

Those multi-coloured boxes with butt-naked singletons showing their wares to the nation are back, along with plucky presenter Anna Richardson.

It doesn’t get more blatant than a dating show where the person doing the choosing picks who they want to take to dinner, based purely on that person’s boob or bum size.

Yet just when you thought you’d seen it all (quite literally) along comes another series that’s possibly even more outlandish.

Episode four features the show’s oldest ever picker – a 75-year-old bi-curious naturist called Ian from North Yorkshire.

There’s also a wrestler who manages to score in the ring but isn’t getting any grappling outside of it.

Certainly not a show for the faint-hearted – but good on them all for embracing their bodies.

Sexify, Netflix, April 28

This Polish comedy-drama is clearly geared towards younger viewers and may not be the sort of thing Granny would approve of.

The subtitles don’t detract from any of the sexually explicit humour or outlandish storyline.

Student Natalia, a budding software developer, knows lots about tech – but close to zero about the birds and the bees. So together with pals Paulina and Monika she designs an app to better understand the mysteries surrounding female erogenous zones.

I’m not convinced it’ll be sex’s Next Big Thing… for me, Ann Summers still has it covered.

Temptation Island 2 - E4, April 15, 10pm

Expect plenty of flirting, lots of kissing and undoubtedly a raft of explosive quarrels and backstabbing.

Four couples who are together but not married head to a romantic paradise island to mix with 24 sexy, single men and women, who are all in search of love.

During their stay, each couple finally discover whether they can commit to each other – or if one of them will have given in to temptation. Will they totter off with the person they arrived with, or have their head turned by someone new?

More to the point, why would you agree to go on the show in the first place if you weren’t having serious relationship woes?

Are these people mad? Quite possibly… but you’ll have to watch this second series to decide for yourself.

Sex Education 3, Netflix, later this year

A third of Sex Education airs later this year (Netflix)

This coming-of-age comedy has been widely praised for the frank way it deals with sex.

It follows the story of nervous student Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) whose mum Jean (The X-Files’ Gillian Anderson) is a renowned sex thearpist.

As he copes with his own anxieties around sex, the young Otis sets up a support service with pal Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey), selling classmates much-needed sex guidance. Heart-warming and funny.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.