Channel 4 commissions Sex Toy Story

7 March 2012

Women of Britain, your c(o)untry needs you!

Channel 4 has commissioned Sex Toy Story, a one off documentary that will look behind the scenes of Britain's biggest supplier of sex toys, Ann Summers, to follow its attempt to create the first ever People's Vibrator.

Lingerie and sex toy chain Ann Summers has revolutionised British women's sex lives and nearly half of us now own a vibrator, the Rampant Rabbit being a firm favourite.

But the industry has transformed dramatically over the last decade and sex toys are now freely available on the high street at retailers including Boots and Debenhams. And rafts of online retailers are snapping at Ann Summers' heels.

So the chain's Chief Executive, Jacqueline Gold, has decided it's time for bold ideas if she wants to stay ahead of the competition. She has set her company the task of developing a range of vibrators as innovative and ground-breaking as the Rabbit when it first launched - a People's Vibrator designed by the people, for the people.

Made by Optomen, the programme will offer unique access all areas (ahem) to Ann Summers and follow the team as they set out to recruit a group of British women to design and develop the new vibrator.

From yummy mummies and glamorous grannies, to vibrator virgins and sex-toy aficionados, a cross-section of British women will be called upon to create a panel of experts. Over a period of six months, they will road test the best sex toys on the market, take part in a range of experiments to determine exactly what turns women on, and then pitch their ideas to the Ann Summers design team.

With the average launch of a new sex toy costing £100,000, the stakes are high for Jacqueline and her team. But with novices in the driving seat, will the People's Vibrator leave the discerning women of Britain hot or cold?

Sex Toy Story was commissioned by Channel 4's Head of Factual Entertainment, Liam Humphreys and will be executive produced by Becky Clarke. The 1x60 programme will air on Channel 4 in the summer.

Liam Humphreys said:  "Sex Toy Story will follow the creation of the first vibrator to be designed by the people for the people. By giving Britain a truly democratic sex toy we hope the show and its legacy put a big smile on the face of millions".