February 24, 2020
The reaction when I tell people that I’ve never watched Queer As Folk is invariably one of shock, followed immediately by: “Oh… you’ll love it.”
Queer As Folk: Revisiting The Cult Show As It Celebrates A Milestone Birthday
Despite never having actually seen Queer As Folk, I still know a lot about the show and its impact – namely that it broke new ground in the 90s in terms of queer representation on British TV (and globally, with the show going on to inspire a US spin-off), that it centres around a group of gay friends in Manchester and that there’s a questionable age-gap romance.
Oh, and there’s rimming in it.
So, as the show celebrated its milestone 21st birthday, it felt like an appropriate time to finally give it a whirl, and watch at least one episode of the show that paved the way for so many other LGBTQ-centric films and TV series that I’ve watched and loved over the years.
So, was every gay man who’s ever told me that I’d “love it” right? Sort of. The first thing I have to say after diving straight into the first episode of Queer As Folk is that they were not messing around when it came to those sex scenes. In the past, I’ve heard countless references to the show’s graphic content (including that aforementioned rimming scene), but always assumed people were just talking in comparison to today’s standards.
Not the case at all, as it turns out. Were Queer As Folk to debut in 2020, I’m confident it would still have certain viewers clutching their pearls, and I daren’t imagine what the Daily Mail comments section would have to say about the more explicit moments.
And as for the infamous rimming scene, the only other time I ever recall the act being mentioned in a scripted series is that Sex And The City episode where Miranda is disgusted by it, then gets into it, but refuses to do it back to the man she’s seeing.
More recent shows like Netflix smash Sex Education, much-loved US series Looking and the Australian comedy Please Like Me have done their bit in terms of depicting other taboo areas of sex between men on screen, but none have “gone there” when it comes to rimming quite as much as Queer As Folk, which is pretty impressive given it came out more than 20 years ago, and the moment in question happens about 15 minutes in. 
Speaking of the show’s history, I have to also say that compared to other British shows of its time, Queer As Folk has aged pretty well.
Even in moments that are so deeply rooted in 1999 – Vince chatting about a former conquest who had “every episode of Juliet Bravo on tape”, references to VHS pornography and, indeed, a gym-fit man apparently being a gay scene anomaly – are actually charming, and feel like they’re just painting a deeper picture of when the show is set, rather than making you cringe with their out-datedness.
And on the subject of nostalgia, the character of teenager Nathan (played brilliantly by a very young Charlie Hunnam) no doubt served as a reminder to so many viewers in 1999 of their first experiences out in an exclusively LGBTQ area - in this case, Manchester’s Canal Street.
Like the character, I was 15 the first time I went out on Newcastle’s gay scene, and seeing Nathan’s combination of feeling nervous and intimidated mixed with relief is something that was very familiar to me.
There’s a lot of conversation about how the LGBTQ scene has changed since the time of Queer As Folk – largely put down to the invention of social media, the prevalence of dating and hook-up apps and the need for greater representations of all queer identities – but the naivety of Nathan (“what do you like?” “I like watching telly”), is something I imagine will be relatable to anyone who has ever had to step out of their comfort zone as a young person to find their own tribe.
But there is, of course, one element of the show which I’m not sure holds up in 2020, and that’s the fact – as mentioned already – Nathan is only 15 years old. Whereas Stuart, who takes him home on his first night out on the gay scene is… well, he’s not 15, is he? In fact, he’s a new father, and his friends’ reaction to the news he’s just had sex with a teenager is “you both had a child on the same night”.Stuart is also completely nonplussed to discover his new pal is actually not just underage but hasn’t even started his GCSEs yet. Neither are his friends, apparently, with Vincent even driving Nathan into school the following morning.
I’ll admit that I only watched the first episode, but from the preview of what was to come, it looked like there was a lot more to come from Stuart and Nathan’s “romance”, and for that reason alone, I’m honestly not sure quite how comfortable I’d be pursuing the show any further.
Queer As Folk obviously broke new ground in terms of queer representation on screen and telling stories of LGBTQ people, and for those who enjoyed it first time around, when there were so few shows like it, it must hold fond and important memories.
Similarly, I’m aware that Nathan’s experience as a teenager is one that a lot of people will relate to, and his is a story worth telling.
But I must admit, the impression I get of what’s to come in the rest of the series is not that Stuart is going to be held accountable for his inappropriate (and illegal) actions any time soon (seriously, not a single one of his friends had anything to say about how etnically – and indeed legally – dubious his actions had been).
And so I must admit, I’m happy that in 2020, there are a greater variety of queer stories out there besides ones that centre around a love story that makes me so uneasy.
This article has been amended to correct a typo.READ MORE: From Sharongate To Little Mo's Revenge – EastEnders' Most Iconic Storylines Ever 'I Lost The Lyrics So Had To Write It Again From Scratch': Shaznay Lewis On All Saints’ Pure Shores As The Original Sabrina The Teenage Witch Cast Reunite, Here's What They're Up To Now
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Ruby Franke’s Husband REVEALS Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home | E! News
March 28, 2024
_mU-3lE2QwI
#KenanThompson speaks out following the #QuietonSet documentary. (🎥: Tamron Hall Show) #shorts
March 28, 2024
8AGP-Gfw_Ek
King Charles Shares "Great Sadness" at Missing Royal Appearance | E! News
March 28, 2024
lyizFqf1kQY
Martha Reeves Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 27, 2024
QzyezumEPtQ
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
Montell Jordan Dishes On Young MC Wedding, 'This Is How Date Night' Plans | TMZ
March 28, 2024
G3SMExj-qio
Davina Potratz Says TV Not Helping 'Selling Sunset' Relationship Woes | TMZ
March 28, 2024
D4piy4GNm4k
Logan Paul Rips Graham Bensinger Over Documentary, You Promised Apple TV+ | TMZ Live
March 28, 2024
NiSDpZhZklQ
Prince William pinned royal medal to Spice Girl Mel B’s boobs #shorts
March 28, 2024
O1cQ0UW9pco
Jennifer Garner shares ‘hard’ part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids
March 28, 2024
3Q7mZaVUdgc
50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy named as an alleged sex worker in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit #shorts
March 28, 2024
yhLFI8DG9rM
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
PSG W - Hacken W
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Barcelona W - SK Brann W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Chelsea W - Ajax W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Lyon W - SL Benfica W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.