** B5 4EB Adult World, Hinckley Street, Birmingham

[I-full]

1 Hinckley Street, Birmingham. B5 4EB 0121 643 5147

Adult World is a Continental-style sex shop wih cinema attached to be found just round the corner from New Street Station. The cinema has about 80 seats but it's difficult to judge the level of luxury given the low level of lighting. Feels comfortable enough to endure a couple of reels.

Film shows are continuous projection of R18 rated DVDs which may be purchased from the shop. Entrance is £10 with unlimited free re-admission on the same day. Projections run from 12.00 to 22.00.

Of more interest to us is the dancer who awakes the comatose audience at 14.00, 16.00 and 18.00 on the dot. Two-track show, topless then nude. Quality varies but few would gain regular employment at the nearby 'Rhino. Nevertheless they are mostly enthusiastic althought their routines tend to come from the same choreographer. The dances are performed on a stage in front of the screen and given the space required for projecting a viewable image, and hence the height of the ceiling, the pole seems to ascend for ever. Only the fittest make it to the top without oxygen!

The bonus is the offer of PDs. No hassle from the dancer but most announce their availability while they gather up their discarded clothing as they leave the stage. Buy a £20 token from the counter and you may enter the lady's dressing room (large cupboard) and relax in an armchair while the show unfolds before you. You will observe there is a CCTV camera trained on you while being thus entertained but the quality of the image on the monitor behind the shop counter would never stand up in court.

All-in all an almost unique experience in this country save perhaps for a similar, but unconnected, establishement in Oxford Road, Manchester (near BBC studio) a while back or the Tatler cinema chain operating in London in early 70s ( tame films by today's standards and the occasional burlesque type stripper by way of a treat).

Adult World is worth savouring to while away an hour or so but be prepared to take pot luck on the dancer. Oh, and you can probably guess at the range of characters you might be sitting next to in that subdued light...

I-Full

[rick4859b]

I was in Brum the other day and the description of this place intrigued me, so I thought "Why not?".

Mostly, it was as described above. What I would add is: I paid £20 for a token, the dancer took me to her dressing room. She had a tiny Argos ghetto blaster to provide the music; quality!
Before she even started she asked for another £40 "and I'll give you a very special dance". Well, I was a total sucker and handed over the money.
For that I got a somewhere-in-the-next-county airdance, then the girl lay down and did some pretend masturbation.

I left quickly, cursing my own naivety

[pleasure_seeker]

I was at Birmingham New St recently with a bit of time to kill and discovered this place still going strong.
As described in I-full’s report from long ago. Entry £10, with continuous film show and a dancer on stage every 2 hours. Private dances also available.
The dancer I saw was a small buxom blonde with a Birmingham accent. She was a skilled performer on stage. I didn’t sample a private dance as time was limited and several guys were ahead of me in the queue. The porn films, it has to be said, were pretty dire.
Nonetheless, pleased that the place survives and that I had a chance to try it.

[TonyN]

There is a claim of baiting of theatre students. Noted in the article though is there is no provable links to club or shop. Also the area is troubled, so it seems a bit of throwing mud and hoping it sticks.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/m ... g-17142623

[The Great Smell Of Brute]

I note that the represetative of the Old Rep Theatre quoted in the article has also resorted to a fair amount of "WHAT-ABOUT-THE-KIDDIES?!!" rhetoric too. They've been trying to get Adult World closed down for years, so any claims they make should be taken with a pinch of salt, unless they can substantiate them.

And an excellent response to the allegations (quoted in the Birmingham Mail article) from Ryan McNulty, the new owner of Adult World:

"I would like to apologise to The Old Rep Theatre if they have had any issues in and around their business. The area itself, there is a lot going on there, there's a lot of pubs, there's a probation area, it is quite a troubled part of Birmingham.

"I feel like we are doing everything we can to comply with the licence and since we heard about the objection and an incident at the back door we've installed four cameras at the front of our shop pointing to all four locations visible. The Old Rep Theatre are welcome to come and use those cameras if there's any incidents."