The title of the programme comes from a traditional Northern English saying, "there's nowt so queer as folk", meaning "there's nothing as strange as people", and is a word play on the modern-day English definition of "queer" as homosexual. The script had originally started life with the title Queer as Fuck but Queer as Folk was considered more suitable.[1]
Characters and plot
The main characters are Stuart Allen Jones (Aidan Gillen), who is highly sexually active, and successfully so. His long-time friend Vince Tyler (Craig Kelly), who has a crush on Stuart, has less luck with men. 15-year-old Nathan Maloney (Charlie Hunnam) is new to the gay scene but is not lacking in self-confidence.
The producers say that Queer as Folk, although superficially a realistic depiction of gay urban life in the 1990s, is meant as a fantasy, and that Stuart, Vince, and Nathan are not so much characters as gay male archetypes.
Stuart, an advertising executive, possesses intrinsic power, able to bend anything to his will. Stuart's principal characteristic is that he does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants. He blows up a car belonging to his friend Alexander's antagonistic mother (in the second series). He invites Vince's female colleague, who has a crush on closeted Vince, to Vince's birthday party and then introduces Vince's boyfriend. When offered a test drive of a Jeep by a car salesman who makes some homophobic comments, Stuart drives the car straight through the large window of the car dealership.
Reception
At the time, the response was mixed from gay commentators in relation to the portrayal of the characters.[2][3] The show was criticised by the gay press for not addressing the issue of the AIDS epidemic but the writer said he wanted to show the love and joy of gay life as this had not been shown on TV before.[4][5] In the wider press and media, a commentator in the Daily Mail called for censorship and made homophobic comments.[6] Twenty years after the show first aired, however, Queer as Folk was generally praised.[7][8][9]
The first four episodes were sponsored by Beck's Brewery but the company withdrew their sponsorship halfway through the series. Following a backlash from the gay community, Beck's offered to sponsor the second series, a request which was refused by the producers.[10]
In 2010, The Guardian ranked Queer as Folk at number 13 in their list of "The Top 50 TV Dramas of All Time".[11]
The theme song for the series was created by Murray Gold. A soundtrack album was released by Almighty Records for the original series and features tracks by OT Quartet, Ultra Naté, and Blondie.[15] Selling 125,000 copies, it remained popular long after the broadcast of the first series and ended up the 50th biggest selling compilation album of 1999.[16] An album for the second series was released by Channel 4 Music and sold 19,000 copies in its first week to debut at #5 on the UK Compilation Chart.[16]
Cast
Aidan Gillen as Stuart Alan Jones, a successful advertising executive
Stuart and Vince, stalwarts of the Manchester gay scene, are out on the pull in Canal Street.
2
2
Stuart Alan Jones
Charles McDougall
Russell T. Davies
2March1999(1999-03-02)
Stuart pursues a client, Vince (not 'out' at work) is pursued by the new girl and Nathan, verging on obsession, is desperate to find Stuart again.
3
3
A Night Out
Charles McDougall
Russell T. Davies
9March1999(1999-03-09)
Stuart and Vince, on a wild night out, are pursued by Nathan and Rosalie, and Phil makes a new friend… with deadly consequences.
4
4
D.I.S.C.O.
Charles McDougall
Russell T. Davies
16March1999(1999-03-16)
Stuart and Vince go to Phil’s funeral where they meet up with numerous friends including his accountant Cameron Roberts, and come face to face with his mother’s grief.
5
5
The Date
Sarah Harding
Russell T. Davies
23March1999(1999-03-23)
Stuart makes some new friends, while Nathan’s behaviour makes Hazel furious and Janice desperate.
6
6
Meet the Parents
Sarah Harding
Russell T. Davies
30March1999(1999-03-30)
Stuart and Marie visit their parents, and Vince introduces Cameron to his mum. Meanwhile, Stuart has a violent confrontation with Nathan’s father.
7
7
Thirty
Sarah Harding
Russell T. Davies
6April1999(1999-04-06)
Stuart throws a surprise party for Vince’s 30th birthday, and becomes implicated in a dubious plan to discredit Romey’s potential husband Lance.
8
8
Punchline
Sarah Harding
Russell T. Davies
13April1999(1999-04-13)
Vince is petrified that Rosalie has revealed his secret. Stuart experiences rejection for the first time. And Cameron declares his love to Vince.
Vince’s love for Stuart remains unrequited, but the sexual buzz between them is becoming irresistible. Stuart is forced to out himself to his parents, when he is blackmailed. Meanwhile, Nathan reappears to celebrate his return from London.
10
2
...Into the Fire
Menhaj Huda
Russell T. Davies
22February2000(2000-02-22)
When Alexander’s parents turn on him, Stuart’s anger puts him on the wrong side of the law. Vince is up for a promotion at work, while one of Nathan's teachers seems to side with Nathan's bullies.
Ratings
Series 1 (1999)
Episode no.
Air date
Viewers (millions)
Channel 4 weekly ranking
1
23 February 1999
3.52
11
2
2 March 1999
3.60
9
3
9 March 1999
2.45
23
4
16 March 1999
2.58
21
5
23 March 1999
2.78
17
6
30 March 1999
3.28
9
7
6 April 1999
3.44
9
8
13 April 1999
3.34
7
Series 2 (2000)
Episode no.
Air date
Viewers (millions)
Channel 4 weekly ranking
1
15 February 2000
2.83
19
2
22 February 2000
3.15
12
Spin-offs
A spin-off series, Misfits (no relation to the later E4 series of the same name), was initially commissioned by Channel 4. The series would have followed the characters of Hazel, Alexander, Donna (who was absent from the 2nd series due to scheduling commitments) and Bernard from the original series, while introducing new characters. Although Davies developed draft scripts for four episodes and storylines for a further twenty-two, the series was cancelled before it went into pre-production.
As a result of Channel 4's decision, Davies pulled out of a deal that would have seen a series of Queer as Folk short stories published on the broadcaster's website, and vowed not to work with Channel 4 again, unless he has an idea that only works on that channel.[17] However, fifteen years later in 2015, Davies returned to Channel 4 with drama series Cucumber, drama anthology Banana (on E4) and documentary series Tofu (on 4oD). Denise Black makes a cameo appearance as Hazel Tyler's ghost in the sixth episode of Cucumber.
In late 2018, a second American adaptation was in development for Bravo. In April 2021, it received a series order from Peacock, the streaming service it shifted to within the NBCUniversal family. It reimagines this series instead of serving as a reboot of the first American series.[18]Queer as Folk was released on June 9, 2022, on Peacock.[19]
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