In this 3-hander commissioned for the BBC centenary in 2022, a long-lost documentary is unearthed that’s still sadly topical more than five decades on…
Only a transcript remains of the broadcast of The Homosexual Condition, but writer Dr Stephen Hornby has woven the story of its creation with the experiences of wide-eyed Burtons shop boy Tom, played by The War Between The Land And The Sea star Jolyon Benson. From his first crushes on shop customers, to encounters in public toilets and dingy bar backrooms, Tom’s sexual awakening is necessarily shrouded in secrecy. Media reports of men being arrested for flouting public decency surround him; his boss sacks his colleague for being gay; and Auntie Beeb describes homosexuality as an illness to be cured.
Andrew Pollard (Coronation Street/Hollyoaks) cuts a blustering figure as menswear boss Mr Turner and world-weary BBC employee Kenwright, but is just as capable of portraying a mincing ‘back room Betty’ or a scandalised Mary Whitehouse with judicious application of a scarf and glasses. Likewise, Emmerdale’s Max Lohan oozes charisma as Tom’s boyfriend Jack, but also delights the audience as a selection of unfortunate ladies set up on doomed dates.
The original program was eventually broadcast at the time of the Wolfenden Report recommending partial decriminalisation of homosexuality. And as Tom realises the power of being seen rather than othered, he wonders when he’ll be ready, not just for a work promotion, but to be able to go on dates with his partners without fear. With conversion therapy sadly still prevalent, The BBC’s First Homosexual is a timely reminder that perhaps those times haven’t yet fully arrived.
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The BBC’s First Homosexual is at Assembly Crate from Aug 5-16 at 13:00.