Couples are to have sex in a soundproof booth and then immediately be quizzed about their session in a new Channel 4 show.
The station said no intercourse or nudity will be seen in the Sex Box programme but the “immediacy” will encourage a more open and honest discussion about their experiences.
The hour-long programme, to be screened next month and hosted by Mariella Frostrup, is part of the broadcaster’s Campaign For Real Sex season, which will look at the effect of pornography on the love lives of ordinary people around the UK.
The three couples taking part in Sex Box are an engaged couple who have rekindled their romance after being childhood sweethearts, a duo in their 20s and a gay couple in their 30s.
The panel of experts who will discuss the sex sessions include psychotherapist Phillip Hodson, relationship expert Tracey Cox and sex columnist Dan Savage.
Presenter Frostrup said: “The sex we see on screen, in magazines and increasingly online bears little relation to the real experiences of real people.
“I’m delighted to take part in this attempt to have a frank conversation about an essential element of all our lives.”
The programme to be shown on October 7 is inspired by work undertaken by sex researchers in which couples discuss their activities straight after sex.
The season will also include a documentary examining the effect on teenagers of being bombarded by sexual imagery, and another programme in which porn fans get to date the stars of sex films in order to understand the reality of their lives.
David Glover, a commissioning editor for the station, said of Sex Box: “It is a rather mischievous, fun idea that actually allows sex to be completely private but the conversation to be truthful and immediate.”
Ralph Lee of Channel 4 said: “The explosion of online pornography is one of the stories of our time and the Campaign For Real Sex season is our response to it.
“Sex Box absolutely intends to be an open and adult conversation about sex, something we feel it currently being overlooked by mainstream programming.”