Giving Thanks: Jonathan Harvey

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

Once again I’m giving thanks to those working behind the scenes in film and television who have helped gay people gain a prominent place on the screen. Last week I looked across the pond at American director and producer Angela Robinson. This week I’m returning to the UK to take a look at one of the best known people who has helped LGBT characters burst into the mainstream – Jonathan Harvey.

Harvey began writing plays in his teens and garnered much success after writing The Cherry Blossom Tree, Mohair, Wildfire and Babies in the late 80s and early 90s. These works also won him several awards, including the George Devine Award. However, it was his 1993 play Beautiful Thing that garnered him huge attention and helped bring a new side of the LGBT community to the public. Unsurprisingly, the play has been staged numerous times since its debut.

Beautiful Thing tells the tale of two teenage boys coming to terms with their sexuality in a beautiful coming of age story. It was turned into an excellent film in 1996, which was very well received and has become a gay flick fave around the world.

Not content with staying in the world of theatre and film, Harvey also moved into television and achieved huge recognition when he wrote the laugh out loud comedy, Gimme Gimme Gimme. The show stars James Dreyfus and Kathy Burke and focuses on two mismatched flatmates in London, both desperately searching for a man. The lead character of Tom was one of the first openly gay (and outspokenly gay) leading characters on British TV. Despite some negative reaction towards the character because of perception about his overt stereotyping, the character was a very important step in television recognition for the gay community.

Since the final episode of Gimme Gimme Gimme premiered during the early 2000s, Harvey has continued working in the television world. He created the TV series Beautiful People, which is based on the memoirs of Simon Doonan and tells the story of him coming to terms with his sexuality in another laugh out loud situation comedy.

He has also worked as a writer since 2004 for one of the most popular soaps on British television, Coronation Street. Since he took the job, we’ve seen the introduction of a number of gay characters such as Shaun Tulley and seen a number of gay storylines like, such as Todd Grimshaw and Sophie Webster realising they were gay. How much input he had in this I don’t know, but I’m sure he lent a helping hand in moulding the story.

So as we can see Jonathan Harvey has been proving since the 1980s that he’s not just a great playwright, script writer and producer, but a triple threat in the world of the arts with successful films, television shows and plays, who has helped get gay people the screen and stage time they rightly deserve.

We Remember: Beautiful People

Originally posted on www.differentscene.com

Another week another amazing British television series that concentrates on the LGBT community.

This week I am looking at Beautiful People a BBC television series based on the memoirs of Simon Doonan about growing up as gay teen in 1960s Reading. The television series has made a few alterations, the main one being changing the setting to 1997 along with a few name changes.

The show ran for two series between 2008 and 2009 and concentrates on Simon Doonan a young effeminate boy growing up in an eccentric family in 1990s Reading. The series takes parts in the present day before going back to the past and concentrating on a number of hilarious incidents that happened to the shows protagonist throughout his life, such as how he broke his nose and how he got the scar on his head.

Where as the first series concentrates mainly on the hilarity of these incidents allowing you to warm to the Simon and his best friend, the equally as effeminate Kylie (Kyle), as they aspire to leave Reading and head for the bright lights of London, where they can be with ‘the beautiful people.’

As the second series begins we are still treated to same odd ball circumstances that Simon faces throughout his life, but we also see the shows star begin to come to terms with the fact that he is in fact gay and doesn’t necessarily fit in with the rest of the boys at school.

Throw in some brilliant performances that come in the from of Simon’s mother Debbie Doonan and the remainder of the cast (because to be fair they are all brilliant), along with a very interesting tale about a Posh Spice doll, and you instantly get a piece of comedy gold along with a touching story of ones boys acceptance of himself, and his persistence to find somewhere he fits in.

The show is a must for any one who had a hard time fitting in when they were younger and aspire to make the most of their life. After all the real Simon Doonan went on to become the creative ambassador at New York clothing store Barneys.

As the theme tune says, (sung by the brilliant Dan Gillespie-Sells) “Dreams are foolish but don’t let them go” and that is exactly what he did.