★★★★★ | Ian McKellen On Stage, Harold Pinter Theatre, London
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
This is a famous quote from Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, and it can also be applied to Sir Ian McKellen, and his performance in his one-man show ‘Ian McKellen On Stage,’ a show that is both very entertaining, engaging, brilliant and great!
McKellen has been touring this solo show all over the UK – 80 theatres for his 80th birthday, and now 80 performances at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London.
And I strongly encourage you to go – do whatever you can to get a ticket. It is a tour de force performance, so unlike anything I’ve ever seen in live theatre. And it’s rare to see someone of his calibre, celebrity, candor, wit and knowledge on a West End Stage.
McKellen takes us through his life during this show, which includes his work in both film (especially Lord of The Rings where he famously played Gandalf) and theatre, working with legends any actor can only dream of working with (Laurence Olivier). There is also a huge suitcase on stage, a suitcase littered with stickers of theatres where he has performed this very same show (The Space in the Isle of Dogs, the Young Vic, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Leicester Curve Studio… the list goes on and on). But in this suitcase are books by William Shakespeare, and McKellen gets the audience involved by asking them to call out the names of any Shakespeare book, which McKellen plucks out of the suitcase and proceeds to tell a story about said book, until all the books have been talked about – pure genius.
Ian McKellen on Stage is what I suspect is the real Ian Mckellen off stage; genuinely warm, friendly, self-assured and confident and making you feel this way too, and by the end of the night he makes the audience feel that they were let in on his life, with some secrets told, and some gossip about other famous people, and opening up his life to us in a way no other performer (that I know of) has ever done. And we feel that we want to share our lives with him at some point as well. Ian (yes I feel comfortable enough to call him Ian) collects money in the lobby after the show for theatre charities (proceeds from this show also goes to theatre charities).
Taking this show to 80 theatres around the country was an 80th birthday present to himself – it is also a birthday gift to us and is a once in a lifetime experience for us as well.
Ian McKellen On Stage, is at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 5th January 2020, Book now
The acting legend, Sir Ian McKellen who was featured in our Twitter Powerlist for actors, was asked by CNN what he thought of Donald Trump and his legacy of being a TV star. Well, McKellen didn’t hold back and showed, some incredible insight into the President’s controversial use of Twitter.
Taking aim at the 45th President of the USA, McKellen said, “He’s so illiterate. He displays his inadequacies every time he opens his mouth, I’m afraid. And every time he tweets… Dictators and leaders have taken advantage of the mass media ever since it was available to them. Whether it was the radio, advertising, and now television or film. And he’s the master of the television, you have to grant him that… It seems to me, as an outsider, that what he enjoys most in life is not power, but fame.”
In the wide-ranging interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, actor Sir Ian McKellen discussed his activism in the LGBT community, his views of President Trump and being named for a knighthood by Margaret Thatcher – one of her last acts as Prime Minister.
McKellen tells Amanpour how he recalls being in Paris watching Margaret Thatcher’s resignation, when he received a call from Downing Street asking if he would accept a knighthood. After saying he would “think about it”, McKellen tells CNN that Thatcher appeared just moments afterwards, making the offer virtually one of her last acts as leader of the country.
Having previously backed anti-gay legislation such as Section 28, McKellen tells CNN that the offer of a knighthood was a significant gesture: “The world actually was changing, and [Thatcher] could not control it.”
McKellen speaks to Amanpour about the importance of coming out, something he did live on radio at the age of 49 in response to a question on Section 28. Now McKellen tours schools and universities to discuss coming out, telling CNN about some of his experiences and the future of LGBT rights.
Ahead of potentially his final Shakespearean performances in the West End, McKellen addresses comparisons made between President Trump and Richard III, alongside Trump’s use of social media on the world stage.
Between them, the top 15 gay, lesbian and bisexual actors on Twitter have a reach of over 164 million people across the globe.
To make it on to this list celebrities needed to have at least one million followers. Trans stars are vastly underrepresented in the media and therefore may contribute to the fact no trans actors had enough followers to qualify. However, the most popular transgender star on Twitter is Laverne Cox with 679,000 followers.
