Russell T Davies says his parents found ‘Queer as Folk’ difficult because other people ‘saw it as porn’
'Queer as Folk' dealt with a number of issues including homophobia, drug abuse and underage sex
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
Russell T Davies said his parents found Queer as Folk ‘quite difficult’ because other people ‘just saw it as porn’.
The screenwriter and producer is a pioneer of gay representation on screen after the successful Channel 4 show hit airways in the 1990s and soon spawned a US version.
Although he had the support from his parents, Davies – who is openly gay – recalled the moment the show aired on his mother’s 70th birthday and people refused to attend her party because he would be there.
He told the Big Issue: “Queer as Folk was quite difficult for them in the sense that a lot of people, especially of their age, just saw it as porn.
“The day it was transmitted was my mum’s 70th birthday and some people didn’t come to her party because I was going to be there.
“Not because they hated me, but they were embarrassed.
“You’re talking about Welsh people in their seventies and they maybe weren’t very well versed in issues like that and didn’t particularly want to be.
“But the most marvellous thing was, my mother didn’t care. My parents loved me and supported me.
“Maybe they wished there wasn’t nakedness and gay sex on screen, but they never ever said that to me.
“They just said they loved me no matter what.”
Queer as Folk has gone down in history as being one of the most controversial and applauded shows due to tackling underage sex, drug abuse and homophobia in the workplace.
Davies’ newest show Years and Years is set to air on BBC One tomorrow (May 14).