LGBT equality doesn’t guarantee happiness, says Doctor Who revival mastermind Russell T Davies

The writer's new drama Banana deliberately eschews the quest for gay equality as a central theme

Russell T Davies, the writer of 'Queer as Folk' and 'Cucumber' (Rex Features)

Equality for gay people does not guarantee them happiness, television writer Russell T Davies has said.

The scriptwriter, best known for heading the revival of the BBC’s Doctor Who after its 16-year hiatus, told the Guardian newspaper he had dwelled on the theme in his latest drama, Banana.

“Just because your parents are happy with your gayness doesn’t mean your life’s fine,” he said.

“Making the mass generalisation that it’s OK, or easier, to be out at 18 now, with that comes a presumption that your life is happy.

“No 18-year-old is happy! You will have problems. You will make your life a problem, or find problems. I wanted to explore that, to say, equality doesn’t mean happiness.”

Despite focusing on LBGT characters, Banana deliberately has no ‘coming out’ story, a usual feature of such dramas.

Mr Davies, who is himself gay, said that he was exploring new territory with the storylines of the programme and noted that soap operas were now covering previously novel LGBT storylines as a matter of course.

Bananas is one of three new series released by Mr Davies for Channel 4, the other two being Cumber, and Tofu, the latter of which is only available online.

The channel says the programmes “explore the heartbreak and joy of modern sex lives – from gay to straight, and anything in between”.

Mr Davies had previously written the drama Queer As Folk, which chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester.