Ever since, half a century ago, Elvis swayed his hips and Little Richard flaunted his sexual ecstasy on stage, sex and pop music have been inextricably linked. This four-part series featuring Yoko Ono, James Brown, Madonna, Little Richard, Janet Jackson and more, describes the history of this connection in both a chronological and thematic way. What music turns the audience on and why? To what social contexts is pop music confined? How do gender roles change and how does pop music loosen people's inhibitions? Famous musicians as well as scientists, visual artists and the audience answer these questions. Sex 'n' Pop will both inform and entertain, through a subtle blend of analysis and commentary, anecdotes and the personal experiences of the stars.

Monday 14 July @ 8.30pm
"Justify my love" - Women, sex and pop music
"Sex 'n' Pop" examines the sexual emancipation of women. What Nina Hagen (with her talk show masturbation courses), Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin and Patti Smith have initiated is fulfilled by the emergence of the Riot Grrrls in the 90s. "Ich bin heiß!", or how women were fed up of acting as sex objects for rich music producers; how women like Madonna, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper find new ways of raising female self-confidence. Full of rhythm, passion and feminism - this part of Sex 'n' Pop is the embodiment of femininity in all its facets.

Tuesday 15 July @ 8.30pm
"Sexual Healing" - Black music & sexuality
Few styles of music are so sexy, and no other kind of music has had a more profound influence on global youth culture over the last 15 years than Hip Hop and R&B. Despite this unparalleled triumph Hip Hop and R&B are harshly criticised - sexism, chauvinism, homophobia and the glorification of violence are all obvious elements of much contemporary Hip Hop. Sex 'n' Pop gets to the bottom of this ambiguity, tries to find out what lies behind pimps and gangstas. Is it true that a dreadful comeback of pre-feminist sexism is celebrated in R&B and Hip Hop – while passionate black music has long since gone well beyond this point? A sensitive issue - Sex 'n' Pop grasps the nettle and includes the rhythms of James Brown and R. Kelly, of Kurtis Blow and Snoop Doggy Dog, people whose music helped enable the sexual revolution.

Wednesday 16 July @ 8.30pm
"It ain't necessarily so" - Homosexuality & Pop music
Sex 'n' Pop hits the gay dancefloor and traces the history of the lasting effect of gay emancipation. The behaviour of pop stars has played a major part in the acceptance of homosexuals, whom Magnus Hirschfeld still referred to as the "third gender" during the days of empire. Since 1969, when they demonstrated against discrimination on Christopher Street in New York City, Gay people have made themselves heard, their pride most evident in the disco boom, a product of New York's early-70s gay, black subculture. During the 80s a wave of homosexual emancipations sweep through the music charts - Boy George, Jimmy Somerville, Marc Almond - and different forms of androgyny influence the pop universe. With artists like Melissa Etheridge and K.D. Lang, lesbians also find their idols on stage. Today, artists like the Scissor Sisters and R&B-singer Ari Gold lead a new wave of openly gay artists.

Thursday 17 July @ 8.30pm
"Spice up your life" - Boys & Girls
Sex 'n' Pop explores the structure of the media society. Since the 90s, the kids have been subjected to intense commercial analysis by the pop music industry. What kind of effect does that have on boys and girls? Is our youth just a simple imitation of American high schools - here the cheerleaders, there the smart and well-trained football heroes? What kind of influence does it have on adolescents; when the Spice Girls are in heavy rotation, while boybands only whisper sweet talk about love? What kind of youth do adolescents get to enjoy today, if their world seems to be one big casting show like "Pop Idol/American Idol"? Is puberty just an adjustment to stereotypes portrayed in pop video culture? To what beat does today's new sexuality march/dance? Sex 'n' Pop seeks answers - not always suitable for the under-18s.