This episode brings massive news as Cultpix celebrates four years with the biggest announcement yet: the launch of the Something Weird Channel, a brand-new sister streaming service featuring the complete Something Weird Video catalogue in partnership with Lisa Petrucci.

We explore how this new channel emerged following Something Weird Video's decision to discontinue DVD-R production and download-to-own services in October 2024. The Something Weird Channel features approximately 1,000 titles with its own distinct aesthetic, categories, and exclusive content not available on Cultpix.

Despite adding enormous value with a second streaming service, the subscription price is actually being reduced from $6.66 to $5.99 monthly. The release schedule includes 50 new films twice monthly, with unique categories covering compilations, exploitation films, and works by legendary directors like Herschell Gordon Lewis and Doris Wishman.

Technical developments take centre stage as we talk about the new Android TV and Amazon Fire TV apps that have already achieved nearly 1,000 downloads without promotion. Upcoming features like curated box sets are discussed alongside the new membership pause functionality.

Recent Cultpix content gets attention including the popular French erotica collection from Pulse Store, Hungarian Cult Classics Volume 2 featuring a James Bond parody made without having seen any Bond films, and the unique Bronson Canyon theme month celebrating the iconic filming location.

The Cannes Film Festival experience features prominently, covering two positive Variety magazine articles, new distribution deals, and the annual cocktail party with special guest director Dan Wolman. The episode concludes with the trademark "Sorry to See You Go" segment, featuring amusing and bewildering cancellation messages from former subscribers.

Episode Highlights:

• Something Weird Channel launch announcement
• Price reduction to $5.99 despite doubling content
• New streaming apps available
• Cannes Film Festival success
• Recent themed content collections
• Technical updates and new feature

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.

Episode 80 finds us back on air after a brief hiatus (and hospital visit!), with plenty of news to share about both the platform and our upcoming releases. We start by addressing the elephant in the room - our transition to GoCardless bank transfers for payments. This change came about because traditional payment processors (boo-hiss Stripe) weren't comfortable with our vintage nudie and erotica content, even though it represents only a small percentage of our library.

We delve on our past and present theme months, with January's "Madness Takes Its Toll" exploring psychological and asylum-themed films, while February brings you "Filthy Fiftieth Feb," a look back at provocative cinema from 1975. We were particularly excited to introduce our new team members, Kalle and Tightsbury, who've been revolutionising our social media presence with creative edits and trailers.

A major highlight is our announcement of upcoming Blu-ray releases. "Anita: Swedish Nymph" is getting the deluxe treatment with multiple versions and extensive bonus materials, plus we revealed a partnership with Vinegar Syndrome for US distribution. We're also finally bringing "Thriller: A Cruel Picture" (also known as "They Call Her One Eye") to Scandinavian audiences.

We shared our most-watched films of 2024, with "Vintage Erotica Anno 1970s" taking the top spot, followed by "The Swedish Sin 1969-2000." The endless popularity of "Summer with Vanja" continues to mystify us, while "The Intruders" surprisingly topped our "nice list" despite never having received a proper DVD release.

Looking ahead, we're expanding our library with several exciting acquisitions. We've secured twelve restored Hungarian films, and we're particularly thrilled about bringing the complete "Lover's Guide" series to our platform - a groundbreaking educational series that made history in the UK. We're also filling some genre gaps with new additions in spaghetti westerns, Euro horror, and American high school comedies from the 1980s.

Throughout the episode, we seem to keep returning to "Terror in the Midnight Sun" as our foundational film, being the first we ever released across various formats. We wrap up with an amusing (we think so) segment reading feedback from members who decided to leave Cultpix, showing both the challenges and entertainment value of running a niche streaming service dedicated to cult cinema.

Cultpix is more than just a streaming site for classic cult and genre films, as we never tire of saying and we're expanding big time beyond just streaming, with our growing physical media presence and international partnerships setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting 2025 for cult film enthusiasts.