The Spanish are streets ahead when it comes to producing culture in Catalan, the official regional language of Andorra, and the official language of two autonomous communities in eastern Spain (think queer TV series Merli). Now it’s the Scots who are stepping up to the plate with a remarkable new drama produced in Gaelic a Celtic language spoken mainly in the highlands and islands of western Scotland. It’s still spoken today by around 60,000 Scots, including very many ‘geidh‘ men and women.
They in particular will welcome the news that BBC Scotland is producing An Clò Mòr the first Gaelic drama to feature a romantic same-sex storyline in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, and it’s a three-way lesbian love triangle, too. The series, which translates to The Grand Cloth, will include a plot about three women working around the Hebridean Harris Tweed industry who become entangled in a love affair.
Director Tony Kearney said “We’ve been really determined to have full representation here. We had to redress the balance, because there had been dramas but there had never been proper representation of same-sex relationships.”
It’s set around the long-established family-run tweed business, MacSween’s Mill. The company is in crisis, with the small team who work there left clinging onto their employment by the skin of their teeth. The love affair will see established landlady Cairistiona Campbell (Kathryn Mackay) kissing new character and friend Judi, played by actress Jenny Ryan. However, Cairistiona will also kiss the Mairead (Anna Mhoireach).
All six episodes are available on BBC iPlayer now which is available globally via a VSPN
Labels: 2024, An Clò Mòr, BBC Scotland, gaelic, lesbian, queer, soap opera
