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

Contents:

• COL AND BARRY’S HISTORIC GAY KISS EASTENRS
• EASTENRS ACTOR SAYS BBC BOSS CUT FIRST GAY ROMANCE SHORT 1987 BEE OF ERNMENT'S ANTI-GAY SECTN 28 LEGISLATN
• EASTENRS NFIRMS THE NAME OF THE SOAP'S NEW GAY BAR
• EASTENRS AT 35 - COL AND BARRY AND THE FIRST GAY KISS SOAP

COL AND BARRY’S HISTORIC GAY KISS EASTENRS

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. 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 ACTOR SAYS BBC BOSS CUT FIRST GAY ROMANCE SHORT 1987 BEE OF ERNMENT'S ANTI-GAY SECTN 28 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. Piers Man has apologised for g homophobic language a historic EastEnrs story that has rurfaced on Twter.

Piers ManS Meddle/ITV/ShutterstockThe story led on lls om MPs to take EastEnrs off air, after aired a kiss between gay characters Col Rsell and Guido referred to the pair as “yuppie p***s” the py, notg that the kiss was aired at a time “when lns of children were watchg”. As I've said before, I’m ashamed of some of the appropriate language I ed The Sun thirty years ago about gay stars.

Piers Man (@piersman) January 29, 2020Quote-tweetg the article, he said: “As I’ve said before, I’m ashamed of some of the appropriate language I ed The Sun thirty years ago about gay stars. ”Michael played EastEnrs’ first gay character, Col, between 1986 and 1989. In 1987, the character ma soap history he shared a forehead kiss wh Barry Clark, which was the first gay kiss to be screened on prime time Brish years later, Col’s kiss wh Guido beme the first mouth-to-mouth gay kiss on a Brish leavg EastEnrs shortly afterwards, Michael -found LGBTQ rights mpaign group Stonewall.

EASTENRS NFIRMS THE NAME OF THE SOAP'S NEW GAY BAR

WARNING: This article ntas spoilers om Clark was the lover of posh Col Rsell the 1980s wh the pair makg history wh the first gay kiss a soap back lived unr Dot Cotton's roof at the time as his fay chucked him out after revealg that he was Dot didn't agree wh Col beg gay, she didn't want to see him on the streets and the pair grew closer as time went relatnship, turn, led to Dot formg a bond wh Barry as well, one which actor Hail always appreciated.

More EastEnrs: Barry and Col had the first gay kiss a soap. 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.

In 1986, EastEnrs troduced Col Rsell, a gay man, to the Albert Square his ways, armed wh a Filofax and one of those trendy keyrgs which beeped if you whistled for them, Col was still subjected to homophobic bigotry by other rints of the Square. Michael Cashman, himself a gay man, and Gary Hail, were excellent as Col and Barry. And soon that now reformed homophobe Dot was a good pal of Col' 1980s saw several very signifint steps forward English soaps, which simply didn't "do" gays before then.

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

Oh sure, there had (apparently) been a shock nfsn of homosexualy om a character BBC rad serial The Dal the late 1960s, and s succsor Waggoners' Walk flirted wh the subject a uple of tim.

The first story-le featured a gay character who "reformed" and got married! ) Together (1980-1981) troduced a gay story-le March 1981, not long before the seri end. Brooksi was the first major early eveng UK TV soap to feature a regular gay character when young Gordon Colls (Nigel Crowley/Mark Burgs) "me out" the, for me, Col and Barry were special.