Creator of "Queer As Folk"

Showtime presents

December 17, 2000

Read our chat with Russell T Davies, Consultant for "Queer As Folk." As some of you die-hard fans might know, Russell is the creator of the original British version of "Queer As Folk." He has also produced several successful BBC programs for children and adults alike. Russell discusses his inspiration and experience with "Queer As Folk."

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Showtime: Thanks for signing on for our chat with Russell T Davies, Consultant for "Queer as Folk." As some of you die-hard fans might know, Russell is the creator of the original British version of "Queer as Folk." He has also produced several successful BBC programs for children and adults alike. This is your chance to ask him everything you've ever wanted to know about his inspiration and experience with "Queer as Folk." Welcome, Russell! Let's get started!

Russell T Davies: Hello everyone, and let's start the questions!

New 2 Chat: What inspired you to create "Queer as Folk"?

Russell T Davies: I've written lots of scripts with lots of gay characters in them, and someone at Channel 4 read a very gay script that I'd written. He asked if I fancied writing something like this for them, and if I did, they'd love to read it. Simple as that!

Marvelous: Did you receive much resistance from the entertainment industry in Britain? Was it a tough sell?

Russell T Davies: Absolutely not! It was the easiest commission I've ever had in my life. Weird, isn't it? Everyone thinks it was hard to get going, but it wasn't. I handed in the first script in February 1998, and it was on the screen by February 1999. Many shows take two or three years to get to the screen. This was so fast--it was wonderful!

Ab Fab: Were you surprised by the British success of QAF? Do you anticipate the same response here in the States?

Russell T Davies: Oh gosh, very surprised! I thought it would get gay viewers, and a certain cult appeal. Actually, one of the best days of my life was after the series had finished, going into a record shop. The video was released that day, and it was number one on the charts. Hard to say really how it will go over in the States. I think the American version has the same appeal, and should appeal to the same audience, which is not only gay men, but women and any men with a brain (which is few!) I think the difference in the States is that it's on a subscription channel, and in Britain it was on a free to view channel. So it automatically reached more people there.

Ted: How did QAF make it to the States? Did Showtime approach you, or vice versa? Why not HBO?

Russell T Davies: To be honest, I don't know much about how it was sold because when you make something for Channel 4, they own it completely. So they did the sale. So really all I knew about it was that one day I got a phone call saying it had been sold to Showtime. The American creators would know more about that than I would, to be honest.

Marc: Why do you think American audiences are still so sensitive to issues, specifically sex, that the rest of the world seems to have long ago accepted and embraced, at least through their programming?

Russell T Davies: I've really got no idea of what American audiences are like. I'm not an expert on that. But you know, there was a hell of a lot of fuss here about it. I don't know that we're that liberal in England! For example, on our prime time soaps, you can barely see a gay couple kiss. They just hug each other a lot! Lots of backslapping. So we've got an awful long way to go in terms of getting that stuff accepted.

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