I feel that, before we even begin, ‘Why I love…’ is the name of a section where we, the TV Scoop writers talk about the people, the shows, we love on the telly. If I was to suddenly declare my love for Dawn Porter, I probably wouldn’t do it on the internet. That said, it’s quite a pertinent point as the web is filled with people doing exactly that. Some corner proclaim their love of Dawn’s work, whereas others declare more carnal pleasures. Why would someone do that in such a public forum? Well, there’s a few reasons why Dawn Porter is in the affections of many…

UPDATE: Go here to read my review of the series opener.

There’s no doubt about it: Dawn Porter is brave and fun. There ain’t many you can say that about. Porter looks at very real issues and, instead of judging them for afar, sat in rainy windows tapping a pencil against her lips, she gets up and out of the house to strip naked on open topped buses, sticks on beards to go butch and generally goes above and beyond for the sake of really trying to understand an issue. It’s commendable folks!

What most impresses me about Dawn is that she can convey an incredibly serious point without turning it into a lecture. Looking at the Dawn Gets Naked show, she wanted women to be proud of their bodies and not get hang-ups over the seemingly endless stream of photoshopped images in mags ‘n’ rags. Not once did this show turn into a fusty rant with intellectuals, but rather, a very real and honest look from a modern perspective. It’s because of this that the repeats of her shows have been as popular as the debut showings… and I think it’s great.

Speaking to Dawn earlier, about her forthcoming series (starting September 30th on Channel 4), it’s clear that she’s still putting herself in, way over her head, in an attempt to understand the modern psyche of the modern woman. It sounds heavy, but you just know that, with Dawn Porter, you’ll be able to have a laugh… and sometimes at her expense.

The new series, Extreme Wife, in Dawn’s words us a look “at issues that women face on a day-to-day basis through extreme situations” These situations are a visit to Japan to become a Geisha. “I felt like a giant pleb with all these beautiful, delicate Geisha women which I was just this guffawing Westerner,” said Dawn. On top of that, she looks at the tricky subject of free-love in a hippie commune, mail-order brides and polygamous relationships in the US.

Through these, she’s able to look at some of the more extreme ways that women look for love. Looking back at the mail-order brides in Russia, Dawn told of how she saw the most “predatory instincts of men” come to the fore. Surprisingly, after meeting the American Mormons, she found the experience positive: “Even though there was a lot I couldn’t understand, or agree with, it turned out to be one of the most uplifting experiences of them all.” Even in Germany, at the free-love commune, where people share partners, she noted that as liberating as it sounds, those who a part of the group have “hours of counselling everyday to deal with their jealousy”.

Dawn added; “All of the shows deal with the things women have to deal with. I involve myself as much as much as I always do. A lot of the time I felt completely out of my depth… but I still had fun”. And this is the point. Dawn makes TV with a heart. Whereas many of these shows are simply willing to peer into strange worlds, Porter immerses herself in them to find something out about herself.

This new series, in anyone else’s hands, would be a sniggerfest, however, Dawn comes away knowing more about what she wants from a relationship. Personally, I think Dawn is like a lot of women I know and who watch her shows, so through Porter, the viewer can learn a lot about themselves too. Dawn serves up the facts with a spoonful of sugar, which leaves lazy-brains with the wrong impression. Just because she’s easy on the eye and gets naked in a bath with half-a-dozen hippies, doesn’t mean she’s not smart. Fact is, Dawn Porter is one of the smartest cookies on the box and her new series is going to be great! Tune in or miss out.