Nocturnal Admissions: Behind the Scenes on the Sunday Night Sex Show

A witty and irreverent look at the collision of two dangerous subjects — live television and sex. “Sue, I have a question about vaginal odour.” The young woman on the phone sounds earnest. On the television screen, the sixty-something host leans forward with the concern of an attentive great aunt, listening intently. “Yes?”

It’s late Sunday evening, and all across Canada, 300,000 viewers are watching The Sunday Night Sex Show, eavesdropping on this most intimate of conversations.“Well, I don’t think mine smells very good, and a friend told me I should take a bath in vinegar”Without a second’s hesitation, Sue Johanson exclaims: “What are you trying to do? Pickle it?!” And then she laughs, a warm, inclusive, non-judgmental laugh that tells the young woman on the phone that she’s poking fun at the suggestion, not the caller. Viewers chuckle at the gag, and then settle back to listen to the country’s best-loved sexual educator give a well-informed, honest answer to an honest question.

For six seasons, Sue Johanson has been ruining people’s Mondays by making them stay up late Sunday night. Sex sells, but it’s really not the topic that keeps viewers tuning in. It’s Sue. They love her. In this book, RJ Gulliver, Sue’s long-time director and consultant, tells the stories behind the shows. Transcripts of classic phone calls (both funny and poignant), stories of the erotic toys that didn’t make it on the air, what goes on behind the cameras, and Sue's own story fill this book that will make you laugh out loud, and give you a new appreciation of Canada’s favourite sex-ed teacher. It also includes a chapter written by Sue about the best herbal remedies to common sexual problems.

In Canada, if Saturday night belongs to hockey, Sunday night belongs to Sue.