Russell T Davies: Just because gay people are accepted, doesn’t mean they are happy
Russell T Davies has opened up about his vision for new gay-themed series Cucumber and Banana.
The twin dramas – which will debut on Thursday – revolve around Manchester’s LGBT community, with Channel 4 show Cucumber focussed on an older cast, while E4 show Banana revolves around teenagers.
The Queer as Folk creator told the Guardian that he sees the shows as the “next generation” of gay TV series.
He said: “It’s actually the next generation of stories You look at Johnny coming out in EastEnders, it’s beautifully done.
“Once you’ve got the bedrock of soap opera behind you telling what you might call the more ‘everyday’ gay stories, if you’re on Channel 4 in 2015 you can say, ‘Let’s look at the really complicated things that happen in families’.
“Just because your parents are happy with your gayness doesn’t mean your life’s fine.
“That’s the whole point with the young characters. Making the mass generalisation that it’s OK, or easier, to be out at 18 now, with that comes a presumption that your life is happy.
“No 18-year-old is happy! You will have problems. You will make your life a problem, or find problems. I wanted to explore that, to say, equality doesn’t mean happiness.
“That’s where the story begins. That’s where straight drama started thousands of years ago.”
Cucumber and Banana will begin next Thursday, on Channel 4 and E4. Companion online series Tofu will be available on 4OD.
