True Wildeblood

Not a lot of people know this, but the key TV programme in BBC’s Gay Britannia season this summer (which commemorated events around the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England), was directed by Irish man, Fergus O’Brien.

Set in the 1950s, O’Brien’s Against The Law follows the relationship of journalist Peter Wildeblood (Daniel Mays) and RAF corporal Peter McNally (Richard Gadd) who meet and begin a love affair at a time when being gay is illegal. Wildeblood ends up on trial for gross indecency, with McNally testifying for the prosecution, and his subsequent imprisonment starts a conversation, and ultimately, a change in the opinions around same-sex relationships.

The director was at this year’s GAZE, where he introduced the film to a packed cinema, explaining why he used a part drama, part documentary format. We agree, the juxtaposition of Wildeblood’s story with personal accounts from gay men offering an unvarnished look at the treatement of homosexuals, and their relationships, in the years leading up to 1967’s Sexual Offences Act, will have you in tears. It’s not the jolliest of stories, but it’s good stuff, and it’s available on DVD from September 11 (and on BBC’s iPlayer, if you have access to it).