‘Normal’ couple open up about their threesome on Channel 4’s Open House: The Great Sex Experiment

A ‘normal’ man and woman who ‘wanted to spice up their faded sex lives’ have spoken out publicly about their decision to take part in a threesome on Channel 4’s Open House: The Great Sex Experiment.

Like most married couples with two children, Natalie and Tom Beard from York spend their days working and childcare.

Natalie, 33, has a job as a horse groomer and spends her free time riding and show jumping, while Tom, 36, is an electrician for a local company and enjoys mountain biking when he gets the chance.

They have two kids – one aged 10 and one aged six, whom they won’t name and Natalie insists, “We’re just a normal couple, a perfectly average family.”

So why, you may ask, did they choose to appear on Open House: The Great Sex Experiment and have a threesome with a stranger live on TV? Here they only tell FEMAIL about their decision.

The controversial Channel Four Show, now in its second season, has shocked viewers with its explicit boldness.

It involves couples and singles having sex over a weekend in a secret location, all watched over by Edinburgh sex therapist Dr Lori Bisbey, who says she has ‘seen it all’.

This year, the show, which has eight episodes, has already attracted attention for its 15-person orgy.

After watching, one viewer wrote on Twitter, “I hope someone comes in and thoroughly cleans that room before someone else sleeps in it.” Another wrote, “What’s crazy is these people have kids… and their kids are going to see this.”

But most of the show consists of loving and committed couples who have been together for a while and try out a threesome.

This was what Natalie and Tom, who star in tonight’s episode, found themselves doing—mainly, she explains, to bring some excitement back into their sex lives.

Natalie says, “We’ve been together for 13 years, five of them married. Life is hectic. You have the kids and your job, you’re busy making dinner and you’re tired.

‘Our sex life had hit the rocks and we wanted to improve our relationship. We are not sex crazy and would never do anything in our childhood home.

Natalie, 33, has a job as a horse groomer and spends her free time riding and show jumping, while Tom, 36, is an electrician for a local company and enjoys mountain biking when given the chance

The couple spent two nights on the show and had a threesome with Precious Muir, who was also on season one

“But we just wanted a little excitement to spice things up and make us feel new again, and this seemed like a safe place to experiment.”

Like many working couples, Natalie and Tom spend most evenings curled up on the couch watching TV together – and this is where their unusual story begins.

Natalie says, “We watched the first season of Open House together last year and started talking about our fantasies. Neither of us wanted to sleep alone with anyone, but we both liked the idea of ​​a threesome.

“Half-heated, and just for fun, we signed up for the second season, but never thought we’d make it because we were so casual and ordinary.”

Part of the show’s appeal, Natalie explains matter-of-factly, is that it’s hard to organize a threesome in everyday life.

She says, “It’s still quite taboo, and you can’t really just ask someone you know. It just doesn’t get to the school gate.’

After being selected, the couple felt nervous but excited. Concerned about how it would affect them and their relationship and how people would perceive them, they only told a select few friends.

Despite their doubts, they decided to commit – staying in the house in an undisclosed location in Herefordshire for two nights last September.

The couple decided to go to Open House after watching the first season together and talking about their fantasies

Tom and Natalie Beard, from York, have been together for 13 years but wanted to experiment with another woman

Natalie says, “It was intense. A lot of things happen that you don’t see on camera. They film all interactions and bedrooms. We were pretty excited and it was fun to get glam.”

However, the transition to an exciting sexual act did not go as smoothly as planned.

Natalie says, “It was a little overwhelming to be honest. We are fairly sheltered, but here were a lot of couples and singles who frequented this on a regular basis. We were nervous about not fitting in because we’re so average and normal.”

As the first night progressed and people started kissing, Natalie and Tom didn’t participate, feeling too uncomfortable.

She adds, “We didn’t know who to pick. We needed a sexual connection. And we just wanted to be ourselves. There were also limits to what we could drink, so we weren’t that relaxed.’

The second night, however, was more of a success. Natalie says, “There was a woman there, Precious, who had been in the first series. We saw her and were instantly drawn to her.

‘First we had a conversation about life and work and how long we had been together. Then Precious took us to a yurt where it was a bit more private.’

Precious Muir, 38, from London, then put them in the situation by kissing them both. That apparently helped break the ice.

Natalie explains that one of her main concerns was that Tom would find the other person more attractive than her. But Precious put her at ease by telling her how beautiful she was.

“She was very relaxed and put us at ease,” says Natalie. “It didn’t seem like a competition. We both found her very attractive, which was important.”

After they started kissing, they ended up in bed, enjoying the moment, but also realizing that they were being filmed.

Natalie says, “We tried to keep things under the covers as much as possible. Three is an odd number, so I was worried someone might get locked out, but it worked out well.

Tom and Natalie say having the threesome has made their relationship stronger

“I had never been with a woman before and was intrigued to find out if I would find it sexual, but I did. I think I knew what to do since I have the same parts myself. And although it was strange to be filmed, it made it more exciting.’

Tom adds: ‘For me it was more about seeing those two together. I would have loved to just sit there and watch, but in the end I joined in.’

After they all had sex, Tom lay in the middle, both women cuddled up to him on either side, beaming calmly. They left home a day later – happy to have achieved what they set out to do.

Interestingly, the couple says their relationship is much stronger since their experiment.

Tom says, “We are always a strong bunch, but this has made us stronger. We have this event now that we have a bond, we can relive the moment together.”

They even kept in touch with Precious, who sent Natalie some hair extensions.

And what did people around the world think about their heroics being filmed and paraded on TV?

Natalie says, “The kids were a huge concern. That’s why we did it when they were in elementary school, and before they had phones, so they don’t come across it on the internet.

“Some parents at school know, but luckily no one told them.”

And what about the larger family? Tom says, “I think my parents know we’re adults.” While Natalie adds, “Mine said they won’t look at it.”

But they’re surprised by the amount of support they’ve had from people they know. Tom says, “I thought people would judge us more, but people have really supported us.”

Natalie agrees, saying, “Yeah, my friends said we were brave. I think they respect us for doing it.’

They both feel like they want to do this again but don’t know how. And they think there’s too much taboo against couples wanting to have sex with an outside interest.

Tom says: ‘There is so much support for the LGBTQ+ community now, which is good. But when a committed couple wants to do something like that, it is often frowned upon.

“We would never have affairs and cheat on each other, but we loved doing this together, so why should that be a problem?”

Natalie adds: ‘I totally agree. I imagine many couples want to do this. It’s a way to bring some fun into your life while strengthening your relationship. And to those who judge it, I say ‘don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.’