Jacqui Smith to investigate porn trade for the BBC

Jacqui Smith was the first female home secretary

Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is to make a documentary about the pornography industry for the BBC.

Ms Smith resigned from her cabinet post after it was revealed she claimed expenses for two pay-per-view porn films watched by her husband.

She later lost her Redditch seat in the 2010 general election.

The BBC says she will interview porn stars and film-makers for the investigation, which is scheduled to be broadcast in March.

The programme is being produced for BBC Radio 5 live by an independent production company, and will also feature philosophers, feminists and politicians.

Ms Smith's earlier brush with the porn industry was one of the factors that led to her resignation in 2009.

It emerged that her husband Richard Timney, who was also her parliamentary aide, had watched two pay-per-view "adult" films, and an expenses claim had been made for them.

The former cabinet minister's documentary will be entitled "Porn Again".

Ms Smith said she knew "from my own personal experience, porn fascinates us - media and public alike".

"But we actually know very little about what it's like to work in the industry and what porn is doing to our society, our children and our relationships," she added.

Mr Timney apologised after the incident which became part of the long running MPs' expenses scandal in 2009.

But Ms Smith, who was the first woman to hold the post of home secretary, later resigned from the job after being strongly criticised for designating her sister's house in London as "her main home."

Doing so had allowed her to claim expenses on her Redditch family house.

The week the former MP said that making the programme had enabled her to challenge her own views and attitudes.

"I want others to have the chance to join the debate too," she said.

The BBC says the programme will be broadcast on Thursday 3 March at 2130 GMT.

It will be followed by a special edition of the Tony Livesey Show, when the former minister will take calls from listeners.