Preview: Newsnight Review to examine gay stereotyping in television
A special edition of Newsnight Review tonight will focus on how gays and lesbians are portrayed in culture, in light of the release of the film Bruno.
One section of the programme will focus on whether TV comedy has returned to the gay stereotyping of the 1970s, such as Jonathan Ross’ Four Poofs and a Piano.
Presenter Martha Kearney will be joined by gay and lesbian guests playwright Mark Ravenhill, author Stella Duffy, journalist Johann Hari and fashion writer Henry Conway, the son of disgraced MP Henry Conway.
They will be discussing gay and lesbian representations in Sacha Baron-Cohen’s latest film Bruno, the Gay Icons exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and the 1984 film, Before Stonewall.
Mark Ravenhill will argue that there is a line from Larry Grayson and Dick Emery through to Little Britain’s “the only gay in the village” and Four Poofs and a Piano
The panel is to examine whether these portrayals are derogatory and what they say about the British sense of humour.
Newsnight Review is on tonight on BBC2 at 11pm.