About this episode
Simon Burrell explores his desire for parenthood as a gay single man approaching 50.
Simon Burrell always imagined he’d be a dad one day. But as the years pass, it’s something he dismisses. Simon is gay, single and approaching 50. But then, an honest conversation with a friend resurfaces that deep, buried desire to parent a child. And Simon goes to extraordinary lengths to make it a reality. Matthew Syed follows Simon’s unconventional journey to single fatherhood, explores why male ‘baby lust’ - the intense desire to be a parent - is often overlooked and how popular culture helps reinforce stereotypes that assume women yearn for a baby more than men. With Simon Burrell; Dr Robin Hadley, a researcher in male childlessness and evolutionary anthropologist; and author of the book The Life of Dad, Dr Anna Machin. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Vishva Samani Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Mark Pittam Theme music by Ioana Selaru A Novel production for BBC Radio 4 Featuring archive from: Finding Surrogacy: Real Life Gay Dads, produced and directed by Andrew Webb, for ITV Meridian Broadcasting, 2000 Father of the Bride Part II, directed by Charles Shyer, written by Nancy Meyers, produced by Touchstone Pictures - a film label of The Walt Disney Company…
People in this episode
Host: Matthew Syed
Guest: Simon Burrell
Topics covered
- single fatherhood
- male parenting
- baby lust
- societal stereotypes
- gay dads
Keywords
- single fatherhood
- male childlessness
- parenting desire
- gay dads
- societal norms
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Life of Dad, Finding Surrogacy: Real Life Gay Dads, Father of the Bride Part II, Bridget Jones’s Diary
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