It’s twenty years since ‘Queer as Folk’ debuted on British TV

It’s twenty years since the original British series of Queer as Folk debuted on British television.

The landmark series caused huge controversy when it was first screened for it’s graphic depictions of gay sex, underage sexual activity, gay clubbing nightlife and rainbow families.

Starring Charlie Hunnam, Aidan Gillen and Craig Kelly, the eight part series introduced to Natham, Stuart and Vince. A second series screened in 2000, and in the same year a US based series also premiered.

The series didn’t get an Australian screening and copies of the series on VHS and DVD passed from friend to friend throughout the local LGBTIQ+ community. The series has criticised for it’s lack of sexual and racial diversity – but at the time it was considered to be groundbreaking.

Russell T Davies, the creator of Queer as Folk has recently shared that he’s rebooting his iconic TV series for US network Bravo. The new version of the show will feature new characters and settings.

Davies revisited the universe of the UK series with his UK trilogy series Cucumber, Banana and Tofu. The 2015 series followed the adventures of a group of men in their 40s, and their interactions with younger queer people in their 20s. The companion series Banana followed the lives of the younger characters in more depth. The two series were screened simultaneously, with the web based documentary series Tofu exploring themes within the episodes.

Since delivering his breakthrough series Davies has gone on to deliver some of the UK’s most loved TV series including Bob and Rose, The Second Coming, Casanova, Doctor Who and last year’s acclaimed mini-series A Very English Scandal. He is currently working on a British series The Boys about the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

While Aidan Gillen and Charlie Hunnam have gone on to have huge international careers, Craig Kelly hasn’t been seen on our screens for a few years.

Do you remember the first time you saw the UK version? Can you believe it was two decades ago!

OIP Staff