Wanderlust opens with what can only be described as a “bad near-shag” between its central characters, played by Toni Collette and Steven Mackintosh, before cutting to Collette’s sexually frustrated Joy having a solo fumble under the sheets.
It’s obvious that the couple want to have sex, but perhaps not with each other. And while sex is a strong focus of this six-part drama from award-winning playwright Nick Payne, it’s imperative to the characters’ narrative rather than being gratuitous or titillating.
It’s also a “by-product of something deeper” in Joy’s life, and the show’s message is that sex – similar to the way we handle death – might be easier to deal with if it wasn’t considered taboo or awkward to talk about publicly.
“It’s very reflective of something that is happening to a lot of people, but that nobody really talks about,” Collette told Digital Spy and others at the launch of the show.
“There is a focus on sex, but it’s actually a by-product of something much deeper that Joy’s going through. It’s part of the character’s arc and narrative, so it’s not gratuitous in any way.
“She’s a woman who’s had a near-death experience, and suddenly her existence is contextualised and she thinks about what she wants to do with her time.
“All of those things – it’s not high-concept but they’re the most f**king important things to all of us!”
Writer Payne thought that by concentrating on a couple’s sex life and how that defines part of their relationship and their happiness – which is rarely seen on TV or film – he could give a real and honest portrayal and insight into long-term relationships.
“In romantic dramas, you don’t really see the sex or they don’t advertise the sex,” Payne said. “They kiss and you cut to the next morning, and I always just wondered what if you make the sex the driver of the story. So you explore all these romantic lives through the shagging.
“It’s an awkward conversation and it shouldn’t be awkward. Joy says at one point something like, ‘We’re bad at talking about our private lives in public’.
“For some reason we struggle – we have a similar struggle with death and grief – and I think to find a language for it and [we can] feel safe and supported too. It’s a shame that we struggle, but then we get to make a show out of feeling repressed!”
Discussing whether the scene featuring Joy masturbating was partly included to break any stigma or taboo still attached to female masturbation, Payne said it was more to convey how Joy is just “as libidinous” as her husband.
“I just think people masturbate in the same way people have dinner or go for walks,” he explained.
“Maybe not as often… The scene of Joy and Alan is they’re struggling to have sex, and I didn’t want the audience to go – and I hope this is hasn’t how it feels – ‘Oh she’s frigid and he’s up for it’.
“It’s partly a way of going she’s just as libidinous as he is, so it wasn’t about the taboo of female masturbation. I wish I had a better answer.”
The series also asks whether lifelong monogamy is possible – or even desirable – as it examines the relationships of a multi-generational family.
Wanderlust airs on BBC One later this year.
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