Page 3 Profile: Russel T Davies, TV producer, writer

Russel T Davies, TV producer, writer (Anthony Upton/REX)

“There’s nowt so queer as folk…”

Russell T Davies played on the northern English colloquialism in his 1999 Channel 4 drama, Queer As Folk, which portrayed the lives of three young gay men living in Manchester. However, he’s probably far better known for bringing Doctor Who back to our screens in 2005. The 50th anniversary episode airs on Saturday, you know…

So this is another Doctor Who story?

Nope. Davies left the popular sci-fi show at the end of 2009, with an epic two-part Christmas special before packing his bags for Los Angeles. Now he’s returning to grittier subject matter and is writing two dramas about 21st-century gay life for Channel 4.

That’s another revival under his belt then.

Actually, he has made a point of saying that his new projects are not a continuation of Queer As Folk, although they will be equally ground-breaking and retain the Manchester setting. The two programmes, called Cucumber and Banana, will be airing next year on Channel 4 and E4 respectively.

The titles don’t give much away. Tell me more.

Cucumber follows the life of 46-year-old Henry and his long-term boyfriend Lance, whose comfortable life is shattered after a calamitous date night. Banana, meanwhile, charts the lives of the younger characters at the margins of Henry’s life, including lesbian Scotty.

Sounds pretty varied to me.

We’re talking “50 shades of gay” according to Channel 4. There will also be an online series called Tofu, which will act as a factual, spin-off guide to the sexual issues covered in the dramas.

I still don’t understand the food references.

Don’t worry, Davies has revealed all: “I once read about a scientific institute which had studied the male erection. It divided the hard-on into four categories, from soft to hard. One, tofu. Two, peeled banana. Three, banana. And four, cucumber. Right there and then, I knew I had my drama.” Simple.