Latest news with #QueerAsFolk
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
My cultural awakening: Queer As Folk helped me to come out
During my school years I was encouraged to believe that being gay was a serious medical handicap, like having one leg shorter than the other or a parent who was also your form tutor. This was during section 28, which outlawed the promotion of the 'acceptability of homosexuality' in UK schools, when nearly half the population thought being gay was 'always' or 'mostly' wrong. 'Gay' was a synonym for 'shit'; a descriptor deployed when no other slur was low enough. Detentions were gay, as was double maths. Two men having sex was so gay that it was almost unspeakable, the closest analogue being supermarket-brand trainers. Perhaps it's inevitable that many men of my generation grew up with shame coating them like varnish. This lack of self-esteem is supposedly what drives many to chemsex, or self-harm, or sporting harnesses as daywear, which is effectively the same thing. Unfortunately, there was never any hiding my gayness. It shone out of me like a tea-light in a lantern, and the most I could hope to do was deflect (every queer kid knows the heart-stopping sensation that greets the sentence 'can I ask you something?'). Aged 11, it was hard not to see being gay as a life sentence. Like prison, it felt inherently terrifying and degrading. Then Queer As Folk appeared on Channel 4. The very mundanity of the conceit (gay men going to work, having one-night stands, falling in and out of love) made it feel revolutionary. For the first time I saw gay people living gay lives, rather than acting as plot devices or cautionary tales in straight people's stories. They weren't ostensibly glamorous (Vince worked in a supermarket) but existed on their own terms, which felt entirely exotic and thrilling. Stuart was unapologetic and reckless – memorably driving his Jeep through the glass storefront of a car dealership after overhearing a salesman brag about how much money he made from gay men who die young. It was Pretty Woman's 'big mistake' moment for men with a preferred Minogue. The show inspired controversy, with the Daily Mail claiming that 'Any nation which allows this … [is] hell-bent on destruction.' Journalist Peter Hitchens appeared on BBC breakfast to bleat that it was propaganda aimed at persuading the public that 'homosexuality was normal behaviour'. In my limited experience, normal behaviour meant football chants and Toby Carverys and South Park catchphrases. The characters on Queer As Folk weren't normal. They were better. For the first time I wondered if my own difference could also be a gift, rather than a burden. Years later I would strongly identify with Tom Ford when he said that, growing up in America's bible belt, 'I thought I was fabulous and everyone else was stupid'. Queer As Folk gave me the permission to feel fabulous – or at least fabulous in waiting. I'm not the type of person to bang on about 'queer joy' – Instagram posts purporting to show it invariably feature blue-haired polycules milling about in dank warehouses – but Queer As Folk was joyful. As well as being funny, sad, poignant and sexy. At the risk of playing into the hands of homophobes who believe that queerness is a proselytising institution, watching the show made me glad to be gay. I began to come out, first to myself and then out loud. I wasn't scared any more. There would be unimaginable horrors to come (Trump's current rowing back of LGBTQ+ policies, the advent of gay men going on 'gym dates') but Queer As Folk felt like the promise of a brighter future. A flare sent up into the sky to let me know that my rescue was imminent. Did a cultural moment prompt you to make a major life change? Email us at
Telegraph
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Doctor Who chief brands anti-woke critics ‘toxic'
Russell T Davies, the head writer for Doctor Who, has criticised 'toxic' people who claim the show is too woke. The Welsh screenwriter and television producer, 61, said he had no time for complaints about the show's ' diversity and wokeness '. He told BBC Radio 2: 'Someone always brings up matters of diversity. And there are online warriors accusing us of diversity and wokeness and involving messages and issues. 'And I have no time for this. I don't have a second to bear [it]. Because what you might call diversity, I just call an open door.' He added: 'Why limit yourself? Why breathe in the exhaust fumes? Why be toxic? Come over here where the life and light and air and sound is.' Davies, who was also behind the hit shows Queer As Folk and It's a Sin, was head writer for Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010 and began his second spell in charge in 2023. He has previously faced criticism for placing too much focus on identity politics in the show. Recent episodes have seen a transgender character refer to the Doctor as 'male-presenting' and a drag queen who makes the point of using 'them' as a personal pronoun. The sci-fi series returned last week with the two lead parts played by minority ethnic actors for the first time. Ncuti Gatwa has resumed his role as the Doctor and Varada Sethu plays Belinda Chandra, his new companion. Sethu also hit back at 'woke' claims earlier this month after she landed the role. 'Ncuti was like, 'Look at us. We get to be in the Tardis. We're going to p--- off so many people',' she told Radio Times, referring to their skin colour. 'There's been a couple of Doctor Woke [references] or whatever, but I just think we're doing the right thing if we're getting comments like that. ''Woke' just means inclusive, progressive and that you care about people. And, as far as I know, the core of Doctor Who is kindness, love and doing the right thing.' In May last year Gatwa said he felt 'sad' for critics of the show's diversity. 'For me, personally, I find it fascinating that it matters so much to these people,' he said. 'You are going to limit yourselves from a show that ... you claim to love ... because you don't like something about someone's appearance or their race. It's just ... really sad for them.'