Ruby Rose made a name for herself in Netflix’s smash hit Orange Is The New Black. She came out as a lesbian at the age of 12. She now has 1.3 million followers on Twitter.
The Glee actor came out in 2018 on Twitter and is a brand new entry to this list. He has over 1.35 million followers on Twitter. Apart from GleeKevin McHale has also starred in the E4 panel show, Virtually Famous.
American Horror Story and Arrow actor Colton Haynes has managed to create a nice following for himself with nearly 2 million followers (1.96 million) In 2016 he had 1.76 million followers.
The Glee actor has 1.8 million people following her every word on Twitter, this is slightly down from a peak in 2016 at 1.92 million. Since Glee finished Jane Lynch has appeared in numerous TV shows including, Manhunt: Unabomber.
The Star Trek original George Takei continues to be a Twitter favourite with 2.82 million followers. He’s actually had a huge uptake in followers since 2016 by over a million people. He is the oldest member on our Twitter Power list at 81-years-old.
Another Glee alumni, Chris Colfer has 2.36 million followers thanks to his advocacy, acting and range of children’s books – called The Land Of Stories. He has also seen a drop in followers from 2.56 million in 2016.
At 3.92 million followers Sir Ian McKellen is showing that age and technology should be no barrier. He has grown his following from 3.28 in 2016. Sir Ian is famous for his roles in the X Men films, The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings. He is the second oldest on our list after George Takei who is 81.
Stephen Fry has had a love-hate relationship with Twitter but that doesn’t stop him from being an incredibly popular actor on the platform. In 2016 he had 9.55 million followers, today he has 12.8 million followers. Stephen Fry is a much loved English broadcaster, author and actor. He left twitter in 2016 after receiving abuse on the social platform.
Model/ actor Cara identifies as bisexual and has been in movies like Valarian and Suicide Squad. She has over 10.3 million followers on Twitter, making her one of the most influential bisexual women on the planet.
Since his starring role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace,Ricky Martin can definitely be included in our actors’ power list. The entertainer who is properly most famous for his singing career in the early 00s has amassed 20.5 million followers.
Reaching far out ahead is Neil Patrick Harris with over 21.7 million followers although he has seen a massive decline in followers since 2016 when he had 24.1 million followers. Neil Patrick Harris famous for playing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother and Doogie Howser in the show with the same name.
At the top of the tree, Ellen DeGeneres has a massive following of fans with 76 million of them. That’s nearly 20 million more since 2016 when she had 57.8 million. Since 2003 her talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show is one of the US’s most successful syndicated shows in history and is now in its 15th series.
House of Cards star Kevin Spacey came out as a gay man after Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp accused him of sexual misconduct dating back to 1986. At the time, Rapp was only 14 years old while Spacey was 26. (more…)
What makes a gay icon I hear you ask? Well, there’s not actually a specific set of rules, if someone is an icon, it rarely needs to be said, it’s just known. But there are some celebrities who try desperately hard to obtain the status, and they are laughed at for the most part. I’ll start with these cases first. The ones who so desperately crave a “YAAAASSSS QUEEN” off the gay community, but mostly fall short. A gay icon is created without the need for effort. For the list, I’ll be concentrating on the icons who are currently alive, with an honour roll of icons past at the end.
1. Any member of the Kardashian/Jenner clan.
There I said it, I can hear the wails of anger already. To some, they are the epitome of an icon, but to most, they are shallow, money-hungry, low rent TV reality stars who only got famous after one of them slept with Brandy’s brother and had the tape “leaked”. No one can actually point out specifically what they do. They are famous, merely for being famous. The only good thing they have going for them is they know exactly how to exploit that. Not even Caitlyn Jenner can rescue them. Her “struggles” with coming out as transgender are so far removed from the actual hell that transgender people go through that she is almost universally hated by the LGBT community. These are not people to look up to.
