EastEnrs at 35 - Col and Barry and the first gay kiss soap — Distct Nostalgia

Contents:

• GROUNDBREAKG TV GAY CHARACTERS COL AND BARRY RNE  EASTENRS AFTER 33 YEARS
• EASTENRS AT 35 - COL AND BARRY AND THE FIRST GAY KISS SOAP
• EASTENRS' GARY HAIL SAYS BBC CUT 1987 GAY STORYLE BEE OF TORY LEGISLATN
• EASTENRS STAR CLAIMS BBC CUT THE SOAP’S FIRST GAY ROMANCE BEE OF THE ERNMENT’S ANTI-LGBT+ SECTN 28
• EASTENRS ACTOR SAYS BBC BOSS CUT FIRST GAY ROMANCE SHORT 1987 BEE OF ERNMENT'S ANTI-GAY SECTN 28 LEGISLATN
• MICHAEL CASHMAN SHAR EMOTNAL REASON FOR EASTENRS RETURN AS PART OF TRAILBLAZG GAY UPLE
• EASTENRS AT 35 - COL AND BARRY AND THE FIRST GAY KISS SOAP

GROUNDBREAKG TV GAY CHARACTERS COL AND BARRY RNE  EASTENRS AFTER 33 YEARS

Memorable LGBTQ moments EastEnrs historyEastEnrs has been on our screens for more than 35 years – that time, the Walford-based soap has bee one of Bra’s most inic TV s but 1985, EastEnrs has never shied away om hard-htg storyl and has been at the foreont of LGBTQ reprentatn on Bize tak a look at some of the most memorable LGBTQ moments om the BBC One show’s gay kiss on a Brish soapCol Rsell was the first gay character on EastEnrs, appearg Albert Square jt over a year after the show’s first by Michael Cashman, there was ntroversy at the time when Col kissed boyiend Barry Clark (Gary Hail) 1987 – even though was jt a peck on the (Michael Cashman) and Barry (Gary Hall) were EastEnrs' first gay years later, Col and new character Guido Smh (Nicholas Donovan) shared the first mouth-to-mouth kiss on a Brish soap – an timated 17 ln people tuned to watch the uple’s beme one of the most ground-breakg scen soap history – but was emed so ntroversial that some MPs lled for the soap to be pulled om the air. Syed tells Christian he is gay and love wh him – but unr prsure om his fay, gets married to feelgs for Christian prove too strong – so Syed out.

EASTENRS AT 35 - COL AND BARRY AND THE FIRST GAY KISS SOAP

Mick held his teenage son his arms to liver a tear-jerkg speech, tellg Johnny that he loved him and there was nothg bad about beg gay, supportg him to e out through both of their stifled Carter (played by Sam Strike, send om left) and dad Mick (Danny Dyer, centre) both ma their first appearanc the soap December ’s mother Lda (Kellie Bright) ially stggled wh his sexualy – but the pair eventually make up as she tak him to his first Pri event where he meets new boyiend Gianlu Cavallo (Gabriele Lombardo) transgenr character played by transgenr actorKyle Slater’s arrival Albert Square was a landmark moment for marked the first time Brish soap history that a transgenr character had been played by a transgenr actor, wh Riley Carter Millgton takg on the historic ’s first appearanc showed him followg Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) before he later reveals he is her long-lost half-brother and the pair ultimately sharg his story wh Stacey, Kyle reveals that his mother Alison (Denise Welch) has never seen him as a man.

EASTENRS' GARY HAIL SAYS BBC CUT 1987 GAY STORYLE BEE OF TORY LEGISLATN

Walford’s first Gay PriIn July 2019, Walford threw s first-ever Gay Pri event, wh an episo tacklg a number of LGBTQ ahead of London’s Gay Pri event, the episo was seen as celebratory, diverse and tnal, but also clud moments that remd the dience of the prejudice and discrimatn still faced by the LGBTQ muny to this the inic episo, Bernatte Taylor (Clair Norris) embrac her sexualy while celebratg her first Pri, havg e out as a lbian to her mother six months earlier, while Callum Highway (Tony Clay) stggl to e to terms wh his new, also known as Halfway, was engaged to Whney Dean (Shona McGarty) at the time of Pri and was helpg to get everythg anised for the big event.

