Lovehoney is the subject of a new fly-on-the-wall TV series starting on Valentine's Day.
The Joy of Sex Toys takes a cheeky behind-the-scenes look at the sex toy firm with sales of $65 million a year.
The four-part series, starting on the Lifetime satellite channel at 10pm on Sunday (Feb 14) for UK and Ireland viewers, focuses on the warm and friendly characters who work in the warehouse in Bath, UK.
It is being launched after Lovehoney enjoyed the busiest day in its 14-year history yesterday (Mon, Feb 8) with a surge of orders ahead of Valentine's. Sales last year were up 53% and profits up 79% to $5.3 million.
Lovehoney staff numbers have grown by 36% in the last year, thanks to the firm's record growth. It now has 228 full-time staff, up from 167 a year ago, and it has further temporary staff working during busy times such as the run-up to Valentine's.
Each episode features strong, character-driven storylines from a cast of pickers, packers, buyers, customer care staff, toy reviewers and the team at Lovehoney’s famous returns department.
Customers can return any toy for up to a year after purchase even if it is not faulty, and it is rubber-gloved Andrea and Katrina’s (pictured above) job to sort through all the returned packages and customers’ hilarious accompanying letters.
Viewers will see MTV stars Marnie Simpson and Chloe Goodman promote new lingerie lines while bosses are signing up rockers Motörhead for a new range of sex toys. Episode one also features the Lovehoney team at the 2015 XBIZ awards in LA, collecting a clutch of awards.
Meet Laura and Chris who fell in love while working at Lovehoney.
The series travels to Brisbane to look at the sex revolution across Australia with the Lovehoney team Down Under.
The Joy of Sex Toys is Lovehoney’s third TV collaboration following the successful Channel 4 documentary More Sex Please, We’re British and an earlier six-part fly-on-the-wall series for Lifetime called Frisky Business.
All the TV shows have been made by acclaimed Oblong Films. They have been picked up by Netflix and screened in the United States and across various channels in more than 15 countries. They are repeated continually - helping to introduce Lovehoney to new markets globally.
Lovehoney co-owner Richard Longhurst said: “TV has really worked for Lovehoney and helped us to market the brand globally.
“We have been lucky to work with a brilliant team at Oblong who are great at capturing the fun and excitement and occasional craziness of working for Britain’s biggest online sex toy retailer.
“Oblong have full editorial control so we genuinely don’t know what is going to be featured until it is sent to the broadcasters.
“We have assembled such an eclectic staff who love being on TV and create compelling episodes through the bizarre things they often have to do selling sexual happiness around the world.”
Oblong’s Jonny Young, executive producer, said: “We’ve loved working with Lovehoney. They realise that to make great TV we need great stories, and there are lots of those lurking in that huge warehouse in Bath.”
Jess Wilde Bondage Expert