The Guardian
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Why be toxic?': Russell T Davies hits back at claims Doctor Who too woke
The Doctor Who screenwriter Russell T Davies has said he has no time for 'online warriors' who claim the show is too woke. Speaking to BBC Radio 2, the Welsh writer – who was also behind the hit series Queer As Folk and It's a Sin – said: 'What you might call diversity, I just call an open door.' The sci-fi series returned to the BBC last week with Ncuti Gatwa again playing the Doctor and Varada Sethu joining him as his companion. It marks the first time the two leads have both been played by minority ethnic actors. Jodie Whittaker became the first female Doctor in 2017 under the previous head writer, Chris Chibnall, and Gatwa became the first black actor to play the TV lead of Time Lord in 2023. 'Someone always brings up matters of diversity,' Davies said on the Radio 2 programme Doctor Who: 20 Secrets from 20 Years. 'And there are online warriors accusing us of diversity and wokeness and involving messages and issues. 'And I have no time for this. I don't have a second to bear [it]. Because what you might call diversity, I just call an open door.' When asked whether he wrote the show's diverse themes consciously, he said: 'I don't even know if it's conscious. That's life, and I think it's the only way to write.' He said it would be harder to write scripts with 'a narrow window' of references. 'Why limit yourself? Why breathe in the exhaust fumes? Why be toxic?' he said. 'Come over here where the life and light and air and sound is.' Sethu, who plays the Doctor's new companion Belinda Chandra, addressed comments about the show's perceived 'wokeness' in an interview with the Radio Times. 'I just think we're doing the right thing if we're getting comments like that,' she said. 'Woke just means inclusive, progressive, and that you care about people. And as far as I know, the core of Doctor Who is kindness, love and doing the right thing.' Gatwa told the Radio Times that the two actors taking the lead roles indicated 'progress, in terms of how we reflect the societies that we live in'. Rumours have surrounded the show for several weeks, with unconfirmed reports suggesting that Gatwa may leave and the BBC may axe Doctor Who. The BBC has said only that any decision on a new series would be made after the current one ends.
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies hits back at 'wokeness' criticisms
Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies has hit back at criticisms that the show is too "woke", saying he has no time for complaints from "online warriors".The long-running BBC sci-fi show returned last week with Ncuti Gatwa reprising his role as the Doctor alongside newcomer Varada Sethu as the latest companion, marking first time the Tardis team has been comprised of non-white told BBC Radio 2: "Someone always brings up matters of diversity. And there are online warriors accusing us of diversity and wokeness and involving messages and issues."And I have no time for this. I don't have a second to bear [it]. Because what you might call diversity, I just call an open door." Asked on Radio 2's Doctor Who: 20 Secrets from 20 Years if he writes such themes into the show consciously, the Welshman replied: "I don't even know if it's conscious. That's life, and I think it's the only way to write."Davies, who also wrote acclaimed TV dramas Queer As Folk and It's A Sin, added that he felt it was harder to write using "a narrow window" of references."Why limit yourself? Why breathe in the exhaust fumes? Why be toxic? Come over here where the life and light and air and sound is."Sethu, who made her debut last week as Gatwa's character's new companion, Belinda Chandra, also recently addressed claims around the show's perceived "wokeness", suggesting that meant it was on the right track."There's been a couple of 'Doctor Woke' [comments] or whatever," she told the Radio Times. "But I just think we're doing the right thing if we're getting comments like that."She continued: "Woke just means inclusive, progressive, and that you care about people. And, as far as I know, the core of Doctor Who is kindness, love and doing the right thing." 'Not something huge' Addressing the same subject, Gatwa told the Radio Times that their collaboration represented "progress, in terms of how we reflect the societies that we live in"."That's something incredible that media can do, and that's what it's doing," he added."But it's also exciting to look forward to a day when [having non-white leads] isn't something huge."Doctor Who was first broadcast on the BBC in 1963, portrayed by William Hartnell, and the show has undergone many changes in recent head writer Chris Chibnall introduced Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor in 2017, before Davies chose Gatwa to appear as the first black Time Lord from have been unconfirmed reports in recent weeks that Gatwa is set to leave and that the show may be facing the axe. The BBC has said any decision on a new series would be made after the current series ends.
