Kama Sutra comes to Channel 4

Kama Sutra: 1,600-year-old book is not just about sex

The Kama Sutra will be brought to life on Channel 4 as it attempts to reveal the truth about the ancient Indian text.

The programme, fronted by Goodness Gracious Me star Sanjeev Bhaskar, will attempt to show that the book is not just about sex.

Bhaskar will follow in the footsteps of Kama Sutra author Vatsyayana to try to work out the enduring fascination of the 1,600-year-old text.

The three-part programme, called Position Impossible, will also look at the western world's fascination with the Kama Sutra.

Sanjeev Bhaskar: Tracing the origins of the Kama Sutra

Bhaskar travels to India to look at the legacy of the book, which examines all the aspects of relationships between men and women.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: "It's getting away from the idea that that it's just an old version of The Joy of Sex."

The Kama Sutra is never far away from controversy.

In 1998, an Indian film of the same name upset the censors, who insisted on various cuts before releasing it for the public to view.

It told the story of a three-way sexual relationship between a man, his fiancée and her servant girl.

Not the Kama Sutra: Bernard Manning will be profiled by C4

Other highlights of the Channel 4 season include an evening of programmes to mark what would have been John Lennon's 60th birthday.

Controversial comedian Bernard Manning - shunned by many for his crude and racist act - will have his career assessed in Heroes Of Comedy, alongside Kenneth Williams and Max Wall.

Angel - a spin-off from BBC Two's Buffy The Vampire Slayer - will also be shown.

Writer Nigella Lawson - the daughter of former Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lawson - will front her own cookery show, Nigella Bites.

Channel 4's director of programmes, Tim Gardam, said he was pleased with the station's success this summer with TV phenomenon Big Brother and its cricket coverage, now in its second year.

He said: "Summer is now a season of tremendous streangth for us, when yet again we have proved a channel prepared to respect its audience and continue investing in high quality, intelligent and original programming will get the audience and acclaim it deserves."