Incredible love triangle that inspired The Joy of Sex: Manual was based on Dr Alex Comfort's own romps with his wife's best friend - as Bridget Jones director makes a film about their VERY complicated love life

Growing up arsenic the lad successful a mediate people household successful Barnet, fewer could person predicted Alex Comfort, who had a striking fascination with molluscs, would person gone connected to bring astir a intersexual awakening for millions astir the satellite - but determination were surely signs of occurrence successful the young teen's personality.

At the property of 14, helium blew up his manus and mislaid 4 fingers portion experimenting with a caller compound of gunpowder, leaving lone his thumb remaining connected his near hand. A fewer abbreviated years later, helium won a spot astatine Cambridge University wherever helium studied medicine - and met his woman Ruth.

The accepted matrimony to Ruth which bore a son, Nicholas, served some parties good until Ruth's assemblage friend, Jane Henderson, re-entered their lives and began a passionate matter with the gerontologist. 

Their emotion triangle led to the work of revolutionary publication The Joy of Sex: A Gourmet Guide To Lovemaking successful 1972, which volition present beryllium introduced to a full caller assemblage by mode of a movie of the aforesaid name, being made by Bridget Jones manager Sharon Maguire.

Comfort's book, a manual to having amended enactment which featured groundbreaking illustrations of the positions successful which helium made emotion to Jane, has sold much than 12 cardinal copies and been translated into 30 languages. 

However, it besides brought astir the extremity of his matrimony to Ruth, who saw the manual arsenic a nationalist humiliation of however her hubby romped wildly with her champion person - successful opposition to her much blimpish intersexual values.

The emotion triangle betwixt Comfort, Ruth and Jane; yet saw the gerontologist permission his woman to wed his person and determination to California where helium could prosecute successful the libertine manner helium believed would prevention humanity.

Speaking to the Guardian, Maguire said the analyzable narration that brought Comfort immense occurrence by inspiring the publication had besides contributed to 'the unravelling of his life'. 

She said: 'The clashing psychologies of the 3 characters makes for this fascinating conundrum astir emotion and enactment and relationships that’s wrapped up successful a comedy.'

Comfort and Ruth's lad Nicholas, who present lives a quiescent beingness successful southbound eastbound London with his 3rd wife, opened up astir however his father's extramarital matter had played retired earlier helium wrote The Joy of Sex.

Speaking to the Daily Mail successful 2022, helium said: 'My parent was not the astir tactile of radical and Jane, presumably, was.

'Dad was dividing his clip betwixt mum and Jane and this statement astir became a fixed state.

'But past his probe enactment (into gerontology, the survey of ageing) astatine University College London came to an end, helium went to America and 'Joy' came out.

'Dad told maine aboriginal determination were rather a fewer gerontologists astatine Sandstone. He said each of them had a chronic fearfulness of their ain mortality which made them privation to bask beingness more.'

The book, published successful 1972, featured elaborate illustrations of enactment positions helium utilized to experimentation with Jane (a Plan B, aft Comfort initially took Polaroids of himself having enactment with Jane to horrified publishers).

As a librarian, her relation was cataloguing the galore twists and turns of their adventurous enactment life. 

They besides tried hiring pornographic models but they kept pouting seductively and didn't lucifer up to the representation of average, loving couples. 

The illustrations were successful portion modelled connected Charles Raymond, 1 of the illustrators, and his woman Edeltraud; portion besides featuring Indian and Japanese classical erotica. The publishing determination was taken implicit fearfulness of obscenity lawsuits. 

Bearded Charles, 1 of the artists connected the publication (he usually painted flowers), and German-born Edeltraud, volunteered to recreate Comfort and Henderson's enactment beingness 'and she got him done the positions with Teutonic efficiency', said Nick.

The enactment was not simulated, but real, helium says, and took spot successful a freezing acold garret which could not beryllium heated due to the fact that of the miners' strike. 

'They were trying to bash 200 antithetic poses and it was during the powerfulness cuts,' said Maguire. 'Although it sounds similar a enactment romp, it was each well-intentioned, due to the fact that determination truly was thing similar it. No textbooks, adjacent aesculapian ones, nary illustrations, nary pictures.' 

When the publication came out, it besides made a prima of 'Hairy Man', the hirsute lover  depicted adopting each sorts of bonzer positions with his lover. 

Modelled connected a cookery book. Its sub-title was A Gourmet Guide and the conception titles were Starters, Main Courses and truthful on.

It sold hundreds of thousands of copies successful Britain and spent 70 weeks successful the American bestseller database betwixt 1972 and 1974.

It is intolerable to cognize however galore radical really followed Comfort’s recommendations, oregon so however galore work the publication for titillation alternatively than instruction, but determination is small uncertainty that it was highly reflective of the immense alteration successful attitudes towards intersexual behaviour taking place. 

Nicholas besides reflected connected the work of the book, which laid bare Comfort's exploits with Jane successful detail, and however it led to Ruth's nationalist humiliation.

'It would person been intolerable for her not to person been [betrayed],' helium said. 

'And successful an perfect satellite Dad would person liked not to person made a ceremonial split. But Jane was the needier of the two. My parent was amended capable to relation connected her own.

'In information I deliberation she recovered Dad's intelligence explosiveness and high-octane caput hard to unrecorded with and, though she was hurt, successful immoderate mode not having him astir gave her a accidental to recover.

'Dad was inactive precise fond of Mum and helium felt desperately conflicted.'

Indeed, helium had recovered a mode to disagreement himself betwixt the 2 women by spending Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with Henderson to transportation retired is 'practical research', and the remainder of the clip helium was with his wife. 

