Attitude Awards: Welsh queer drama Lost Boys and Fairies wins TV Award
The show's stars, Fra Fee and Sion Daniel Young, accepted The TV award at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar, at the Roundhouse in London
By Alim Kheraj
The queer Welsh BBC drama Lost Boys and Fairies has won The TV Award at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar.
Presenting the award to the show’s writer Daf James and its stars, actors Fra Fee and Sion Daniel Young, at the ceremony last night (9 October 2024) was musician Charlotte Church.
Upon accepting the award, Fee said: “This really is so, so class. As a young gay Irish teen who snuck into his bedroom to catch a glimpse of a gay kiss taking place on a British soap to then be asked to play a man very much in love with another man settling down to start a family, was an unbelievably profound and joyful and important experience.”
Young added: “This show meant the world to me and I know it’s resonated with a lot of people who are here tonight and that’s really special.”
James said: “Being here means so much to me, not least because I used to buy Attitude when I was 15 years old. I used to sneak it into the newspapers because I was too embarrassed to show the cashier that I was gay.”
He continued: “The thing about this award being so significant is that when I was a kid, we couldn’t marry, we couldn’t adopt, we had Section 28 – we couldn’t talk about queerness in schools. So to have a primetime BBC One show about gay adoption means the world to me.
“But the truth is, this isn’t just our award, but it’s also for all the teachers who, despite Section 28, encouraged us to articulate our queerness. It’s for those queer kids who, when they grew up, despite gay shame, still went on to fight for our rights so I could marry and could adopt. And it’s for all those social services… who fight for our community and our kids.”
James ended his speech by addressing those who say queer people shouldn’t be parents: “You’re the last people we should be listening to because you are modelling hate. What children need is love, compassion and understanding. That’s something we as a community know so well.”
Watch the speeches below:
Airing earlier this year on the BBC, Lost Boys and Fairies told a beautiful and heart-wrenching story about a gay couple on their journey to adopt while also navigating issues such as addiction, shame and trauma.
Chatting to Attitude during a set visit in 2023, the writer of Lost Boys and Fairies, Daf James – who himself has adopted three children – reflected on the show’s themes of found family.
“I’m obviously an extraordinary advocate for adoption, having gone through this process,” he said. “There are so many kids out there who need love and too many homes, and if anyone has the capacity to share love, then there are kids in need.”
In fact, the show provided so impactful for Fee that he said he had reconsidered his own stance about becoming a parent.
“If two men or two women are prepared to invite a kid into their lives, a kid that really needs support and the chance to live a full life with love and support and everything, then I think it’s worth the fight, if it’s difficult,” he explained. “It certainly hasn’t put me off — quite the opposite.”
Read more about Lost Boys and Fairies in the Attitude Awards issue, out now, featuring cover stars Elton John, Lulu, The Blessed Madonna, Mawaan Rizwan and Eurovision winner Nemo. Or check out the Attitude app.