Gay drama steps up a gear

Call Me anytime

We've had a raft of really great new gay stories being transferred to screen lately.

Call Me By Your Name and God's Own Country kicked off the year for me.

Two very different stories set decades apart, but both uplifting tales of gay love. They were equally stunning, and led to both winning many awards culminating in wins at this year's BAFTA/Oscars gong shows.

But, thankfully, it wasn't just on the big screen that we were being treated to new dramas of the love that hitherto dared not speak its name.

Darkly compelling

We're still recovering from the sumptuous, dark, disturbing and compelling real life drama The Assassination of Gianni Versace. A superb cast beautifully and audaciously took us through one of the most shocking gay serial killer stories of recent times. 

Currently, we're being treated to A Very English Scandal courtesy of  the BBC. A drama about the scandal involving then Liberal party leader and gay scoundrel Jeremy Thorpe, that rocked the UK political establishment in the 1980s. Hugh Grant plays the seedy politician at the heart of the affair and the fabulous Ben Whishaw as ex lover/victim Norman Scott.

Wilde is back

Around the corner we will all be heading back to the cinema to be enthralled by The Happy Prince, as gay actor Rupert Everett makes his directorial debut with the poignant biographical drama of the final chapter of Oscar Wilde's life. i definitely think we're going to need tissues for this one.

Streaming channel Netflix has also thrown it's rainbow coloured beach towel on the gay section of the broadcasting beach as it prepares to screen new coming of age drama, Alex Strangelove.

There's many more to come in what's turning out to be quite a year for LGBT cinema and TV drama. Check this list out. It's encouraging to finally see a broad variety of gay stories being written and transformed into major productions, whether for the cinema or TV.

Of course, I'm hoping that someone at BBC, HBO, Netflix or Hollywood will ring any day now telling me that coming-of-age coming out stories like Love Simon are the next big thing and that they'd like to film my book Changing Trains next.

Well, one has to hope. To quote Mr Wilde, "We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."