2. Tori Spelling
When someone feels the need to boast about their gay icon status, they are not a gay icon. While a vocal supporter of the gay community, she is far removed from icon status. Having her friends tell her she’s a gay icon doesn’t count. She’s not exactly well known, and it’s unlikely she could command much of a crowd at any event. Yeah, she used to be in Beverly Hills 90210, but who really gives a shit?
3. Katie Hopkins
Oh, Ms Hopkins, you may want to be a gay icon, but this you never shall be. While some gays may like your no nonsense mouth, to most you’re just a loud mouthed harridan who revels in spewing vitriol and trying to be as controversial as possible. It takes class to be an icon, and Katie Hopkins is severely lacking in that. You need a certain gravitas to be able to pull off being a bitch and still be beloved.
4. Perez Hilton
His disgraceful Celebrity Big Brother stint pretty much destroyed any small hope he had of achieving icon status. Gossip monger by trade, he has always tried much too hard to be a gay icon, and it comes across as crass and disingenuous. He has a knack for really pissing people off, and like Ms Hopkins, he doesn’t have the proper qualifications for being bitchy and getting away with it
5. Milo Yiannopoulos
An avid Trump supporter and self-proclaimed “dangerous faggot” Yiannopoulos tries to shock and offend as much as possible and has said incredibly offensive things about transgender people. He is the ultimate in petulant, self-obsessed, narcissistic, nasty, vindictive and hateful gays. And while some people may agree with some of the things he says, he comes across as smarmy and greasy.
6. Nick Jonas
Yes, he’s got a hot body, and a bulge for days, but being a gay tease does not an icon make. People are starting to see through the blatant attempt to appeal to the gay community by posing in very little clothing and playing TV roles that involve man on man action, I’m half expecting his nudes to “leak” at some point when he needs a boost of gay male interest in an upcoming project.
7. Miley Cyrus
Her post-Hannah Montana days shenanigans were mildly entertaining at first, but then it all became rather desperate looking and uncomfortable. She fell out of favour fairly quickly with gay fans, and she never really achieved the status of icon in the first place, despite being an advocate for LGBT rights. She seemed to be desperate for the gays to love her and it riled a lot of people.
And now for some of the true gay icons. In no particular order. This is a difficult list to narrow down because many people are considered gay icons. But there are some who stand out above the rest as the ultimate in enduring gay icons. You can’t hear their name without thinking “gay icon”
CREDIT: kathclick /BigStock
1. Dolly Parton
The queen of cheap and tacky, but amazing with it. Her look, her quirky southern charm, her infamous ahem assets and her attitude are forever endearing to the community. There will always be a Dolly tune you can rock out to, or find solace in. She is a true icon without having to be boastful. She is grateful and loving and supportive. That makes us love Ms Parton.
2. Sir Ian McKellan
Come on people, he’s Gandalf and Magneto, and a massive advocate for the gay community. He’s the true stately homo, with dignity and class, and his bromance with Captain Picard makes the nerd in us scream with excitement. He also loves attending Pride events, and has been known to be found at 3am outside a club, smoking and hobnobbing with fans. A proper British institution.
3. Cher
The big kahuna herself, and when the apocalypse happens, there will be only three things left, Cockroaches, Twinkies and Cher. Not much needs to be said as to why she is a gay icon. She’s bitchy, fabulous and a drag queen’s dream. Her costumes, stage performances and films and TV appearances bring out the queen in all of us. Plus she’s so famous she doesn’t need to know how to order pizza (according to Kathy Griffin) and no one cares. She is one of the ultimate gay icons. She’s Cher bitch!!
4. Betty White
If there’s anything better than sliced bread (she was born before it was even invented) it’s the only remaining Golden Girl herself, Betty White. She’s the matriarch of gay icons, and at 95, she is still rocking and beloved by all. There really isn’t anything bad you can say about this woman, and long may she continue to entertain us. And as the younger generation find out about The Golden Girls, they too will fall in love with Rose Nylund.
