<p>In the 1980s, a strange new box arrived in our living rooms — the VHS player. It was noisy, chunky, and occasionally tried to eat your favourite film… but it changed everything.</p><p>In this episode, Dave rewinds through the story of how home video broke the monopoly of the movie studios, terrified censors, and accidentally created the first generation of fan-filmmakers. From Mary Whitehouse’s “Video Nasties” crusade to Kevin Smith maxing out his credit cards to make <em>Clerks</em>, this is the tale of how VHS gave ordinary people the power to choose what they watched — and in doing so, redefined geek culture itself.</p><p>[MUSIC / SFX from the episode include: 1980s synths, tape whirrs, and the sound of a van full of forbidden treasures.]</p><p><strong>Listen for:</strong></p><p>• The forgotten role of a door-to-door video rental van</p><p>• The panic that birthed Britain’s “Video Nasty” blacklist</p><p>• How a New Jersey shop clerk became a cult-film icon</p><p>• Why imperfection made VHS feel alive</p><p>🎙️ Written &amp; Presented by Dave Elliott</p><p>🔗 More at <a href="https://www.geektown.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Geektown.co.uk</a></p><p>Support this show <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="http://supporter.acast.com/geektown">http://supporter.acast.com/geektown</a>.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>