Fans of bawdy British humor, queer sexual scenarios, and ambitious TV projects can look forward to two new interconnected shows from Russell T. Davies, the man behind the original British Queer as Folk (as well as the Doctor Who reboot), coming to Logo in “early 2015.”
Like Queer as Folk U.K. (and Davies’ less celebrated Bob & Rose—the story of a gay man who falls in love with a straight woman, which sounds dodgy but was beautifully executed), the new shows are set in Manchester, England’s best city, which also happens to be my home town. Cucumber focuses on Henry and Lance, a middle-aged gay couple, and judging from the trailer, the two of them had never discussed marriage before one pops the question, thus setting off a major mid-life crisis.
Lovers of British television will recognize some familiar faces (and judging from the clip, we’ll soon be familiar with more than their faces) including Vincent Franklin (The Thick of It’s insufferable cliché-spouting Stewart Pearson), Cyril Nri (who rose through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police on The Bill), and most excitingly for me, Julie Hesmondhalgh, a cisgender woman who recently ended a 16-year run playing a trans character on Coronation Street.
These and other characters will also show up in Banana, which focuses on younger characters whose lives intersect with Henry’s and Lance’s. Davies told NewNowNext that “across both series, we explore gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender stories, as well as love beyond labels.”
In Britain, there is a third strand to the project—a nonfiction Web series called Tofu—which will offer “real people the chance to share their unique stories of sexual experiences.” Logo hasn’t announced plans to bring that content to the Untied States, but knowing about Tofu’s existence makes this British trailer a tad more comprehensible.
