Russell T Davies reflects on Cucumber viewership: ‘The audience didn’t come to play’
"Should a show arrive with its spin-off already baked in?"
Words: Jamie Tabberer; pictures: Attitude/C4
Russell T Davies has reflected on his 2015 shows Cucumber and Banana, acknowledging that audiences “didn’t come to play” as hoped.
The acclaimed screenwriter has of late been revisiting his TV hits, such as Queer As Folk and The Sarah Jane Adventures, as part of a 30-day Instagram challenge.
The BAFTA-winning Cucumber focused on middle-aged gay man Henry and his friends and lovers; Banana looked at the lives of the supporting cast.
Cucumber‘s first episode was watched by 1.2 million viewers – down 34% on Channel 4’s three-month slot average, The Guardian reported at the time.
“Isn’t that complicated”
In a post yesterday, Russell said: “Amazing casts, led by the wonderful Vincent Franklin as Henry. Two interconnected shows; Cucumber was Henry’s story, Banana told half-hour stories about the supporting cast. Nice idea, but at the launch, journalists said, ‘Isn’t that complicated?’ No, I said! But on transmission… I could see what they meant.
The It’s A Sin creator continued: “TV is simple, you turn on, you turn over, you turn off. Maybe this was… tricksy. Should a show arrive with its spin-off already baked in? I’m so proud of these shows, I love them, but the audience didn’t come to play. Paul Abbott said, ‘You forgot to welcome us in.’ Yes. I can see that. Yes.
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“But as time passes… well, Cucumber is hard. It says hard things. The shows are named after degrees of hardness. And this is a tough, ruthless stare at gay men. Maybe, sometimes, dramas should be tough. So there! Mind you, this won me the BAFTA for Best Writer, but what would I rather have? A BAFTA, or viewers? Viewers every time!
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