A series of 8 monologues titled ‘Queers’ on BBC 4.

For those with a good memory, or with a keen eye for info all-too-recent history, the passing of the Sexual Offences Act of Britain in 1967 will be of significance.

In commemoration of this social breakthrough and all it has led to for the LGBT community, this series of most superbly written and performed monologues, each lasting 18-21 minutes, was created in 2017. What I think sets this series apart is the way it encompasses an entire century of time: each monologue portraying a different year spanning from 1917 to 2017.

There are 8 monologues in the series, each stand-alone stories, and extremely compelling ones at that. Below is a short description of each one, and some no-spoiler thoughts on them:

1) The man on the platform (1917) – a soldier returned from WWI recalls an encounter with an officer during the war. This also brings back a memory that intersects with none other than Oscar Wilde. This is perhaps the standout monologue in my personal opinion, but they are all absolutely brilliant.

2) A grand day out (1994) – taken from the IMDb description: “17-year-old Andrew travels to London for the historic moment when the government votes to potentially reduce the gay age of consent from 21. The excitement of the evening leads him to a number of new and surprising experiences.” This episode can, for the time being (do let me know if this link becomes inactive) can be seen on YouTube here.

3) More Anger (1980’s) – an actor revolts from his being typecast as someone dying of AIDS, and discusses the underlying currents of his personal life.

Russell Tovey, who stars in this monologue, is an openly gay actor, as some of the other featured actors in this series also are. Another gay role I found him memorable in is the Russel T Davies’ series years and years.

4) Missing Alice (1957) – The story of a woman who discovers that her husband, and father of her child, is a homosexual. The reactions that spur from this situation, given the time, are quite surprising, and this is thus a pleasure to watch. You can currently see it on YouTube (albeit in low quality) by clicking here.

5) I miss the war (1967) – a more mature-aged gentleman journeys down through quite the nostalgia trip, as he remarkably laments the recent acquisition of rights.

I found this to be a truly eye-opening monologue, as it really shows an unexpected and (at least to my ears) unheard of take on this decisive set of events and social context in a nevertheless understandable and therefore relatable way. You can find a YouTube copy of it here.

6) Safest spot in town (1941) – Fredrick, from West India, edges his way into the circles he strives to be a part of, but when excluded from a particular venue, the coming of German bombs over London changes everything. This is particularly interesting in the array of themes it brings into the monologue’s course.

7) The perfect gentleman (late 1920’s) – a lesbian woman who dresses in the disguise of a man in order to have a crack at the women there. This monologue can be seen by clicking here. The effects that cross-dressing has on the perception this character has of herself in this period are fascinating.

8) Something borrowed (2017) – Steve struggles to write his wedding speech, and as nerves amass, a sharp reflection on where we’ve come from and what’s ahead of us in terms of our community’s rights now that we’re able to save the institution of marriage from the train-wreck destination the heteros had been driving it towards. This monologue, another standout in my subjective opinion, which says a lot given what it’s standing out from, can be found on YouTube (again, sadly in low quality) here.

All of these episodes can be found (no doubt in higher quality) on the official BBC 4 website if you are either in the UK or are able to use a VPN. The official BBC 4 website for the series can be accessed by clicking here. Other options for viewing include streaming on Amazon Prime, or buying the DVD version, which appears to also be for sale on the Amazon website.

Thanks to the great writing and acting, aided by other elements, this truly is an astounding series. And its significance in its portrayal of stories spanning from 1917 to 2017 for me makes its historical relevance extremely compelling.

I hope you enjoy watching it and if you have, feel free to leave a comment about it below (you should be able to comment with anonymity)! All the best to you