The season will also cast a fresh light on the history of gay Britain, as well as highlighting just what it means to be gay in Britain today. Contributors announced include Susan Calman, Andrew Scott, Val McDermid, Olly Alexander, Sandi Toksvig and Simon Callow.
On BBC Two, the season ranges from compelling drama Against The Law, starring Daniel Mays as journalist Peter Wildeblood (who was found guilty of homosexuality in the 1950s, in the explosive Montagu Trial); to the first screen drama from best-selling British novelist Patrick Gale, Man In An Orange Shirt, starring Vanessa Redgrave; to important and timely documentaries such as Is It Safe To Be Gay in The UK? which uses testimony and found footage to explore the rise of attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
What Gay Did For Art (BBC Two) celebrates the contribution LGBT+ people have made to popular culture, the visual arts, literature, theatre and film; while Prejudice and Pride: The People’s History Of LGBTQ Britain, presented by Susan Calman and Stephen K Amos on BBC Four, reveals the precious mementos and memorabilia that have the changed the lives of LGBTQ people over the last 50 years.
Also on BBC Four, Gluck charts the modern British history of female homosexuality and its representation in culture, literature, fashion and art, through the untold story of the celebrated artist Gluck (Hannah Gluckstein, 1895-1978) who defied her contemporaries’ definitions of gender and sexuality; and Mark Gatiss offers his and other writers’ responses to the 50th anniversary of The Sexual Offences Act in Queers.
On BBC Three, Olly Alexander, lead singer of Years and Years and a powerful voice on LGBTQ rights, explores why the gay community is more vulnerable to mental health issues, as he opens up about his own long-term battles with depression in Olly Alexander: Growing Up Gay.
Highlights on BBC Radio include Val McDermid presenting Queer Britain (w/t) on Radio 4, exploring the many ways that the LGBTQ community was accepted, tolerated, despised and ostracised and how this was reflected across culture, society and politics. On Radio 2, a two-part series will celebrate out and proud LGBTQ performers who utilised their sexuality to push boundaries, defining the sound of their generation. On Radio 3, the drama Victim will trace the bravery behind the 1961 film of the same name, which was the first English language film to use the word ‘homosexual’.
Patrick Holland, Channel Controller BBC Two, says : “This is a rich and compelling set of programmes that challenge us all. From the heart-breaking testimony of the men who lived through the years before partial decriminalisation in Against The Law and Patrick Gale’s intensely personal Man In An Orange Shirt, to a documentary revealing the experience of people facing discrimination in the UK today, this season is a powerful examination of how far we have come – whilst also exploring how much further we have to travel.”
Are you interested in a career with the BBC? Please click here.
VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email [email protected] for more information.
We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.
Help us find the best workplace for you by sharing more about yourself.
We will never disclose your information with others.