BBC's Forgotten Homophobic Broadcast Sparks New Play
A BBC radio programme, which aired in 1957 but was shelved due to backlash, has been revived for the stage, shedding light on the era's homophobic attitudes towards gay men. The play, titled "The BBC's First Homosexual", brings together a historical script and the author's own research into the period.
The original broadcast included contributions from prominent figures of the time, such as Lord Hailsham and John Wolfenden. However, it was ultimately deemed too provocative for the public airwaves, with concerns that it might increase homophobia and spark controversy over sex on BBC radio.
In a recent interview, historian Marcus Collins revealed that the programme's producers had initially attempted to involve Mary Whitehouse, then known for her crusades against what she saw as "filth" on British television. However, Whitehouse herself declined to participate in the broadcast.
The play aims to shine a light on the 1950s, when gay men were subject to laws that criminalized their sexual behavior. This was a period marked by widespread homophobia and social stigma, which continued long after the decriminalization of homosexuality was achieved in the 1960s.
Stephen M Hornby, the playwright behind the new production, stated: "Hopefully we'll have some really interesting conversations with our audience about conversion therapy and why government after government has announced they are going to ban it. And nobody has."
The play is set to premiere at the New Adelphi theatre in Salford on 4 February, before embarking on a tour across the UK.
A BBC radio programme, which aired in 1957 but was shelved due to backlash, has been revived for the stage, shedding light on the era's homophobic attitudes towards gay men. The play, titled "The BBC's First Homosexual", brings together a historical script and the author's own research into the period.
The original broadcast included contributions from prominent figures of the time, such as Lord Hailsham and John Wolfenden. However, it was ultimately deemed too provocative for the public airwaves, with concerns that it might increase homophobia and spark controversy over sex on BBC radio.
In a recent interview, historian Marcus Collins revealed that the programme's producers had initially attempted to involve Mary Whitehouse, then known for her crusades against what she saw as "filth" on British television. However, Whitehouse herself declined to participate in the broadcast.
The play aims to shine a light on the 1950s, when gay men were subject to laws that criminalized their sexual behavior. This was a period marked by widespread homophobia and social stigma, which continued long after the decriminalization of homosexuality was achieved in the 1960s.
Stephen M Hornby, the playwright behind the new production, stated: "Hopefully we'll have some really interesting conversations with our audience about conversion therapy and why government after government has announced they are going to ban it. And nobody has."
The play is set to premiere at the New Adelphi theatre in Salford on 4 February, before embarking on a tour across the UK.
I'm glad we're getting to see it now and have a chance to reflect on how far we've come (or not). It's crazy to think that conversion therapy was even an "option" back then, like what's next, forced lobotomies or something? 
Anyway, I hope the play sparks some real conversations about our progress – or lack thereof – on LGBTQ+ rights. Let's just hope it doesn't leave us feeling too uncomfortable for the wrong reasons... 
. I'll def be checking out the tour when it comes to my city 
!
wonder if its too late for some people who went thru that kinda stuff... anyway, excited to see this play and hopefully it sparks some important conversations 
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. Anyways, it premieres on Feb 4th at this theatre in Salford and I'm totes adding it to my watchlist ASAP 
I'm really curious about this new play that's being produced around the original 1957 BBC broadcast. It sounds like it's going to be a super interesting conversation starter, especially for kids and younger adults who might not know what life was like back then. My son asked me yesterday why LGBTQ+ people were ever treated unfairly, and I was like "well, it's been a long time coming but we've come a lot further". I'm hoping this play will help raise awareness about the past and how it shapes our present, you know? 
I hope it does inspire some change in our laws and attitudes around LGBTQ+ issues. We've made progress but there's still so much work to be done.
We'll probably never know for sure, but it's worth exploring.
Anyway, it's great that someone's bringing this to light and hopefully it sparks some interesting discussions about conversion therapy 
It's crazy to think that people were actually worried about discussing homosexuality openly on the radio back in '57 
It just goes to show how far we've come (or not) in accepting and talking about LGBTQ+ issues. I'm really excited for this new play to spark some real conversations about conversion therapy and why it's still a thing 
Let's get the message out there that everyone deserves to be treated with love and respect, regardless of their orientation or identity 
i'm literally hyped for this new play about the BBC's first homosexual broadcast 
) and it's wild how much we've come since 1957 
I'm so glad that this forgotten broadcast is getting a chance to shine a light on how far we've come (or haven't) in terms of acceptance and equality. It's still astonishing that laws that criminalized gay behavior were only repealed in the 1960s, and it's heartbreaking that many people still face discrimination today 
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. i'm not sure if the play will spark a ton of conversations, but hopefully it'll be a good starting point for some tough discussions