My Dad Wrote A Porno host Jamie Morton on his father’s work being read on the world’s grandest stages… and the set of Star Wars

ONE day, Jamie Morton’s father decided, for whatever reason, to show his son a copy of the erotic novel he had written.

Now, a few years later, the book has formed the basis to a podcast that’s been a worldwide hit, has spawned sell-out live shows and has even been listened to on the set of Star Wars!

The My Dad Wrote A Porno podcast sees Jamie and two friends, writer / producer James Cooper and Radio 1 presenter Alice Levine, sit around the kitchen table reading chapters from Belinda Blinked, penned by Jamie’s dad under the pseudonym ‘Rocky Flintstone’.

With the popularity of the show, which is one of the UK’s most listened to podcasts, came the addition of live versions across the country, and now the world.

Speaking to The Sunday Post as he prepares for the podcast’s American tour, Jamie says he’s excited to get the show on the road.

“It’s honestly just mad,” he says. “When it started out we never ever thought that anyone would even listen to the podcast let alone a live show all over the world!”

Having already conquered the Sydney Opera House last year, the new tour will see Jamie reading his dad’s unique brand of fiction in some of the States’ most iconic venues, and is followed by several UK dates – including Edinburgh and Glasgow.

It culminates in the biggest ever podcast live show at London’s famous Royal Albert Hall.

“It’s just ridiculous, isn’t it,” Jamie laughs. “I mean, the Royal Albert Hall, that’s a posh venue. Have they ever had erotica there before? I’m not sure!

“To be the biggest podcast gig in history hasn’t sunk in yet either really. I think we’ll have to do something special for that one.”

The live experience is quite the affair, with many loyal fans showing up in costume in tribute to the colourful characters formed in Rocky’s mind.

Audiences laugh and cringe in equal measure as Jamie reads out the dubious prose with Jamie and Alice interjecting with their own musings and to seek clarity on exactly what’s going on in the zany world of Belinda Blinked.

“When you’re doing it and it’s just the three of us around the kitchen table, you kind of forget that anyone’s going to listen to it,” Jamie explains. “The minute you’re presented with thousands of people…it does change the dynamic somewhat!

“It really adds to it, because we realise we’re not the only three people that find this funny and everyone in the audience has had their own experience with the podcast. They’ve discovered it all along with us, so we’re all kind of one big community.”

Rocky’s bizarre and often anatomically inaccurate way with words in his romantic fiction is part of the appeal for the podcast’s loyal devotees.

“He can create these characters and scenarios that are just so bizarre that people just fall in love with it,” Jamie admits. “Begrudgingly, as the show goes on, me, James and Alice have had to come round to the fact that he’s actually a bit of a genius because we all want to see what’s happening next. I didn’t think we’d get to that point!”

To this day, Jamie remains baffled as to why his dad sent him a copy of the book.

“The most unbelievable part of it is that he literally sent it to me,” he says. “I think he was maybe wanting to wind me up thinking it would freak me out – which it did for a while – but then when I started reading it and seeing how brilliantly pure and naive it is I just knew I had to share it with people.”

Thankfully, Rocky very much approves of his work being dissected in front of the masses, so much so, he’s become the podcast’s biggest fan.

Jamie’s mum, however, took a while to realise the juggernaut it had become.

But when the podcast trio started to be joined by special guests including Holywood stars Michael Sheen, Elijah Wood and Nicholas Hoult, she soon came round to her husband’s magnum opus.

Among the famous ‘Belinkers’ – that’s the collective term for fans of the show – is also Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley.

“She told us that she listened to it on the set of The Last Jedi and was telling Mark Hamill about it,” Jamie recalls. “She was so lovely!”

Touring the world with his two friends, who he’s known since university, has been great fun for Jamie, who is still incredulous at the runaway success of MDWAP.

He says: “We feel so lucky that this is our life now. Touring has been really great to see people from different countries embrace the show.

“We always thought it was a very British show and we didn’t think it would travel but the fact that it has and there are literally fans all over the world is just brilliant. It’s a really fun night out and we have as much fun doing it as. It’s a dream really.”

Having played to an audience at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Scots will get another chance to catch the live show when it comes to Glasgow’s King’s Theatre and Edinburgh’s Playhouse in April.

“The Edinburgh audience was one of the best we’ve ever played to,” Jamie says.

“It was so fun, and everyone was up for it! My uncle was in the audience and saw the people in costumes and really got into it.

“We can’t wait to go back up to Scotland, it’s the best country ever and everyone’s so friendly. We had the best time when we were up for the Fringe, I wish we could have stayed longer.”

My Dad Wrote A Porno Live; April 18, Playhouse, Edinburgh & April 19, King’s Theatre, Glasgow; tickets at http://www.mydadwroteaporno.com/live/