The Singapore Grip fans left blushing after Googling show and discovering raunchy sex act of the same name
FANS of The Singapore Grip have been left blushing after Googling the new show and discovering a raunchy sex act of the same name.
The six-part ITV series starring David Morrissey, Luke Treadaway and Charles Dance is based on JG Farrell's 1978 novel.
The period drama documents the fall of the British Empire in East Asia, tackling the subjects of imperialism and racism during the era.
But innocent viewers were left reeling when they realised the definition of the show's title.
"When Matthew finally finds out what #singaporegrip means….." tweeted one, accompanied by a meme of a shocked Mr Bean.
Another added: "I'm not watching the series, but mum just told me what a #singaporegrip is. She googled it (laughing emojis)."
One joked: "Husband demands we carry on watching it to find out what a #singaporegrip is."
The show is based on Farrell's novel of the same name and in it Matthew Webb (played by Luke Treadaway) is trying to figure out what exactly the Singapore grip is.
He hears some characters laughing about it and others tell him different things when he asks about the term's meaning.
The novel is satirical and one of its ongoing jokes is about Matthew and his quest to figure out the meaning of the phrase.
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Towards the end he finally finds out the meaning - and it is crude.
The Singapore grip is a term used to describe the sexual act in which during intercourse a man remains stationary while a woman clenches her vaginal muscles to pleasure the penis.
Being satire, the novel does also use the word 'grip' to allude to the impact of colonialism and the British Empire on Eastern countries.
The definition is played with throughout the book, although its sexual interpretation is rejected by Matthew when he finds out.
He says: "It’s the grip of our Western culture and economy on the Far East.
"It’s the stranglehold of capital on the traditional cultures of Malaya, China, Burma, Java, Indo-China and even India herself!
"It’s the doing of things our way – I mean, it’s the pursuit of self-interest rather than of the common interest!"
The ITV series began on September 13 and also stars Colm Meaney, Jane Horrocks, Elizabeth Tan, Georgia Blizzard, Luke Newberry and Lilo Baier.
It is executive-produced by Damien Timmer, the man behind series such as Poldark, Victoria and Endeavour.