SECRETS AND SCANDALS

MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT

BBC (on Stan)

In Italy during WWII, British Army captain Michael (Oliver JacksonCohen) falls for war artist Thomas (James McArdle) even though he has a fiancé, Flora, waiting back home.

After the war, the men live briefly as a couple in a secluded English cottage where Thomas paints his lover’s portrait, titled

Man In Orange Shirt. But, confused and under the social pressures of the time, Michael returns to Flora in London, with plans to start a family.

Sixty years later, the now-widowed Flora (Vanessa Redgrave) watches from the sidelines with her heart aching as her grandson Adam tentatively forms a relationship with Steve. The two stories are linked, not just by the painting of the title, but by the constraints of social expectation and the corrosive effect of secrets on relationships.

The script is by Patrick Gale, one of Britain’s most accomplished novelists. His wistful yet sober narrative reveals poignantly how times change but, in many ways, remain the same. Incredibly, he based the screenplay on his own parents’ story. While cleaning his father’s desk, his mother found a bundle of letters addressed to “My darling Michael” – which becomes a pivotal scene in the drama. (2 episodes)

A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL

Series 1, BBC (on Foxtel, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play) Hugh Grant has come a long way from the delightfully foppish characters he played in his early career and, as this production shows, just gets better with age. He’s devious, snide and conceited as the British Liberal leader, Jeremy Thorpe, who was accused of conspiracy to murder his former gay lover in the 1960s and was eventually forced to stand trial in 1979. The scandal sent shockwaves through the British establishment, which would rather hush-up such goings-on than have them see the light of day in a fair trial.

Ben Whishaw plays young Norman Scott, who Thorpe has an affair with but then tires of and, allegedly, to protect his leadership ambitions, decides to get rid of for good. When Norman’s would-be assassin is apprehended, Thorpe denies all involvement, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. Thorpe was ultimately acquitted, but his career was completely derailed by the scandal.

Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk, Years And Years) writes well and shies from nothing. Stay to the end of the credits after episode three for a sweet surprise. Series 2, with another English scandal, is due next year. (3 episodes)

DYNASTY

Series 1-3, CBS/ Netflix Did CBS and Netflix really set out to recreate the squawking catfights, screaming matches, vase throwing and bad wigs of a classic 1980s evening soap? Yes, they did! For those unfamiliar with the Dynasty premise: a filthy rich family tears itself apart in an endless cycle of scheming, backstabbing and melodrama! Melrose Place’s Grant Show (now 58 and looking great) plays patriarch Blake Carrington in the reboot but it’s still daughter Fallon who runs the show, clawing at the scheming Alexis at every chance.

Back in the ’80s, Blake’s son Steven was one of America’s first regular gay TV characters. Played by Al Corley then Jack Coleman in the original series, Steven was always troubled by his sexuality. This is not the case for the characters in the reboot (played by James Mackay). He’s far more selfaware but, sadly, was written out at the end of series 2, leaving Sam (the hot Rafael de la Fuente) without a boyfriend.

The setting has changed from Denver to Atlanta, Blake is no longer concerned about his son being gay, Sammy Jo is now a gay man instead of a woman, and the related Colby family are now African-American.

It’s great to see Alan Dale (Jim Robinson for eight years on Neighbours), as Anders, the butler. Of course, he has secrets of his own. There are 64 binge-worthy episodes already, with series 4 coming next year.

DING DONG I’M GAY

Series 1, Wintergarden Pictures (on YouTube) This shortform series for YouTube was a longtime coming. The initial pilot was uploaded on May 10,

2018 and scored over

3.1 million views and counting. Well done, guys, for getting the series completed.

Ding Dong is a light-hearted look at the embarrassing moments of gaydom – Grindr rejections at the front door, dick pics that are false advertising, with rimming jokes, cum jokes and supplements going down that are meant to go up! It’s very broad and hilarious.

YouTube recently pulled episode four, apparently for “violating YouTube’s terms of service”. The troublesome scene was a blowjob sequence, shot for comic effect and all out-of-frame. It wasn’t explicit, nor as racy as the many straight sex scenes all over YouTube. Let’s hear it for double standards. “It was incredibly disappointing,” says writer-creator, Tim Spencer, “but our appeal was successful and you can now watch episode four in all its glory.”

Benjamin Law [The Family Law] gave a hand during the development phase, and we’re waiting to see what Tim, Joshua Longhurst, Rosie Braye and team do next. (6 episodes, average 8 mins each)

FOR ALL MANKIND

Series 1-2, Sony/Apple TV+ Here’s a great what-if series. The show’s writer-creator Ronald Moore was having lunch with NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman and speculating what might’ve happened if the Russians had beaten the Americans to the moon.

Imagine the implications if, in 1969, the Soviet Union put a man on the moon before the United States? The Cold War is suddenly white hot, and it throws up all sorts of unexpected ideas.

If we’d under-estimated the Russians, could we also have under-valued the role of women in space? What if one of them was a lesbian? What if a guy on the NASA team was gay?

In a side plot, one of the lesbians and gay man Larry (Nate Corddry, pictured) pretend to be a couple to protect the “integrity” of the whole administration; let’s keep space clean, right?

Just as Ryan Murphy dared rewrite gender history in Hollywood, this rewrite of the space race takes a similar turn and is a riveting yarn.

Though, it’s a lot more fun getting to the moon than when they arrive and the drama slows to a crawl as the handful of characters in the lunar station seem to run out of things to do. (10 episodes in series 1, series 2 coming very soon)