Swingers artwork

Documentary · BBC Radio Wales

Swingers

by BBC Radio Wales

Swingers tells the story of Ruth - a woman who joined a Swinging website and ended up having degrading sex with strangers more than 100 times.   Ruth thinks she is not alone, that there are women all over the UK like her and so she decided to tell her story, using her full identity, to investigative journalist Catrin Nye.  Ruth says that she never wanted to join the swingers website - but did it to please her husband who had been slowly persuading her for more than a decade to try swinging. She ended up having sex with strangers in lay-bys and filming it for her husband. She ended up pregnant by a stranger and giving oral sex to another man while bleeding from an abortion.    In this podcast Catrin pieces together Ruth’s story and asks what it tells us about sexual consent, pressure in relationships, and the swinger community. She digs deep into the online world of Fab Swingers - the website Ruth and her husband used. Catrin discovers countless crimes across the UK linked to the swinging website and speaks to a man who admits to having sex with women who he thinks were pushed into it.   She considers the police response to Ruth, the law and whether swinging can be a cover for abuse.    This is a story told in full honesty. It’s the trickiest investigation of Catrin’s career, but one she also feels must be told.

Chart trend

Position in the Documentary chart (US), last 90 days.

#5
all-time peak
4
days in the top 10 since Jun 2026

Latest episodes

Showing 7 · updated from the feed

6. Black Mirror

After 18 months of swinging, Ruth has a moment of recognition while watching Black Mirror. With support from friends and domestic abuse services, she secretly prepares to

Jun 16
25 min

5. The Messages

Ruth’s messages sometimes appear enthusiastic - but at other times she says she is scared, traumatised and wants to stop. Solicitor Rachel Horman-Brown explains why messa

Jun 16
31 min

4. The Club

At a swingers club near Liverpool, Catrin sees a world that’s meant to be built around rules. Experienced swingers explain how the lifestyle can strengthen relationships

Jun 16
32 min

3. The Boiling Frog

Warning: this episode contains mentions of suicide. If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Ruth des

Jun 16
23 min

2. The Men That Swing

Catrin creates a FabSwingers account and is quickly inundated with messages from men. Professor Nicola Gavey explains why full consent is not always as simple as saying y

Jun 16
27 min

1. Fab

Catrin Nye meets Ruth, who says she was pressured into having sex with strangers through a swingers website more than 100 times. Ruth explains why she is using her full i

Jun 16
27 min

Introducing... Swingers

Swingers tells the story of Ruth - a woman who joined a Swinging website and ended up having degrading sex with strangers more than 100 times.   Ruth thinks she is not al

Jun 9
1 min

Chart positions

Where Swingers ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 13, 2026).

#79 ▲ 11 Documentary US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

It’s an incredible look at consent (it’s complicated) and societal norms that feed the degradation of women. But in interviews with psychologists, law enforcement, swingers (done right it can be fun for some couples), tech, doctors it is incredibly riveting. Her courage to tell her story (motivated in part by Gisele Pelicot—who was drugged and raped for decades by men her husband invited) is how we change the shame, shock and belief “it would never happen to me/I would never do that/I’m too smart.” We’re all most likely to be hurt/hurt someone we know, love and trust. It’s rarely a boogeyman.

SchroederComm · Aug 2026

Honestly it’s difficult to listen to at times, but the story is reported with the utmost respect and integrity. This isn’t something that is necessarily entertaining, NOR SHOULD IT BE, but it’s an important story to be told to remind us of the humanity behind the titillating headlines, especially as the online component only further dehumanizes the participants of these sexual encounters. But cheers to Ruth, I and certainly countless other women are grateful for her honesty and boldness.

merp alert · Jul 2026

I did find this pod a bit disjointed and somewhat repetitive. And, had a difficult time fully relating to Ruth’s story. But I think it’s literally impossible for many of us to have walked in her shoes because her experience was both so unique and frightening. My first thought about the it was, “OK I don’t want any more ‘me too’.” But then I realized it’s about so much more than that. It deeply moving and well produced. Highly recommend!

ThePassenger444 · Jul 2026

When a podcast leaves you as shocked & thoughtful as this one you know it must be providing the service the creater / host & subject intended. I hope Ruth can one day take the credit for being as unbelievably BRAVE as she is for telling this story. Thank you Ruth. Embrace your new life of freedom in your beautiful garden.

OofiOofster · Jul 2026

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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Swingers, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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