But he was mortified when brother Stuart (Ricky Champ) turned up and told him he saw him kissg Ben Mchell (Max Bown) the night 's been que the journey for Ben Mchell (Max Bown, pictured) and Callum Highway (Tony Clay), who recently got engaged the the urse of te love didn’t always n smoothly for Callum and Ben – Stuart beat up Ben later the Pri episo - the fan favoure duo went on to bee a uple, wh the pair eventually proposg to each other on the balny of lol gay bar The Prce Albert. BBCRelated: EastEnrs reveals full tails on the Slaters' shock 2023 story "It's posive and the whole ia, wh Tony and Julia, was to do somethg that was posive and changed people's perceptns of gay relatnships and gay people. Gary Hail played Barry Clark - one half of 'Col and Barry', EastEnrs' first gay uple.

EASTENRS STAR CLAIMS BBC CUT THE SOAP’S FIRST GAY ROMANCE BEE OF THE ERNMENT’S ANTI-LGBT+ SECTN 28

He talks about how that first on-screen gay kiss soap ed a real furore, Barry's iendship wh Dot, why the uple were eventually wrten out and what Gary mak of Barry's 80s hair cut and drs sense now. EastEnrs' first gay uple – Barry Clark and Col Rsell – were star-crossed lovers bee of Tory legislatn, acrdg to one of the actorsVio LoadgVio UnavailableEastEnrs viewers crge as Jean tri to sce Phil after Shirley's advice blunrIt’s not often that EastEnrs is pared to Shakpeare.

EASTENRS ACTOR SAYS BBC BOSS CUT FIRST GAY ROMANCE SHORT 1987 BEE OF ERNMENT'S ANTI-GAY SECTN 28 LEGISLATN

But the BBC soap’s first gay uple – Barry Clark and Col Rsell – were star-crossed lovers bee of Tory legislatn, acrdg to one of the actors.

In May 1988, the Tory ernment enacted the ntroversial Sectn 28 clse prohibg “the promotn of homosexualy” by uncils and schools. Gary Hail reckons his on-screen gay relatnship was cut short December 1987 by worried BBC boss. ” In 1989, Col – played by Lord Michael Cashman, 69 – and a new boyiend shared Brish soap’s first gay kiss.

Dot Cotton wh EastEnrs’ first gay character (YouTube).

MICHAEL CASHMAN SHAR EMOTNAL REASON FOR EASTENRS RETURN AS PART OF TRAILBLAZG GAY UPLE

A former EastEnrs actor has said that a planned gay storyle the 1980s was scrapped due to the anti-LGBT+ Sectn 28 law. The discrimatory Sectn 28 prohibed lol thori om promotg homosexualy England, Stland and Wal, and was enacted 1988.

EastEnrs actor claims gay uple’s storyle was cut bee of Sectn 28. Speakg at the 1987 Conservative Party nference, Prime Mister Margaret Thatcher famoly said: “Children who need to be tght to rpect tradnal moral valu are beg tght that they have an alienable right to be gay.

EASTENRS AT 35 - COL AND BARRY AND THE FIRST GAY KISS SOAP

Gary Hail, who played Barry Clark on the long-nng BBC soap EastEnrs, has claimed that the seri’ first pictn of a gay relatnship was cut short due to Conservative ernment character’s love affair wh Col Rsell was abandoned December said BBC producers probably wanted to avoid trouble wh Margaret Thatcher’s ernment, which enacted the homophobic Sectn 28 clse May 1988, prohibg “the promotn of homosexualy” by schools and uncils.

Barry is a ckney barrow-boy, and an unlikely partner for the gay, middle classed yuppie, Col Rsell. His fay has a reputatn for beg thuggish; Barry keeps his homosexualy a secret om them, fearg his father's reactn.

Her mours evoke hostily om some members of the muny but gradually, they get ed to the ia of havg gay neighbours and Barry is relieved when his olr brother, Graham Clark, giv his blsg too. Differenc between Col and Barry bee too great to overe; Barry's nsirate behavur exasperat Col and their age gap further problems when the police disver that Barry had been unr the legal age of sexual nsent for homosexuals (21 at the time) when he began livg wh Col.