A SEXUAL revolution of a different kind came to the Arts Centre stage yesterday as author Jules Howard spoke at the Swindon Literature Festival.

Leicestershire-born Jules engaged audiences with a discussion on his debut novel Sex on Earth – A Celebration of Animal Reproduction.

Sex On Earth takes readers on a voyage of discovery about reproduction and true love.

The hour-long talk focused around the history of sex.

He said millions of years ago life became more interesting and ultimately more bizarre when sexual intercourse came into play.

Jules said: “People have these preconceptions about animals and the way they reproduce. For example everybody believes that pandas are made to have real difficulty with mating but that’s simply not true and this book is about changing the common perception."

The author, enjoying his first trip to the town, said he was pleasantly surprised by the reaction his book got and the interest the audience showed during the Q&A section.

He said: “There’s always this worry when you go to an event for the first time that there will be this awkward silence when you ask if there are any questions. People have really engaged with what I was talking about and they weren’t afraid to talk about sex, which is always a worry with a subject like this.

“I did ask before I got in here if I could use four-letter words for genitalia and if anyone would be offended or feel worried about the subject matter. But the audience have been great and I’ve had some weird and wonderful questions.”

The zoologist, author, and BBC broadcaster on BBC TV released his debut novel in autumn 2014 and received critical acclaim for the refreshingly-honest nature of the tome.

Festival director Matthew Holland said the talk had been a great success.

He said: “I had so many questions at the end of it. It was absolutely fascinating and to have brand new subject matter we’ve never covered before makes the talk even more special.”

The festival finishes today and for more details about the remaining events visit www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk or to book tickets call 01793 524481.