The Brits call it “saucy” and in America we would use terms such as “frank” and “unabashed,” but regardless of descriptive words, Strictly Confidential is an entertaining journey and a good story.
Leave it to the British to make a really good series about sex therapists who help solve murders that often lead to connections with a local swingers club, while also providing counseling and help for sexually dysfunctional couples. It is mind boggling, but so well written.
Don’t let the subject matter turn you away from watching Strictly Confidential, unless you are too young or have iron clad rules as to what you will and won’t watch. Yes, there is nudity and yes there is quite a bit of talk about sexual dysfunctions, as the viewer sees the therapists at work.
But to use the old cliché, it is so tastefully done as part of the story. Suranne Jones plays Linda a former policewoman who has become a therapist. She is called in by the police to shed some light on a murder that was apparently caused by sex play gone too far. Her reaction to the dead body gives us a clue as to why she left police work and took up a profession to help the living.
Linda works with her brother in law at a clinic for people with sexual dysfunctions, and it is one of the fascinating elements of the story that the viewer is shown the very human side of this business. I don’t mean base or degrading things, but the emotions and relationship troubles that lead to sexual problems for married couples, and how the professional therapists deal with these issues.
That alone would have made an interesting series, but there is more to the story with the mystery of the deaths, and the inevitable romantic triangle outside of work. Even the love story between people who can help everyone but themselves is unique, not the everyday soap opera type drama.
Strictly Confidential is presented on two discs containing all the episodes from the series and a playing time of 300 minutes. There is an excellent special feature “Strictly Confidential: Behind the Scenes” which sheds more light on how this series was developed and produced.
Going for authenticity in production, Kay Mellor discovered that there actually IS a swinger’s club in Leeds, and used it as location for several scenes. The series is not given a rating, but I would give it an R as it is definitely adult fare.
This miniseries by Kay Mellor is intoxicating viewing, a blend of comedy, tragedy, and all too human problems and eccentricities.
Strictly Confidential is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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