Behind its slightly ludicrous title, Virgin Island has noble ambitions. The new Channel 4 show seeks to help struggling adults foster a healthy relationship with their bodies and sex. Like I said, noble ambitions. Try to remember that as you grit your teeth watching a young man fondle the breasts of a woman as she straddles him on a tribal-print couch.
It’s one of several blushworthy scenes in the experimental new series, which sends 12 adults (the virgins of its title) to an idyllic Croatian island where they take part in a two-week sex therapy retreat. For various reasons, including a lack of self-confidence, severe insecurity, bullying, and a general fear of touch, the participants have not had sex – or, in many cases, any sexual contact whatsoever.