The Guardian
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Russell T Davies: gay society in ‘greatest danger I've ever seen' after Trump win
Russell T Davies has said gay society is in the 'greatest danger I have ever seen', since the election of Donald Trump as US president in November. Speaking to the Guardian at the Gaydio Pride awards in Manchester on Friday, the Doctor Who screenwriter said the rise in hostility was not limited to the US but 'is here [in the UK] now'. 'As a gay man, I feel like a wave of anger, and violence, and resentment is heading towards us on a vast scale,' he said. 'I've literally seen a difference in the way I'm spoken to as a gay man since that November election, and that's a few months of weaponising hate speech, and the hate speech creeps into the real world.' 'I'm not being alarmist,' he added. 'I'm 61 years old. I know gay society very, very well, and I think we're in the greatest danger I have ever seen.' Since his inauguration, Trump has ended policies giving LGBTQ+ Americans protection from discrimination. He has also restricted access to gender-affirming healthcare, said the US would only recognise two sexes, and barred transgender people from enlisting in the military. Davies also used his keynote speech at the awards ceremony, which rewards the efforts made to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the UK, to criticise Trump, and the president's ally Elon Musk. 'I think times are darkening beyond all measure and beyond anything I have seen in my lifetime,' he told the audience, which included the singers Louise Redknapp and Katy B, and the Traitors contestants Leanne Quigley and Minah Shannon. Davies said he had turned 18 and left home in 1981, adding: 'And that is exactly the year that rumours and whispers of a strange new virus came along, which came to haunt our community and to test us in so many ways.' 'The joyous thing about this is that we fought back,' he said. The community 'militarised, campaigned, marched and demanded the medicine'. He added: 'We demanded the science. We demanded the access.' When he wrote the TV series Queer As Folk in the late 1990s, he said, it was part of a movement, with writers 'fermenting ideas' and putting gay and lesbian characters on screen. Had he been asked to imagine then what life for LGBTQ+ people would be like in 2025, 'I want to say it's going to be all rainbows,' he said, 'skipping down the street hand-in-hand, equality, equality, equality.' But the peril the gay community now faced, he said, was even greater than that in the 1980s. 'The threat from America, it's like something at The Lord of the Rings. It's like an evil rising in the west, and it is evil,' Davies said. 'We've had bad prime ministers and we've had bad presidents before. What we've never had is a billionaire tech baron openly hating his trans daughter,' he added. Musk, the de facto head of the 'department of government efficiency', bought the social networking site Twitter, which he renamed X. A study by the University of California, Berkeley found hate speech on the platform rose by 50% in the months after it was bought by the billionaire. 'We have never had this in the history of the world,' Davies said. 'It is terrifying because he and the people like him are in control of the facts, they're in control of information, they're in control of what people think, and that is what we're now facing.' But Davies said the gay community would do 'what we always do in times of peril, we gather at night', and would once again come together, and fight against this latest wave of hostility and oppression. 'What we will do in Elon Musk's world, that we're heading towards, is what artists have always done,' he told the Guardian, 'which is to meet in cellars, and plot, and sing, and compose, and paint, and make speeches, and march.' 'If we have to be those rebels in basements yet again,' he added, 'which is when art thrives, then that's what we'll become.'
