This programme looks at the rise of 'smart drugs' of which Viagra is probably the best known. Through the Internet people can now get hold of drugs which can enhance their memory and concentration... but is it a good thing to use drugs to improve performance? What if these drugs are altering our personalities?
After taking the US market by storm in the summer, Viagra finally goes on sale in the UK this month. Greeted by many as the definitive answer to impotence, it has also opened up a debate on the effect its use will have on the relationship between men and women - will it help restore men's battered confidence in the wake of the feminist revolution? Or will it turn men into sex-machines expected to behave like stallions? And what will be the impact on relationships of women themselves taking Viagra?
In a society where many complain sex is already given far too much prominence, Viagra has become the symbol of sex on demand, the "me society" in which a pill can so often offer the quick-fix answer to a problem. But is sexual chemistry induced by a chemical ethically desirable - and is the drug going to change relationships forever? The well-known founding editor of Penthouse magazine Bob Guccione gives us his take on Viagra, which he believes will reverse the influence of feminism.
Diana Lazenby, 1998. © Culham College Institute