9: Dr Caroline West

Probably best to have the number for Liveline on speed dial for this one as this week’s guest on Be Grand is Doctor Caroline West.  A writer and lecturer who holds a PhD and MA in Sexuality Studies, Caroline is the host of the excellent Glow West podcast as well as a sex columnist for Evoke and she swings by the studio to discuss Ireland’s troubled relationship with sex, its history as a taboo subject in Irish society and the disastrous consequences of this suppression that has left the country playing catch-up in terms of sex positivity. There’s also a discussion on how sex is often portrayed on TV, ranging from the cringe-inducing mistakes that blight the depiction, to the impact of Eurotrash on a younger Caroline’s worldview, and the trouble with Normal People*. And we ain’t talking about Paul Mescal’s shorts, here. Finally, there’s the story of how Caroline and another former guest on Be Grand once got into a heated debate with an Irish TV personality on The Sugarhill Gang.  Look, this is Be Grand - you want sophisticated discussion, you listen to the London Review of Books podcast, okay? Remember to like, review and subscribe or even recommend us to a friend. Stay safe and take care! https://iamcarolinewest.com (https://iamcarolinewest.com/) https://twitter.com/CarolineWest_IE https://twitter.com/glow_west_ https://twitter.com/HiAndyGaffney https://twitter.com/gottheshift https://www.instagram.com/begrandpod/

Om Podcasten

Andy Gaffney is not very clever. And not in a cute “How old were you when you realised…” way – more in a “didn’t know Barcelona was in Spain” way. But maybe he can fix that! BE GRAND: THE LEAVING CERT RESIT is the show where Andy invites very clever talented people onto the show to relive their school days, talk about how they ended doing what they do and along the way, they can earn some completely pointless points by answering Leaving Cert questions from the year they did it. All in the hope that Andy’s sponge-like brain soaks up this new knowledge! That and provide some sweet sweet light entertainment of course…