5. RuPaul
The drag mother himself, RuPaul has entertained fans for many years. Never one to mince words, RuPaul found fame in 1993 after the song “Supermodel” came out, but it was 2009 that saw his star truly rise when a little show called RuPaul’s Drag Race came thundering onto our screens, and nearly 9 seasons later the show goes from strength to strength, and also reintroduced us to RuPaul’s cohort, Michelle Visage, who is somewhat of a gay icon herself, due to her unwavering vocal support of a community who took her to their hearts.
6. Ellen DeGeneres
Her reminder of “be kind to one another” strikes a chord in the community and her warmth and generosity towards others can only make people smile. She rose from a little-known stand-up comedian to one of the most watched women on TV. People love Ellen, and her gay icon status is very much deserved. She doesn’t take herself seriously and proves that it’s OK to be gay and live a normal life without shame or guilt. A truly inspirational woman.
7. Stephen Fry
I would be hard pushed not to put bitingly witty, intelligent, charming and all round fabulous person Stephen Fry on this list. From the days of Blackadder to the presenter of QI, Fry has been an icon for a long time. He has been voted numerous times as an ultimate gay icon and it’s not hard to see why. His eloquent way of speaking and conducting himself appeals to many fans alike.
8. Madonna
Anyone who can bring voguing into the mainstream deserves a place among the icons. The Queen of Pop and reinvention herself has been popular for 30 years, and to this day still commands massive crowds. Gay fans flocked to Madonna and her ridiculously catchy dance tunes will still get many a gay on the dance floor, and while she may not be as popular as she once, there’s still only one Madonna.
9. Diana Ross
With a gay anthem like “I’m coming out” Diana Ross with all her glittery outfits, and diva-like behaviour screams gay icon. Having a career that’s lasted since God’s dog was a puppy also helps. She’s also probably the only woman to shut down West Hollywood so she could film a music video with RuPaul and 200 drag queens. Gay Icon certified.
10. Bette Midler
Miss Midler was performing in gay venues in the 70s after seeing the positive reaction from the LGBT crowd, and then in 1993, she achieved gay cult status as Winifred Sanderson in Hocus Pocus. Her glittery stage presence and music is always a hit amongst the gay crowd, and while occasionally she has put foot in mouth, her iconic status cannot be refuted.
Some of you may ask why I haven’t included people like Britney, Beyonce or Lady Gaga, Well I’ll explain. The icons I chose have been talking points for a very long time, and I can see them still being talked about long after they are no longer with us. Gaga et al, still have a way to go before true icon status is achieved, and while they have an icon-like following, in my eyes they aren’t legendary…yet!
Honour roll of past gay icons
Carrie Fisher
Joan Rivers
Bette Davies
Joan Crawford
David Bowie
Bea Arthur
Quentin Crisp
Divine
Judy Garland
Donna Summer
Harvey Milk
Marsha P Johnson
James Dean
Marlon Brando
Marlene Dietrich
Lucille Ball
Freddie Mercury
George Michael
Whitney Houston
Alan Turing
Marilyn Monroe
Mae West
Jackie Onassis
Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, it’s management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.
Between them, the top 25 gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans celebrities we could find on Twitter have access to the eyes of up to 132,000,000 people.
They range from a news anchor to YouTube stars, singers to actors. The average age of these stars is 46 years old, YouTuber Troye Sivan being the youngest at 20 and George Takei being the oldest at 78. Some have made their celebrity status through reality TV, like Adam Lambert (American Idol) and some have played the long fame game, like singer Ricky Martin and actor Neil Patrick Harris.
To make it on to this list celebrities needed to have at least one million followers. Trans stars are vastly under represented in the media and therefore may contribute to the fact that only one trans person had enough followers to qualify.
Zachary Quinto came to fame during the Heroes TV show created by Tim Kring. He’s since gone on to star as Spock in the latest series of Star Trek films.
24) Rylan Clark-Neal, Presenter, 1.34 Million @Rylan
CREDIT: Channel 5
Rylan made his name during X Factor UK – and quickly became a reality TV favourite after he was snapped up by Celebrity Big Brother producers who put him to the house. Despite only becoming recently famous at that point he won that series of CBB. He now presents Big Brother’s Bit On The Side.
