Cultpix Radio Ep.81 - Interview with The Lovers' Guide producer Robert Page

Django Nudo and The Smut Peddler welcome Robert Page, the visionary creator behind the revolutionary sex education series "The Lover's Guide". Page delights listeners with extraordinary behind-the-scenes stories from his illustrious career, including a surreal phone call from Stanley Kubrick seeking advice on directing intimate scenes for "Eyes Wide Shut" and an unexpected encounter with tabloid journalism involving Heather Mills McCartney. Perhaps most surprisingly, Page reveals how his educational series may have influenced the Catholic Church to soften its stance on masturbation after the programme demonstrated how widespread the practice is among both men and women.

The conversation thoroughly explores the remarkable origin story of "The Lover's Guide" in the early 1990s, strategically positioned in a unique cultural window between older clinical sex education films and the explosion of internet pornography. Page recounts his pivotal meeting with British film censor Jim Ferman during the AIDS crisis, where he unexpectedly received permission to show explicit sexual content for educational purposes, including erections, intercourse, and oral sex—provided they "didn't linger" on any particular activity and included a doctor as presenter. This breakthrough allowed Page to create what would become a cultural phenomenon that invested the equivalent of £5 million (in today's money) in production values.

Page shares fascinating insights into the series' development philosophy, explaining their deliberate approach to portraying intimacy with genuine warmth and respect rather than clinical detachment or pornographic sensationalism. He discusses the considerable challenges of finding performers willing to appear in such groundbreaking content, the scandals that erupted when some were discovered to have pornographic backgrounds. The series ultimately proved so popular that it knocked Hollywood blockbusters like "Die Hard" and "The Little Mermaid" off the video charts and was purchased predominantly by women (55%).

The conversation takes several poignant turns as Page reveals personal struggles during production, including his marriage falling apart while creating a series about enhancing relationships. He also shares the tragic story of the series' star couple, Wendy Anne Paige and her husband Tony, who became celebrities through the programme before experiencing a downward spiral that ended with Wendy's death "in penury" in December 2024.

There's revealing anecdotes about international reception, including unauthorised Chinese translations that sold millions without compensation, censorship battles in Japan, and Dutch companies that purchased distribution rights only to bury the product while creating their own competing versions. Page expresses particular pride in the series' unexpected success in France, noting the irony of "the English teaching the French about sex."

The conversation concludes with Page discussing the enduring legacy of "The Lover's Guide" thirty years after its initial release, with both The Guardian and The Sun recently publishing features acknowledging its continuing relevance. Page shares touching stories about receiving thousands of letters from couples whose relationships were saved by the series and expresses hope that its core messages about communication, respect, and genuine intimacy can still positively impact relationships today—values he believes are needed more than ever in our increasingly divided world.

Throughout the interview, Page's passion for his groundbreaking work shines through, along with his sense of humour and genuine belief in the power of education to foster healthier, more loving relationships. This episode offers listeners not just a nostalgic look back at a cultural phenomenon, but a thoughtful reflection on how approaches to sex education have evolved over decades and what might be lost or gained in our modern digital landscape.