Its been a long time since we have ignored our day’s plans just to binge-watch TV. But then again it’s been an even longer time since we discovered such a powerful emotional drama that just didn’t touch a nerve, but had us soul-searching. Lost Boys and Fairies is a British mini-series that is probably the first that is written in Welsh and English, but more important than that it’s a queer story where the drama is not about focused on sexuality but on family trauma, and how we cannot always escape our past Somehow, that alone feels like progress.
The family in this case are Gabriel (Sion Daniel Young) and Andy (Fra Fee) – who in the first episode meet with a social worker named Jackie (Elizabeth Berrington) to discuss adoption. Neither of them is sure if they’ll be allowed to adopt due to their sexuality, and Gabriel in particular is hesitant about proceeding because of his troubled past. Jackie however is confident that the couple will get to be approved.
The guys are determined to adopt a young girl …..under 5 …. but when they get invited to an activity day when prospective parents get to meet children up for adoption, is when they realize that life may not always pan out exactly as we dream. They inadvertently meet a shy 7-year-old boy named Jake hiding under a table. He steals their hearts and soon becomes the kid they want to adopt. But unfortunately for all of them, life has something different in store for them and the road to adoption will prove to be anything but smooth.
However, the depth of the relationship between the two men is obvious throughout the whole story, buoyed by the genuine chemistry between the two actors playing them. Despite the seriousness of the subject the writer/director Daf James has imbued the script with some perfect touches of humor which has us invested in the story even more.
Gabriel is an extraordinarily talented drag queen and the club Neverland where he stars is where he finds his chosen family an integral part of any gay’s man life. And in this case, they would prove to be invaluable support to him at a crucial point in the story.
Lost Fairies is totally unpredictable and so when at the end of the 2nd (of 3) episodes the unforeseen happens we are shocked rigidly. No plot reveals here but we will say that the turn of events lifts the story to a whole different plane that affects us all.
Lost Boys and Fairies has such an authenticity to it that is no shock to discover that creator Daf James and his husband have adopted three children of their own. He has said when he began writing the drama, his first original screenplay for the BBC, he was simply using his lived experiences and was not trying to create something that made a statement about the representation of LGBTQ+ people or the Welsh language. He added “This drama is about inclusion and breaking down those binaries, shifting the world into somewhere more inclusive, where people can live and breathe and feel safe in their own identities.” This is a rite of passage that the entire queer community has had to deal with at some time in their own journey.
It is somehow significant that we got to watch this in Pride month, as despite having gone through two boxes of Kleenex, we are so proud of being gay. And how far the community has evolved in just a few decades that we now have such excellent programs like this.
DO NOT MISS THIS….
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001wzp2/lost-boys-and-fairies
ROGER WALKER-DACK Creator, Editor-in-Chief Miami Beach, FL / Provincetown, MA IG @QUEERGURU Member of G.A.L.E.C.A. (Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association) and NLGJA The Association of LGBT Journalists. and The Online Film Critics Society. Ex Contributing Editor The Gay Uk & Contributor Edge Media Former CEO and Menswear Designer of Roger Dack Ltd in the UK
