The LIVE Show

In this very special episode of BANG! recorded in front of a live audience at The Basement Theatre, Melody Thomas and guests dispense advice, tell personal stories, recite erotic poems and have a few laughs along the way. For this very special episode of BANG!, recorded in front of a live audience at The Basement Theatre, Melody Thomas and guests dispense advice, tell personal stories, recite erotic poems and have a few laughs along the way. On the night, very serious BANG! News host Susie Ferguson delivered breaking news stories she'd never seen until that moment. As hoped, she struggled to keep it together. We also had an appearance from episode seven's Shelley* - the 29 year old virgin keen to explore her sexuality but not sure how to start. In front of a live audience, she gave us an update. Read Shelley's story below. When Shelley was 13 she wrote an essay for a competition, explaining the importance of "virginal purity" and referring to herself as a "chastitute". Like many of her church friends, she planned to have sex with only one person in her life - her future husband.But when Shelley got to her mid 20s, she was yet to have her first relationship or even her first kiss. She began to rethink her earlier stance on sex."The idea of having a relationship that progressed at a pace that felt normal and where there was open communication from both sides - that felt a lot more real and genuine than a relationship where there's certain rules that someone else has put on you," she says.Shelley did some research, including listening to podcasts like BANG! and The Savage Lovecast. She also took a friend's advice to try masturbating."I was like 'I don't know if I'm doing it right?' ... and she said, 'Just trust me, you will know when you get there'... And once it did happened I was like, 'Oh yeah... that's definitely a thing'," she laughs.Shelley went on a few dates and had her first, awkward kiss - but soon after that began to feel a little stuck. This is when she reached out to talk with me for BANG!While the idea that there's a magic window of opportunity for losing your virginity is obviously nonsense, most people still have an idea of what they think is 'too young' or 'too old' for first-time sex. Shelley couldn't escape the feeling she'd missed her chance…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details