It’s probably tough for Gen Z and gay Millennials to even imagine a time when everywhere in the world it was not only illegal to be gay, but also socially and morally unacceptable. Like in the UK in 1954, one year after a very young Queen Elizabeth just ascended to the throne, when the country’s official broadcaster the BBC, produced its first ever documentary on male homosexuality. This groundbreaking radio programme was so controversial it was banned and shelved for three years.  When it finally aired in 1957, only a heavily edited version was broadcast, and the original recording was subsequently lost. All that remained was a forgotten transcript, recently rediscovered after more than seventy years.

This fascinating piece of queer history was some 12 years before homosexuality would be legalized in the UK, and provides an insight into society’s perception of it before it was even recognised that there was such a thing as a gay community. Now, multiple-award-winning writer Dr Stephen M Hornby, Playwright in Residence for LGBT+ History Month, has got his hand on this historic document and has brought it to life as a stage play.

He explained to QUEERGURU, “I’ve woven fragments from the BBC’s archive with the fictional story of a young man exploring his own life. Through him, audiences see what life was like being gay in the 1950s and the impact the documentary has upon him. Several so-called ‘experts’ in the programme supportedconversion therapy, and its influence on British society is still felt today. I suspect this partly explains why we are still campaigning to ban such practices.”

The historical research for the play was carried out by Marcus Collins, Professor in Contemporary History at Loughborough University, who said:“This brilliantly insightful play illustrates the dilemmas LGBTQ+ issues created for the BBC in the 1950s. The broadcaster had to overcome its aversion to discussing anything to do with sex, while navigating pressures from gay activists, religious groups, and the public. The compromise is reached, though imperfect, helped shape how lesbian, gay and trans people saw themselves and how they were seen by the wider British public.”

Queerguru have always been avid students of queer history and really support the concept that, as it helps shape our community’s future then we should be the ones that shares the facts of our past