Naked Attraction: 'Even split' of nude men and women in second episode, says Channel 4

Naked Attraction airs at 10pm on Monday nights

Anna Richardson hosts new nude dating series Naked Attraction on Channel 4 (Channel 4)

Channel 4 has said that future episodes of new dating show Naked Attraction will feature an “even split” of nude men and women after the first sparked a sexism row by showing nearly three times more men in their birthday suits than women.

The controversial series, which sees contestants strip off in a bid to bag a date, showed 282 shots of penises compared to 96 vaginas when it aired on Monday night. The Sun counted an average of five PPM (penises per minute) throughout the 48-minute show compared to two vaginas, with 175 flashes of penis in first dater Ania’s segment alone.

More than 60 viewers complained to Ofcom about Naked Attraction, which TV critics were quick to dismiss as a trashy attempt to ramp up the ratings. Nevertheless, it raked in 1.3 million viewers, 82 per cent more than the slot average.

Viewers began sharing their hot takes immediately after it began at 10pm, with many criticising the “disgusting” show for focusing too heavily on male genitalia. Others simply described it as “TV at an all-time low”.

Channel 4 has defended Naked Attraction from those claiming it was broadcast solely to boost ratings with “no particular purpose”, insisting that it is a “unique” social experiment exploring whether reversing the dating process to judge someone “purely on their naked form” could actually offer “the best chance of finding a suitable mate”.

The reasoning behind the penis bias was because the first episode’s contestants were both women, one straight and one bisexual, a spokesperson said, before explaining that future episodes will show a more even split of naked men and women. This was always the case and no changes have been made as a result of viewer complaints.

Two contestants, one male and one female, are asked to choose a date from a selection of six people standing naked before them in the studio. They reject those with a physique that does not physically attract them and explain to host Anna Richardson why not. As the dates are whittled down, more information is revealed about each person such as how they usually dress and what they do for a living. The final match is then selected before the pair head out on a date and see whether their instinct was accurate.

“In a world where dating is often reduced to swipe left or right this is a light hearted and appropriately scheduled series which aims to demystify the rules of sexual attraction for the Tinder generation,” a spokesperson said.

Ofcom received 64 complaints in total - 60 about nudity and 17 about the programming being degrading to human relationships. “Ofcom will assess the complaints received against the Broadcasting Code, which sets standards for the content of TV and radio programmes, before deciding whether to investigate or not,” a spokesperson said.

Naked Attraction airs on Mondays at 10pm on Channel 4.