Queers (a BBC mini-series) part 1

2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 in the UK, which decriminalized homosexual acts in private between two men aged 21 or over. Think about it; only 50 years ago (I was alive then, but definitely not sexually aware in my early primary school years) we could go to prison just for being us, in one of the bastions of western democracy.

A lot has happened since then; man on the moon, the first oil crisis and subsequent inflation, CDs, DVDs, AIDS, the end of apartheid, ecology, the dissolution of USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia, personal computers, cell phones, Internet, the financial crisis of the late 00s (still going strong today in many parts of the world), gay marriage... But believe me, it wasn't that long ago.

The BBC decided to celebrate the anniversary by producing and broadcasting a mini-series which consisted of 8 monologues, curated by Mark Gatiss and acted by 8 of the finest actors Britain has to offer. They would call it Queers.

I have seen the first four episodes and was so impressed that I had to write about it: I will do the first four today and if I manage to watch the rest in the meantime, I'll present them in a week's time. I generally avoid making promises, however...

Mark Gatiss is a multi-talented artist; he's been an actor since 1993, recently appearing as (recurrent character) Tycho Nestoris in the Game Of Thrones (he's the guy from the Iron Bank who's financing Cersei's war effort). He's been writing for TV and film since 1994; he's the guy who created Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He also wrote 9 episodes of Doctor Who. He has multiple credits as a producer - and he has also worked as a script editor and a camera operator. He directed all 8 episodes of Queers.

We've been lucky enough to have all episodes available on youtube, so I will include them here and you can watch them. It's only 20 minutes each and they're well worth your trouble. For those of you who aren't youtube experts, here's a mini tutorial: Once your press 'play', a black bar with white symbols will appear under the picture; a few on the left and more on the right. We concentrate on the symbols to our right. The symbol furthermost to the left (of the ones on the right) is a white rectangle with a couple of black lines at the bottom. By clicking on it, English subtitles appear, which will make your viewing more enjoyable. The symbol on the far right is the outline of a white square; by clicking on it you will move to full-screen mode, adding to your pleasure. If you want to go back to reading my story, then you press the 'escape' button of your computer.

The first story was my favorite, perhaps because it was written by Gatiss himself, perhaps because it takes place in early 20th century (a period that fascinates me), or perhaps because it stars a favorite actor of mine, Ben Whishaw. An out gay actor who became widely known for portraying such iconic characters as Keith Richards in Stoned, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, a version of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There, Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited, John Keats in Bright Star, Ariel in The Tempest, and King Richard in The Hollow Crown. After multiple roles in Cloud Atlas, he became a household name by replacing John Cleese in the James Bond franchise as Q, both in Skyfall and in Spectre. Other high-profile roles include Paddington (as the voice of Paddington), The Lobster, and The Danish Girl. He has done his share of gay parts as well; he has lately become an expert in playing a man in mourning for the untimely loss of his loved one, who has complicated relationships with the mothers of his late lovers (Lilting, London Spy).

In Queers, episode 1, Ben portrays Perce, who has returned from the Great War. He explains how he witnessed the terrible injuries of his colleagues and met officer Terence, with whom he shared a loving, idyllic afternoon. Back in England, the two men meet again, on a station platform - the same location where Perce once saw Oscar Wilde being taken to gaol, but theirs will be a brief encounter.

The episode is called The Man on the Platform and is equal parts emotionally idyllic and terrifying. Whishaw shines and the story places you right in the middle of those wonderful, horrible times.

The second part is called A Grand Day Out, is written by Michael Dennis and stars the youngest of our 8 thespians; Fionn Whitehead is 19 years-old, yet he's already made a name for himself, having a significant role in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. In A Grand Day Out he appears as Andrew, a 17-year-old in 1994. That was the year that the British government voted on reducing the gay age of consent to sixteen to coincide with that for heterosexuals. Andrew had come to London to witness the historic event (and to celebrate the fact that he will legally be able to have sex) but is dismayed when the bar is only reduced to eighteen, leading him to take part in the protest march that followed, where he met the older Marcus to whom he lies about his age but has an enjoyable unlawful night with, which he probably wouldn't have had the Parliament done right by us.

This story appropriately fits Andrew's age; it's less artful than the previous one, but it carries the raw power and impetuousness of youth. Whitehead, as is evident by his portrayal, is a young man who will go far.

The third part is called More Anger, is written by Brian Fillis, and stars Russell Tovey. For those of you who don't know this sexy out 35-year-old actor from Essex, Russell has been acting in TV and films since he was a child (first appearance: 1994) and his most notable roles so far are for The History Boys, as well as parts for Doctor Who and Sherlock. He became widely known as the sexy werewolf in Being Human and more recently as Kevin in Looking.

In More Anger Tovey is cast as Phil, a promiscuous young gay actor, as the fear of AIDS is gripping late 1980s Britain. Phil is tired of playing type-cast victims who die of the disease. Then he lands a role in a soap of a gay man who is neither camp nor dying of the disease - just boring. There is some compensation in his private life when he pairs up with the handsome Simon - until Simon drops his own bombshell.

It's great how in each story the language fits the character at the center of it; in The Man on the Platform, the language is poetic and beautifully old-fashioned. In A Grand Day Out, the language is straightforward and youthfully simple. In More Anger, the language is evasive and artfully lurid. Tovey perfectly sells the mixture of narcissism and fear that drives his character. It's also the funniest of the four that I've seen so far, despite the fact that it deals with AIDS.

Finally for today the fourth story, Missing Alice, was written by Jon Bradfield and stars Rebecca Front. Front has been acting in films and TV since 1991. Her most successful roles were for TV; she was part of the main cast in the long-running Inspector Lewis and has recently appeared as Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya on the prestige TV adaptation of War & Peace.

She is the first woman to appear in Queers and the first straight character as well. A single mother at sixteen and a disgrace for her family, Alice meets Michael at church and they marry, but she soon realizes he is more interested in men, a fact his parents knew when encouraging the wedding to mask his sexuality. Alice feels better when they have a child and she is tolerant of his male partners. Now, in 1957, the Wolfenden report (the committee recommended that "homosexual behavior between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offense") seems to offer Michael hope but will it end well for Alice?

Here, the language is sensible and grounded, with hints of bitterness and affection thrown in for good measure. Rebecca Front gives a captivating performance and makes us better comprehend a type of person that has been rarely represented in recent gay literature and films.

I hope that you have enjoyed the presentation, as well as the series itself. Let me know in the comments. Cheers!