Tortoise Lates: Modern Love – Tortoise

This is a live studio recording. 

In-person tickets are available, digital tickets will be available in January. 

An evening of conversation, ideas and entertainment, new and exclusively for Tortoise members.

A night of burning passion, broken hearts and modern romance. 

Please note!

Tortoise Lates is a live studio recording. Doors open at 6pm for a 6.15pm start. If you arrive late, we will show you to your seat during the first interval. 

Part one: Are modern relationships really that hard?

Today we have more romantic options than at any point in human history. Many of us spend years of our lives on the quest for a soulmate, but dating still doesn’t get any easier. Technology equals more opportunity for connection, but choices are bewildering and overwhelming. 

Even when you find ‘the one’, the data shows that long term relationships are hard: divorce rates are up, marriage rates are down, and the average long term relationship is less than three years. So are we setting ourselves up to fail? 

Younger generations are switching on to ideas like polyamory and ethical non-monogamy: is it time we should all question what romantic relationships mean to us, or do we just need to work harder at them?

Part two: Why do we love rom-coms?

Romantic comedies tend to be dismissed by critics and ‘serious film goers’ as silly and predictable. Even fans of the genre often admit they are a guilty pleasure. But why? The superhero genre, with all its masculine tropes and SFX violence, has rehabilitated itself to claim some form of credibility – can rom-coms do the same? What makes a good romantic comedy? Are they always just a little bit sexist? Join our panel of self-confessed rom-com fans as they share their favourite clips and help us to decide the greatest rom-com of all time. Bring popcorn and tissues.  

Part three: The Tortoise Interview with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

From bodice rippers to erotic blockbusters, the romance genre is big business – accounting for a quarter of the total fiction market. 

But what does the modern romance novel look like, and why are they so popular? Does romantic fiction influence our own expectations of love and relationships, or is it  harmless escapism? In her latest book, ‘A Most Intriguing Lady’ for the legendary and prolific romantic publisher Mills & Boon, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York tells a fictional story inspired by one of her ancestors, Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott. Join us for a special Tortoise Interview where pulses race and hearts skip, as we explore, celebrate and potentially swoon over stories of love and romance.  

editor and invited experts

Liz Moseley
Editor

Sarah Ferguson
Duchess of York