'Dad was dividing his clip betwixt mum and Jane and this statement astir became a fixed state,' Nick explained.  

The book, erstwhile yet published, was released archetypal successful America, a determination made by Comfort to spare his long-suffering wife's feelings.

'Dad didn't privation to upset her immoderate much than she had been. She'd had to enactment up with enough,' Nicholas said. 

Comfort besides tried to enactment immoderate region betwixt himself and the work by claiming helium was the exertion alternatively than the writer.  

At the time, too, determination was a prohibition connected doctors advertising, and helium was fearful that the publication mightiness infringe this — and that helium could beryllium struck disconnected the aesculapian register.

After the matrimony broke down and Comfort and Jane moved to California to indulge successful a hedonistic manner astatine the Sandstone Retreat.

The retreat was a nudist, escaped emotion commune founded successful 1969 successful Topanga Canyon, by John and Barbara Williamson. The middle-class joined mates felt stifled by the shackles of monogamy.

They had begun to research polyamory successful the precocious 1960s erstwhile they invited friends to swingers parties successful their Mulholland Drive home, earlier going connected to recovered Sandstone. 

The Retreat offered indoor and outdoor communal sleeping areas, a spa and communal bathrooms; but each members were interviewed earlier being allowed to join. 

After moving to California, Comfort and Jane kept galore details of their antics quiescent - a striking opposition aft having laid bare their enactment beingness to the world.

'I deliberation they believed that what went connected successful Sandstone, stayed successful Sandstone,' helium says.

'Ironically, Dad was a reasonably backstage man. He didn't speech astir his ain enactment life. Very fewer radical do. He talked successful generalities alternatively than successful the particular.'

But adjacent earlier his begetter went connected his odyssey of intersexual experimentation, and published The Joy Of Sex, helium was making extremist pronouncements.

Nick was 17 and a boarder astatine Highgate School successful North London erstwhile Dr Comfort announced, daringly, connected a vigor broadcast — this was 1963 — that nary liable teenage lad should spell to a enactment without a condom successful his pocket.

'I wasn't embarrassed until radical started teasing maine astir it,' says Nick. 'And they did.'

Comfort came to judge enactment was the antidote to war, arsenic a strident pacifist who had been arrested and jailed successful the 1960s for his enactment with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Speaking astir Comfort's middle-aged intersexual awakening, filmmaker Maguire said: 'I deliberation helium genuinely thought that enactment was a means of changing the mindset distant from warring and wars.'

She described his exploration of enactment arsenic similar an 'epiphany'. 

However, aft indulging hedonism passim the 1970s, Comfort's adventurous exploits and frequenting of orgies came to an extremity astatine the adjacent of the decennary - which coincided with the emergence of Aids.

Indeed, successful an update to The Joy of Sex successful 1991, helium warned readers of the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, penning that Aids 'totally alters the intersexual landscape'. 

He added: 'If your recently recovered emotion won’t usage a condom, you are successful furniture with a witless, irresponsible and uncaring person.' 

Not lone did helium recognize the request for harmless enactment betwixt lovers; but according to Nicholas, his begetter would beryllium disappointed by the emergence of 'unfeeling sex' successful the modern age.

'He would person been bittersweet that young radical consciousness pressured to person enactment earlier than ever.

'He felt it was thing you'd travel to successful your ain clip and successful your ain way. He welcomed the information that much radical were enjoying it and helium wanted them to beryllium decently educated astir it,' helium said. 

Comfort died successful the twelvemonth 2000 aged 80, by which clip helium had astir exclusively been dubbed 'Dr Sex' acknowledgment to his world-renowned book. 

After his death, Claire Rayner wrote successful the Guardian: '[He] would person been highly annoyed contiguous to beryllium reminded that, for galore people, his sanction means lone sex.'

As a pacifist, gerontologist, writer and poet, Comfort had hoped he'd beryllium remembered for his wide accomplishments alternatively than the 1 groundbreaking publication helium produced.

Jane had died of a bosom onslaught successful 1991, the aforesaid twelvemonth Comfort had a immense encephalon haemorrhage. 

Despite exposing Ruth to nationalist humiliation done The Joy of Sex, Comfort maintained an amicable narration with his archetypal wife, Nick revealed - and helium routinely had them implicit for luncheon unneurotic connected peculiar occasions. 

Later successful the 1990s, Comfort had different changeable which near him successful a nursing location until his death. He was paralysed, but remained mostly cognisant.

Speaking of the book's legacy, Nick reflected: 'Dad would person regarded its values arsenic lasting ones.

'He was a large believer that enactment had its spot arsenic portion of a caring relationship; not arsenic thing purely mechanical. He felt that people's feelings should not beryllium exploited,' says Nick.

'I deliberation helium would beryllium disappointed by the maturation of unfeeling sex. He would person been bittersweet that young radical consciousness pressured to person enactment earlier than ever.

'He felt it was thing you'd travel to successful your ain clip and successful your ain way. He welcomed the information that much radical were enjoying it and helium wanted them to beryllium decently educated astir it.

'But I don't deliberation helium would person been blessed astir precise young children being told excessively overmuch astir it either.

'He'd beryllium disquieted astir the ubiquity of net porn; that it mightiness scope radical who could beryllium damaged by it.'

Dr Comfort, besides a fervent advocator of escaped speech, would person been 'exasperated' by the existent stifling of world statement connected transgender issues.

'He believed passionately successful unfastened debate, that radical were entitled to explicit their opinions adjacent if they were astatine likelihood with his own.'