Ellen Page is a Canadian actor who came out in February 2014 during a speech at the Human Rights Campaign’s Time To Thrive conference. She stars in the X Men series of films.
22) Samantha Ronson, DJ and Producer, 1.51 million, @SamanthaRonson
For some time I have been of the opinion that any old celeb is declared a gay icon these days. It appears that all people have to do now is pander to the gay community, remove their clothes, camp it up and/or say they love the gays in order to be awarded gay icon status.
Then there are those who declare their interest in being gay icons (yes, I’m talking about you Katie Hopkins). No. Just no.
The world appears to be saturated with ‘gay icons’ in these modern times. I’ve heard people proclaiming the likes of Nick Jonas, Gemma Collins (who I had to Google because I had no idea who she was) and Dan Osborne as gay icons. While I have great, and purely shallow, admiration for Nick Jonas and Dan Osborne, they are not gay icons. They may frequently take their clothes off to the rabid cheers of gay men, but what have they actually done for the gay community other than cash in on us?
Then we have our beloved Kylie Minogue. Let me put it out there that I’m a bit of a stereotype in that I’m a huge Kylie fan. However, in my opinion she isn’t a gay icon. As fabulous as Kylie is, what has she actually done to help further gay rights? I can get on board with her campness and her words of wisdom, such as “When in doubt, add more glitter”, but for all Kylie’s fabulousness, she is not a true gay icon. This is because my idea of a gay icon is someone who has contributed significantly to LGBT causes and issues. People who have broken down stereotypes and challenged perception are also gay icons to me. So here is my list of people who I believe are genuinely gay icons.
Madonna
This is a totally obvious one, but the truth is that Madonna really is a gay icon. She has long stood up for gay rights and was an active champion of our cause in the days when it wasn’t really cool. Even in recent years, Madonna has stood up for gay rights by turning up at a GLAAD event dressed as a boy scout in protest at the scouts in America not allowing gay people to join and protesting against Russia’s treatment of gay people whilst touring in the country. This led to a court summons for Madonna and she was branded an “ex-whore” by someone in the Russian government. What I like about Madonna is that she knows exactly what she is doing. She knows that her profile as one of the most famous people on the planet will draw attention to the issues that she chooses to highlight. Then there’s Madonna’s video for her song Justify My Love, which features man on man action and lesbian cross-dressing sexual games. Nobody else was doing things like that in the early 90s. We have a lot to thank Madonna for.
Skin
Skin is the lead singer of Skunk Anansie, who are one of my favourite bands. Skin is a bald headed black bisexual female who makes heavy rock music. At the time Skunk Anansie rose to fame, black women were put into boxes as RnB singers and the idea that a black female would make hard rock music was absurd to the music industry. But Skin stuck to who she is and carried on, eventually becoming massively successful with her band. Over twenty years since Skunk Anansie released their first album, Skin remains one of a kind. Never one to flaunt her sexuality or claim to be any kind of gay icon, she has simply remained true to herself throughout an amazing career. So for me Skin is not only a gay icon, but an icon for black people and more simply, an icon full stop.
Stephen Fry
While being delightfully entertaining, Stephen Fry has also actively campaigned for many years on things such as HIV/AIDS, mental health and gay rights. He also championed a number of LGBT causes, often using Twitter to tell his 11 million followers about the important work of certain LGBT charities.
Lady Gaga
Although another obvious choice, Gaga has done a lot in terms of raising awareness of LGBT issues and speaking out against discrimination. It’s well documented what Gaga has done for LGBT people, from speaking out about the suicides of gay teens in America to marching on the White House to get the controversial Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell rule abolished. If you forget about the circus act that surrounds Lady Gaga, it’s plain to see that she is an example of an amazing human being.
Sir Ian McKellan
Not only is Ian McKellan one of the most well-known actors in the world; he is also probably the most high profile out gay actor. With a large pull at the box office, on stage and on television, Ian McKellan has still got it. However, it’s not just being an out actor that’s got him onto this list. He has also been active in the campaign for gay rights since the 1980s and even helped to found Stonewall.
