LAURA WHITMORE has investigated the dark side of rough sex for a new series tackling some of society’s most controversial topics.
The Dubliner returns to her journalistic roots for Laura Whitmore Investigates, a three-part series which airs on ITVX later this month.
In it, Whitmore sets out to discover more about BDSM – the abbreviation for bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism - and the dark side of what for many is seen as adventurous sex.
Through interviews with those who partake in it, the presenter explores the influence of pornography as well as looking into the rise of the so-called '50 Shades' defence, where men accused of murdering their sexual partner have claimed the death was caused by rough sex that went wrong.
“With low conviction rates for crimes of sexual violence and anecdotal evidence that many more assaults go unreported, Laura meets victims and their relatives in often deeply emotional interviews, as well as experts who provide insight into the dangers of so-called rough sex,” an ITVX spokesperson explains.
Elsewhere in the series, Whitmore will investigate the culture of ‘incels’, and how it is driven by 'toxic masculinity' within society.
Laura Whitmore investigates airs later this month'Incels’ or ‘involuntary celibates’ are found in a “male-dominated, misogynistic online world where alienated males who struggle to engage with women share their anti-female mindsets, developing disturbing communities around their resentment,” the show producers explain.
“This culture has broken into the real world with a number of high profile atrocities including mass shootings both in the US and UK when disaffected men have taken out their feelings of rejection in the ultimate act of ‘vengeance’,” they add.
Whitmore travels to the US and across the UK to meet young men immersed in this culture.
The third topic to go under the spotlight is cyber stalking – which is currently on the rise, with an increase of 300 per cent in cases being reported to the police in Britain.
Whitmore meets with victims of the relatively new crime, who open up about the profound impact being stalked and harassed online has had on their lives,.
She also travels to Europe to see a business which is at the cutting edge of the technological fightback against the stalkers.
“This series shines a light on a range of issues, which along with the contributors, victims and experts involved, we hope will resonate with viewers and help us to understand their dangers, complexities and consider possible resolutions,” the Irishwoman explained of the show.
“It’s been a an intense, eye-opening and at times emotional experience and one that I’m incredibly proud of,” she added.
