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Episode 2

Episode 2 of 2

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, Andrew Scott presents the remarkable story of how gay people transformed pop culture, despite persistent oppression.

Your love - forbidden.

Your way of life - against the law.

That was the chilling reality for countless LGBT people in the UK.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 which partially decriminalised sex between men, Andrew Scott tells the remarkable story of how gay people and gay culture came to transform pop culture in the face of persistent oppression.

In this second episode Andrew documents the horror of the AIDS crisis, which threatened to tear the gay scene apart in the 1980s. However, when surrounded by death, gay culture stood firm. Richard Coles (The Communards) and Andy Bell (Erasure) provide first hand accounts of being part of a new stock of proud LGBT performers who utilised their sexuality to push boundaries, tackle social issues and helped to define the sound of their generation.

Super-producers Trevor Horn (Frankie Goes To Hollywood - 'Relax') and Mike Thorne (Bronski Beat - 'Smalltown Boy') detail the process of creating two songs which helped showcase two very different sides of gay identity in the mid 1980s.

Will Young explores the experience of coming out under the spotlight of reality TV, and how the depiction of gay culture on TV in the early 2000s was an important step towards to society becoming more tolerant of gay people.

Even in recent years it's been far from plain sailing for gay people in the entertainment industry. Markus Feehily, one of the lead singers in Westlife, tells of the pressures of being in the closet whilst also being in one of the most successful boy bands in the UK.

Finally, Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander talks about being part of the new wave of 'always out' pop-stars, daring to use male pronouns in his song-writing and the future of LGBT themes in pop.

57 minutes

Last on

Wed 2 Aug 2017 22:00

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Music Played

  • Queen

    Under Pressure

  • Soft Cell

    Tainted Love

  • Frankie Goes to Hollywood

    Relax

  • Frankie Goes to Hollywood

    Two Tribes

  • Bronski Beat

    Smalltown Boy

  • Yazoo

    Situation

  • Queen

    I Want To Break Free

  • Man 2 Man

    New York City Beat

  • Dead or Alive

    You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)

  • Pet Shop Boys

    West End Girls

  • Pet Shop Boys

    Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)

  • Pet Shop Boys

    A Man Could Get Arrested

  • Pet Shop Boys

    Rent

  • Pet Shop Boys

    Its A Sin

  • Tracy Chapman

    Talkin Bout A Revolution

  • The Communards

    Don't Leave Me This Way (feat. Sarah Jane Morris)

  • The Communards

    For A Friend

  • Erasure

    Oh L'Amour

  • Dianne And Friends Ft. Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder

    That's What Friends Are For

  • Elton John

    The Last Song

  • Erasure

    Breathe

  • Queen

    The Show Must Go On

  • Queen

    These Are The Days Of Our Lives

  • Lisa Stansfield With Queen and George Michael

    These Are The Days Of Our Lives

  • George Michael

    Outside

  • George Michael

    Freedom

  • George Michael with Elton John

    Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

  • George Michael

    I Can't Make You Love Me

  • George Michael

    Faith

  • Will Young

    The Long And Winding Road

  • Will Young

    Evergreen

  • Will Young

    Jealousy

  • Scissor Sisters

    Laura

  • Scissor Sisters

    Comfortably Numb

  • New Kids on the Block

    Hangin Tough

  • Take That

    Do What U Like

  • Westlife

    Fool Again

  • Markus Feehily

    Sanctuary

  • Boyzone

    No Matter What

  • Elton John

    Are You Ready For Love

  • ANOHNI and the Johnsons

    For Today I Am A Boy

  • ANOHNI

    Why Did You Separate Me From The Earth

  • Years And Years Ft. Tove Lo

    Desire

  • Years & Years

    Real

  • Years & Years

    Shine

Broadcast

  • Wed 2 Aug 2017 22:00