Orgasm News had a chance to talk to Robert Page, the producer of The Lovers’ Guide series, which is the most popular sex tutorial in history. He talks about the popularity of the series,  how it was conceived and what connection the late Stanley Kubrick’s had to to the series.

Orgasm News: Did you ever envision how popular the original Lovers’ Guide video was going to be when it sold a million copies its first year of release in 1991?

Robert Page: We certainly thought we would have a hit on our hands when we got an 18 certificate for the first film – which meant that it could be sold in all high street stores. And hit it was – becoming the first ever non-fiction film to go to number 1 in the UK video charts. It was translated into 13 languages and went to 22 countries around the globe. Even so, I could not have known that over 20 years later we would still be making new titles in the series, have produced the world’s first 3D adult theatrical feature film, have TV programs made about the making of the Lovers’ Guide, published several books, magazines, games and toys and have the biggest adult education website on the internet at www.loversguide.com. – and even been consulted by the great Stanley Kubrick on how to direct sex scenes!

Orgasm News: Why do you believe it became so popular?

Robert Page: I like to think it’s because it was not only the first but also the best. It showed human lovemaking as a glorious activity to be enjoyed without fear, guilt or shame. The film showed real people having real sex in a way that was wholly frank and explicit and helped its viewers expand their sexual repertoire and deepen their relationships. Because of this around 75% of people who bought the film are women. I think they wanted to sit their men down and say ‘take your time over sex, help me be fully aroused..’

Orgasm News: What initially gave you the idea to create The Lovers’ Guide?

Robert Page: We had made a range of how-to videos – from cooking and gardening to parenting and home improvement. Then Richard Branson’s Virgin Group got into making condoms (called ‘Mates’) and asked us to make a film showing a man putting one on. Clearly, this involved him having to have an erection. So I asked the Film Classification people in the UK (BBFC) if that was legal – and they said, in a post AIDS era, it was not only legal but hugely sensible to promote condom use. I then asked, well, if we could show that, could we make an entire how-to on this most intimate aspect of human life? Yes. And what would they let me show? Masturbation? Yes. Sexual intercourse? Yes. Surely not oral sex? Yes to that, too. Both ways around? Yes. And so off we went and made the most ground-breaking film in this area ever.

Orgasm News: What can viewers who are new to the series expect from The Lovers’ Guide?

Robert Page: Firstly, a great deal of affirmation in their sex lives. The series promotes sexual well-being and erotic intelligence. Though sex is ‘doing what comes naturally’ there are actually a huge range of techniques for mutual stimulation, varieties of ways of coupling in sex positions etc etc which will expand your repertoire and revitalize your intimate life. It has been proven again and again that people who are very satisfied with their sex life are also very satisfied with their relationship. The Lovers’ Guide shows real sex – not porn, which shows well-hung men and impossibly hour glass-figured women having wild sex. It can make people disparage their partners and feel their own sex life is lacking. The Lovers’ Guide films are to be viewed together and get couples talking and practicing better sex for them.

Orgasm News: When The Lovers’ Guide was originally released it caused quite a stir with its graphic scenes. How did you initially get your critics to realize that this was an important tool in sexual education?

Robert Page: People did say that if you turned off the instructional voice-over and put on raunchy music, then there was no difference between the Lovers’ Guide and porn films. That really isn’t true – the whole way they are shot, whilst fully explicit, is not exploitative as in porn. Also, the films were written and introduced by doctors highly qualified in sexual health. Not that sex should be seen as a medical event, of course, but their presence helped give credibility and authority to the films.

Orgasm News: How does The Lovers’ Guide differ from other sex education videos out there?

Robert Page: With the massive success of the Lovers’ Guide there were inevitably a swathe of lookalikes that came in its wake. Almost none have had any staying power – and this, we believe, is because many were simply porn dressed as sex education. Our series has covered a very wide range of sexual issues over the years and no other has quite this breadth and depth of approach. We also like to think that they have a gloriously sensual quality which is erotic without being pornographic. People find them sexy and compelling, whilst being hugely informative – and heaven help the human race if we don’t find naked humans in intimate situations somewhat arousing.

Orgasm News: Have you ever received any customer feedback that thanked you for making this video series? If so, is there a particular letter that stands out for you?

Robert Page: We have received thousands of letters of thanks – many saying that they had been married for ages and hadn’t had sex in years but that watching the films re-fired their love lives and saved their marriages. One of the most touching letters was from a disabled person who said that they thought the films were made with such care and so beautifully that they would happily appear in one themselves if we were ever to cover sex and disability (which we do on our website but not, so far, in the films).

Orgasm News: The Lovers’ Guide: Original Collection, The Lovers’ Guide: Essential Collection and The Lovers’ Guide: Sexual Positions are all being released soon. Can fans of the series expect any new material? If so, can you give us a sample of what the material will be?

Robert Page: There is a “Lovers’ Guide Interactive”, distributed by Sony which allows the viewer to click on their remote between a general view, a ‘hers’ view and a ‘his’ view. And we made the world’s first 3D adult theatrical feature, “The Lovers’ Guide 3D – Igniting Desire” for Studio Canal. There is a TV series in the offing covering a wide range of sexual attitudes and practices, too.. and there’s the App, if Android and Apple will ever let explicit footage of sex into their app stores…

Thanks for your time Robert. Be sure to check out loversguide.com for more information about the Series.