EastEnrs star who was first ever gay character on Brish soap - and beme a Lord - MyLondon

Contents:

• 'EASTENRS' ACTOR REVEALS HE IS GAY
• HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL
• EASTENRS STAR WHO WAS FIRST EVER GAY CHARACTER ON BRISH SOAP - AND BEME A LORDNOT BAD GOG AT ALL!GETWTLONDONBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSNEWSBYTOM HAYNREPORTER22:06, 21 JUN 2021UPDATED22:11, 21 JUN 2021BOOKMARKLORD CASHMAN WAS ALBERT SQUARE'S FIRST LGBT+ CHARACTER (IMAGE: BBC)GET FREE EMAIL UPDAT FOR EASTENRSMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 GET FREE EMAIL UPDAT FOR EASTENRSINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!
• EASTENRS' TONE GAY KISS TO BE REPEATED FOR BBC FOUR'S PRI SEASON
• 'EASTENRS' CHARACTER TO E OUT AS GAY
• CORK ACTOR AIDAN O’CALLAGHAN JOS EASTENRS ROLE OF GAY BAR MANAGER
• GAY EASTENRS CHARACTER NFIRMED FOR ‘EXPLOSIVE’ EX OM SHOW

'EASTENRS' ACTOR REVEALS HE IS GAY

EastEnrs actor Jake Maskall has revealed that he is gay and has a boyiend. Jake plays womanizg Danny Moon on the soap, currently havg an affair wh Sam Mchell (Kim Medlf), but he told Now magaze: "I'm gay and I've been wh my boyiend for 12 years.

HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL

In 1985, he had been approached by the creators of EastEnrs, Julia Smh and Tony Holland, to play Col Rsell – the Brish soap’s first gay character. The News of the World ran a double-page spread, headled “Secret Gay Love of Aids Sre EastEnr”, which outed his partner and prted the uple’s photos and was even an attempt to orchtrate “sister” stori about him. Through his varied, high-profile reer and life-changg relatnship wh his hband, Pl Cottgham (an actor and mpaigner who died of ncer 2014), tells not jt the story of his life, but also the battle for LGBT equaly the the Sun vered the story of the EastEnrs gay kiss 1989When news broke that Cashman’s character would share the first gay kiss a Brish soap (a peck on the forehead), the backlash only tensified.

By parison, his next on-screen kiss – Brish soap’s first gay kiss on the lips – passed worth ?

EASTENRS STAR WHO WAS FIRST EVER GAY CHARACTER ON BRISH SOAP - AND BEME A LORDNOT BAD GOG AT ALL!GETWTLONDONBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSNEWSBYTOM HAYNREPORTER22:06, 21 JUN 2021UPDATED22:11, 21 JUN 2021BOOKMARKLORD CASHMAN WAS ALBERT SQUARE'S FIRST LGBT+ CHARACTER (IMAGE: BBC)GET FREE EMAIL UPDAT FOR EASTENRSMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 GET FREE EMAIL UPDAT FOR EASTENRSINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

“Somebody said to me: ‘When you were on I ed to watch om behd the sofa bee I didn’t want my parents to know I was gay.

In the 60s, gog to the police wasn’t really an optn for gay men, he says. “That this is what happened to gay men. In May 1988, the Thatcher ernment had brought the Lol Government Act and s notor sectn 28, which prohibed the tentnal promotn of homosexualy by lol thori and schools.

”Throughout the 80s and 90s, gay people were often portrayed as predators by media anisatns supportive of sectn 28. And he is ncerned that some lbian, gay and bisexual people are jog .

EASTENRS' TONE GAY KISS TO BE REPEATED FOR BBC FOUR'S PRI SEASON

“The fact that lbian and gay people are willg to sacrifice trans people …we’re rollg back the clock. In 1999, he beme the untry’s first openly gay Labour MEP and went on to be print of the European Parliament’s tergroup on gay and lbian issu, while also helpg nvce Tony Blair’s ernment to troduce same-sex civil partnerships.

He was ma a Labour peer 2014 and has champned issu such as pulsory LGBT-clive sex and relatnships year, he rigned om the Labour party after endorsg the pro-rema Liberal a gay rights march 1988 wh Ian McKellen. He was the very first gay character to appear on the soap, but has sce gone on to bee a proment human rights activist and an appoted member of the Hoe of Lords.

'EASTENRS' CHARACTER TO E OUT AS GAY

A year later, the character beme the first ever to have a gay kiss on a Brish soap - both appld and nsired eply ntroversial at the time. The Brish prs had a field day wh Col's relatnship wh his on-screen boyiend, Barry, and much of the verage was nakedly homophobic. The cln of a gay relatnship on a fay show the midst of the AIDS crisis was even bated parliament.

Episo featured a hallmark moment when Col Rsell (Lord Michael Cashman) had the first mouth-to-mouth gay kiss on Brish televisn wh his boyiend Guido (Nicholas Donovan).

BBCRelated: 50 groundbreakg soap characters Digal Spy magaze issue 12In the s sce this scene aired, EastEnrs has ntued to explore reprentatn Walford wh an episo takg place durg Pri and the openg of the Square's first gay bar, The Prce Michael Cashman was a part of many groundbreakg storyl on the soap as Col durg his three years as an EastEnrs st member. The actor first appeared on the soap 1986Published: 8:10, 25 Aug 2016Updated: 2:14, 27 Aug 2016LORD Michael Cashman is to reprise his role as EastEnrs’ first gay character Col Rsell as he returns to the soap after 30 years. Cashman starred as Col Rsell om 1986 to 1989 and shortly after makg his but, he found himself a relatnship wh Barry Clark, played by Gary Hail, which saw them have the first gay kiss a Brish soap opera – and on primetime televisn.

CORK ACTOR AIDAN O’CALLAGHAN JOS EASTENRS ROLE OF GAY BAR MANAGER

5 Lord Cashman starred as Col Rsell, the soaps' first gay characterCred:. An amazg journey which credibly helped to change the untry, and certaly s attu to lbian gay and bisexual people. 5 They broke boundari wh the first ever gay kiss on a Brish soapCred: BBC.

Sce his on-screen kiss on the soap, the show has featured many gay characters cludg Christian and Syed, Johnny Carter and more recently, Ben Mchell and his now ad lover Pl Coker. An EastEnrs regular is about to bee the third gay character on Albert Square, reports have Mchell (Joshua Pase) will reveal that he is gay after sharg a kiss wh another teenager lled Dunn, acrdg to The Mirror. The 33-year-old will take up the role of Lewis Butler — the new manager of Kathry Beale's gay bar The Prce Innishannon native will arrive Albert Square next Monday, where he beiends Walford regular Ben Mchell, played by Max Bown.

GAY EASTENRS CHARACTER NFIRMED FOR ‘EXPLOSIVE’ EX OM SHOW

Ben then go on a night out wh Lewis where the latter is heckled wh homophobic abe. The vastatg storyle began after Walford troublemaker Ben, played by Max Bown, exchanged barbs wh Callum over his vigilante actns agast homophob, creatg a rift between the uple. It has been nfirmed that gay EastEnrs character Pl Coker will be exg the long-nng soap.

EastEnrs boss also recently rest gay character Johnny Carter – wh actor Ted Reilly takg over the popular role prevly played by Sam Strike.