UKTV and Drama Channel are celebrating Pride month with a host of content.
New to Drama, is The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister. Sunday 6 June, 10.25pm
Starring Maxine Peake, this bold and passionate drama tells the story of Anne Lister (1791-1840), a Yorkshire landowner, industrialist, traveller and diarist. She was a lesbian, who, despite needing to keep her orientation secret from society at large, in private defied the conventions of her times by living with her female lover.
Anne kept a detailed account of her life, her loves and her emotions in a fascinating and painfully honest 4,000,000-word journal. A sizeable portion was written in code, and the recent deciphering of the diaries provides an astonishing insight into the life of the woman who has been called Britain’s first modern lesbian.
Tipping the Velvet Sunday 6 June, 12.20am on Drama
Another chance to see all 3 episodes back-to-back of the highly rated drama Tipping the Velvet which stars Keeley Hawes, Rachael Sterling and Anna Chancellor.
Adapted by Andrew Davies, the drama is based on Sarah Waters’s novel about lesbian love, betrayal and redemption in Victorian England.
The Line of Beauty Sunday 13th June, 10.25pm on Drama
Adapted by Andrew Davies and originally broadcast in 2006, this is a richly textured coming-of age story set in London during the Thatcherite 80s, starring Dan Stevens, Alex Wyndham and Hayley Attwell.
Nick Guest is a gay, middle-class boy with a passion for Henry James, and the Feddens, a rich Tory family from Notting Hill.
Episode 1/3: The Love Chord: Nick Guest arrives in London to housesit for the Feddens while they are in France for the summer. The daughter of the house, Catherine, match makes Nick with eligible bachelor Leo, but the fling is short-lived.
Episode 2/3: To Whom Do You Beautifully Belong?: Settled comfortably in the glamorous Fedden household, Nick is a confident player on the London gay scene and has a new, decadently rich boyfriend, Wani. As Nick’s network grows, he finds himself at a dinner party with Margaret Thatcher. He’s struck with the news that his previous lover, Leo, is terminally ill with AIDS.
Episode 3/3: The End of the Street: Head of the Fedden household and Tory party member, Gerald, is having an affair with his secretary which his daughter Catherine leaks to the press. He blames his expose on Nick, who is asked to leave the household. Taking it in his stride, Nick finds a new sense of liberation, perhaps a new, beautiful chapter in his life is about to begin….
Olly Alexander: Growing Up Gay Monday 21st June, 9pm – W
In this eye-opening film, pop culture icon and It’s A Sin star Olly Alexander explores why the gay community is more vulnerable to mental health issues, as he opens up about his own long-term battles with depression.
As the outspoken frontman of British band Years and Years, Olly is a powerful voice on mental health, bullying and LGBT+ rights. He has broken taboos with music videos that celebrate queer identities and spoken openly about his own sexuality as well as his ongoing struggles with anxiety.
Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 Wednesday 23rd June, 9pm – W
Documentary following the story of teenager Jamie Campbell, who wants to be a drag queen. Growing up in an ex-mining village in County Durham, Jamie has already faced his fair share of difficulties after coming out as gay at 14.
He plans to embrace who he really is by attending his end of school prom in drag, but he doesn’t get the reaction he’d hoped for from both his school and, heart-breakingly, his own father. As Jamie has some frank and intimate family moments, and finds out just how strong he really is, the film explores his hopes and fears for the future. Will he get the acceptance he craves from his peers and the confidence to be who he really is?
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