The Erotic Novel Podcast That Became Global Phenomenon
My Dad Wrote a Porno launched October 2015 as Jamie Morton read his father’s self-published erotic novel “Belinda Blinked” to horrified/amused friends James Cooper and Alice Levine. The podcast’s premise — son mortified by dad’s terrible pornographic fiction, read aloud with commentary — created comedy goldmine.
The show exploded globally (300+ million downloads by 2020), topping charts in 35+ countries. Rocky Flintstone’s (dad’s pseudonym) hilariously terrible prose — bizarre metaphors (“her breasts hung freely like pomegranates”), anatomical confusion, chaotic plotting — provided endless material. The hosts’ British wit, genuine friendship, and escalating disbelief created comfort listening despite explicit content.
The hashtag spiked during live shows (worldwide tours selling out theaters, including Sydney Opera House and Royal Albert Hall), celebrity guest appearances (Elijah Wood, Daisy Ridley, Lin-Manuel Miranda), and HBO special (2019). MDWAP demonstrated podcasting could launch global entertainment franchises from absurd premises.
The show’s influence included normalizing sexual content in mainstream podcasting (previously niche), proving friendship chemistry mattered more than production polish, and demonstrating international podcast audiences existed beyond US/UK dominance. The show’s success ($20M+ revenue estimated from live tours, book deals, HBO special) made participants wealthy from dad’s embarrassing hobby.
Critics noted the show’s privilege: middle-class white British friends could monetize father’s sexual writing without exploitation concerns that would arise with other demographics. The humor relied on “bad erotica” tropes that sometimes reinforced sex-negative attitudes.
By 2023, MDWAP had released 200+ episodes across 8 years, with Rocky continuing to write new Belinda books specifically for the podcast. The family business — dad writes terrible porn, son mocks it globally, everyone profits — became podcasting’s strangest success story.
Sources:
- https://www.mydadwroteaporno.com/ (official site)
- https://www.theguardian.com/ (HBO special)
- https://variety.com/ (global success)