Artist David Hodge and his longterm drag persona The Very Miss Dusty O have a complex relationship, and that's even after killing her off...twice. In his new memoir, The Boy Who Sat by the Window, Hodge takes us from his queer childhood in the 70s and 80s, through London’s vibrant Soho in the 90s and... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Steve (Seven Dials Playhouse, London) ★★★1/2
The tale of a middle-aged white gay New Yorker having romantic issues might not be the story the world is desperately crying out for at the moment, but Steve—now playing at the newly renamed Seven Dials Playhouse in London—is brisk, bright, and funny. There’s a sense of new beginnings about this production bringing Mark Gerrard’s... Continue Reading →
Out and About! Archiving LGBTQ+ history at London’s Bishopsgate Institute
From now until Monday, March 21st, London's Bishopsgate Institute takes over The Curve at Barbican Centre, with Out and About!, an archive installation of objects, ephemera, and media highlighting 40 moments and stories in London’s LGBTQ+ history. Bishopsgate Institute has been collecting the lived experiences of everyday people for over a century, and their unique... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review : Cruise (Duchess Theatre, London) ★★★★
It’s been a strange year, we all know it. Some of us found out we were brilliant bread bakers, others discovered they had a fitness fanatic within them, and some just hid under the covers and waited for the world to stop being a really scary place. Jack Holden however decided to sit down and... Continue Reading →
It’s A Sin: Dr Emily Garside’s guide to the HIV/AIDS narratives to read & watch next
Dr Emily Garside's guide to which HIV/AIDS narratives to read and watch next after Russell T Davies' acclaimed series It's A Sin. There is a vast array of work to choose from. Since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic those affected began telling their stories, both as an act of memorial, remembering those the government... Continue Reading →
BFI Flare 2021 Review: The Obituary of Tunde Johnson ★★★★1/2
Tunde Johnson is a normal 17 year old boy. He’s Black; he’s gay; he loves his parents; and he’s been sleeping with the hottest guy in school, even though he’s dating Tunde’s best friend. Oh, and, no matter what he does, every night Tunde is murdered by the Los Angeles Police Department. And then he... Continue Reading →
BFI Flare 2021 Film Review: Sublet ★★★★
Veteran Israeli filmmaker Eytan Fox's outstanding new feature Sublet, co-written with Itay Segal, opens with the arrival of a jetlagged and disorientated fifty something gay man, Michael (The Inheritance's John Benjamin Hickey) to bustling Tel Aviv. He's a travel writer for The New York Times who has come to uncover the "real" city over a... Continue Reading →
BFI Flare 2021 Film Review: Jump, Darling ★★★1/2
Jump, Darling, the feature debut of writer-director Philip J. Connell, receives its international premiere at the 35th BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival. On the surface, the tale of a young gay man escaping the big city to live with his grandmother in the countryside, reeks of every fish-out-of-water story ever conceived. The beauty of... Continue Reading →
35th BFI Flare London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival unveils full lineup available digitally UK-wide
Tickets are now on sale at bfi.org.uk/flare for the 35th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival which runs March 17th - 28th 2021. With 26 features and 38 free shorts from 23 countries, the UK’s longest running queer film event will deliver virtual premieres via BFI Player to audiences nationwide, making it the... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Lydia West on her It’s A Sin character Jill: “She isn’t motivated by anything but love, she gives so much to her friends & she doesn’t want a round of applause. She’s a true hero.”
Actor Lydia West was already on Digital Spy's 30 Black British stars of tomorrow list and Grazia's 2021 Hotlist before last month's record-breaking UK launch of Russell T. Davies' 1980s London set drama It's A Sin on Channel 4 and its digital platform All4, where it has racked up over 16 million views and counting.... Continue Reading →