The Love Ban
The Love Ban is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Hywel Bennett, Nanette Newman and Milo O'Shea. It was based on a play by Kevin Laffan. It is also known under the alternative titles of It's a 2'6" Above the Ground World and Anyone for Sex? It was shot at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art director Anthony Pratt. Plot summary. A married couple with six children experience marital difficulties. Wife Kate refuses to sleep with husband Mick until he uses birth control, while their live-in au-pair  falls pregnant. Production. The film was based on a 1969 play by Kevin Laffan, "It's a 2'6" Above the Ground World". Laffan was one of 14 children from a devout Roman Catholic family and his critical view on the Church's stance on birth control was a recurring theme of his work. The play starred Prunella Scales in a production at the Bristol Old Vic, and was a hit, moving to the Wyndham's Theatre.