Embarrassing your kids is part of the job when you’re a dad. But Jamie Morton’s father takes things to another level.
Morton is the host of “My Dad Wrote a Porno,” a wildly popular and hilarious podcast from across the pond that chronicles his father’s foray into the world of erotic literature. Each installment of the show features Morton reading a chapter from his dad’s series, titled “Belinda Blinked,” as his fellow hosts and occasional celebrity guests like Elijah Wood and Daisy Ridley laugh along.
The British podcaster tells Metro that he was initially shocked when his father, who goes by the pen name “Rocky Flintstone,” revealed his pornographic book series to him. However, Morton quickly got over his disgust and decided to turn what he calls the “worst erotica in history” into a comedy series.
“Embarrassing dads are a universal thing,” Morton says. “Dads have a real kind of knack for getting to the essence of what embarrasses you as children.”
“I have the king of embarrassing dads,” he adds.
Morton reveals that his father was inspired to get into the erotica-writing business after seeing the popularity of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” in hopes of finding similar success with his own series.
“He heard of E.L. James, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ and that kind of phenomena,” Morton says. “I think he was just like, ‘Oh, I can do that!’ It turns out, he can’t do that.”
After more than 100 million downloads, “My Dad Wrote a Porno” is bringing the fun to audiences around the globe with a live tour, which stops in Boston on March 5. According to Morton, the shows feature a lot of audience participation, but “in a clean way,” as well as videos, improvisations and other elements that can only be explored in a live setting.
“We wanted it to be a stand alone show,” Morton says. “It’s more of an all-encompassing comedy show.”
As for the future of “My Dad Wrote a Porno” and the “Belinda Blinked” series, don’t be surprised to see a television of film adaptation one day.
“We’re having very, very exciting conversations,” Morton says. “We’re working with some really exciting people.”
If you go:
March 5, 8 p.m., Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., Boston, $43.50+, bochcenter.org
