The Hotbed

Have you been at it like rabbits in Lockdown 3 or have you found sex is the last thing on your mind? Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams discuss the trials of lockdown love, why Anniki wants a chin-lift, sexy new TV – from Lover's Rock to Bridgerton – and the now-legendary BBC dildo appearance. There's also a guest spot from Dr Karen Gurney, who offers her top tips for reviving a long-lost libido. Recorded via Zoom (please forgive some minor sound issues) Edited and produced by Alex Graham

Good sex starts with doing the recycling, Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams have always maintained. To develop this thought, they discuss what socialist ideals – more free childcare, laundry and food services - would lead them to having better sex, prompted by Lisa reading Professor Kristen R Ghodsee’s book Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism. Lisa then speaks to Prof Ghodsee about what we can learn from socialism, what the pitfalls of past systems have been, why women in East Germany had more orgasms than their counterparts in the West, and why the huge amount of unpaid work women do can have a negative impact on their sexual satisfaction and relationships. Recorded at home, produced by Alex Graham. This series of The Hotbed has been kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the UK’s original silicone reusable menstrual cup. If you’d like to try one, you can use the code HOTBED at mooncup.co.uk to get a 10% discount (until the end of June 2020).If you would like to hear more from Prof Kristen R Ghodsee she hosts the podcast A.K. 47 - Selections from the Works of Alexandra Kollontai

Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams record a special socially-distanced episode to talk about the lives under lockdown, the BBC Three adaptation of Sally Rooney's Normal People, and how they're feeling about their lockdown looks. There's also a guest spot by Dr Karen Gurney, giving advice on living such at close quarters with your partner, why this time has been make or break for some couples, and what to do when you're feeling the tension rising.Recorded from home, produced by Alex Graham. This series of The Hotbed has been kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Visit their website www.mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED for a 10% discount.

The Hotbed welcomes its first-ever co-host: Karen Arthur of #WearYourHappy to talk about menopause, mental health and things we’re too old to care about any more. Lisa also interviews Dr Philippa Kaye about what the perimenopause is, what treatment there is for menopause symptoms, and how female pleasure is important for women of all ages. Recorded at Acast, produced by Alex Graham. This series of The Hotbed has been kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Visit their website www.mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED for a 10% discount.

The Hotbed Collective's book More Orgasms Please: Why Female Pleasure Matters is out in pretty paperback now: Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams talk about how they wrote it and why they wrote it, give their tips on getting a book published and their thoughts on why female pleasure matters. Anniki's novel Motherwhelmed is also out and she talks about sexism in the corporate world, balancing parenting with the demands of a job, and why she decided to fictionalise her experience to help other working mum. Recorded from our respective homes, produced by Alex Graham. This series of the Hotbed is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Visit mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED to get 10% off.

Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams talk about vulvas: cervical screenings, gynae cancer, thrush and nicknames for ‘vulva’. They set up a folk duo and do an impromptu song about incontinence, while Lisa interviews the ever-calm and ever-clever Dr Anita Mitra, AKA Gynae Geek about The Eve Appeal's Get Lippy campaign, and gynae conditions, the taboos around women's health, and the worrying rise in labiaplasty (cosmetic surgery to the vulva) . This series of the Hotbed is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original reusable silicone menstrual cup. Go to mooncup.co.uk before the end of June 2020 and use the code HOTBED for a 10% discount. Recorded at Acast, produced by Alex Graham. [Image of Dr Anita Mitra kindly supplied by The Eve Appeal. To support their #GetLippy campaign, you can buy a fundraising beauty product during May - to find out more, click here.]

At a special live show of The Hotbed, recorded live at Soho Radio pre-lockdown, Hotbed favourite Dr Karen is here to explain why everything you believed about desire is WRONG! We talk about the 237 reasons we have sex, what (and who!) makes us feel sexy, how contraception can mess with your mood, why you should get listening to some audio porn, and how to make trying-to-conceive sex hotter than hell. We also have the multi-talented Kelly Ford, AKA Book of Mum, to talk about girl-crushes and to deliver a one-off performance of her super-sexy poem. This episode is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Go to mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED to get 10% off until the end of June 2020. Recorded at Soho Radio, produced by Alex Graham.

Jacqueline Gold CBE is the chief executive of Ann Summers and estimated to be the UK’s 16th richest woman. She talks to Cherry Healey and Anniki Sommerville about the sex toy made famous by Sex in the City, how she turned the chain around to make it more welcoming for women, and her experience of sex and body image after cancer.This episode is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Go to mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED to get 10% off until the end of June 2020. Recorded at Soho Radio. Produced by Alex Graham.

Cherry Healey and Anniki Sommerville are back with the first episode of the sixth series! Recorded in COVID-19 free times, this is stress-free listening that may be particularly appropriate now we’re living in lockdown. If you’re in a long-term relationship and struggle sometimes, you will love listening to their interview with Cat Sims, the blogger behind 'Not So Smug Now', who reveals all about marriage counselling and the strategies she has learnt to keep her relationship on track even when life gets tough.Recorded at Soho Studios. Produced by Alex Graham, and kindly sponsored by Mooncup. If you would like to try a Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup, use the code HOTBED for a 10% discount at mooncup.co.uk