Other people I view as gay icons include Ben Cohen, Jimmy Somerville, Ellen DeGeneres, Peter Tatchell and Tony Blair. Perhaps my list is predictable and there are not many people on it who differ from the typical roll call of gay icons. However, I see everyone listed as a true gay icon. They have actually done something significant to help further gay rights and break down stereotypes. That’s what a gay icon is, right?
Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.
Britain’s biggest LGBT charity Stonewall has said that it will no longer be holding its annual awards.
Stonewall, Britain’s biggest LGBT charity has said that it plans to cancel its annual awards after 10 years of the ceremony. The £240 per ticket awards which have courted controversy over the decade, most notably with its bigot of the year award, are bowing out with Sir Ian McKellen hosting the final ceremony.
Ruth Hunt, Stonewall’s Chief Exec spoke about the decision to step back saying,
“Ten years ago, a peck on the lips between two men on TV would have caused uproar, and books featuring lesbian characters rarely made the best-seller list. And this was one of the only award ceremonies to celebrate the achievements of the lesbian, gay and bi community. That simply isn’t the case today, and ceremonies and awards that recognise the success and diversity of our wonderful community have blossomed.
“We have therefore decided that now is the time for us to step back, making this year’s awards the final Stonewall Awards.”
Tickets for the event have increased from £155 + VAT in 2012 to £198 + VAT in 2015. Guests will be treated to a champagne and canapé reception on the 5th November in the magnificent Raphael Gallery of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Judging this year’s competition are past presenter of the awards, Gok Wan, Bethany Black, Lord Browne, Sandi Toksvig, who is due to take over from Stephen Fry on QI, Russell T Davies and Kevin Jenkins.
The new 6 part series returns viewers back into the boisterous world of Freddie Thornhill (played by Ian McKellen) and Stuart Bixby (played by Derek Jacobi) as we follow more of their adventures and mishaps.
The loving (and bickering) couple of over 50 years soon discover it’s all change amongst their close circle of friends. Violet (played by Frances de la Tour) has married a mystery man who now seems to have gone AWOL. Ash (played by Iwan Rheon) is all loved up with new girlfriend Jess (played by guest star Georgia King). And ditzy Penelope (played by Marcia Warren) and no nonsense Mason (played by Philip Voss) continue to be baffled by everyone around them.
We catch up with Sirs Ian and Derek to talk about changing perceptions of gay people on TV and saying I Love You to another man.
TGUK: Was it a very easy decision for you to come back for a second series?
IM: Yes, although I can’t remember how it happened, really! There was talk about it and you wonder, “Oh, do I want to get on with something else?”, but then the moment arrives and it was so obvious that we had to do it. No question. If there was a third series, I expect we’d be ready to say “yes” again. It’s a very fun show to do.
TGUK: What difference does it make to film in front of a live studio audience?
IM: With the live audience, and all the actors acting out to the audience a little bit, there’s something rather theatrical about it.
TGUK: How would you describe the tone of Vicious?
IM: It’s deliberately old-fashioned as part of the joke. It reminds you very much of sitcoms like I Love Lucy.
Our writer Gary JaneB knows the tradition of sitcoms very well. He has been involved in Will & Grace, which is one of the later versions of that. So yes, it’s old fashioned and it’s meant to be.
It’s about some old people for a start, so isn’t that rather suitable? But on the other hand, the fun of it is that the characters you’ve got in this are not characters you normally see in a standard sitcom.
Two of them are gay, there is a woman whose juices are still flowing, and a young man who loves hanging around with gay men, although he’s straight himself. These are original ideas, so in that sense it’s actually not old fashioned at all.
TGUK: What reaction did you have from the first series?
IM: Very good and in my experience, I think the audience is quite young, but also middle aged and older people – gay and straight people too. I think it’s quite wide ranging and it’s a family show. There are people who absolutely adore it with a passion.
TGUK: Do you think Vicious can change homophobic stereotypes?
IM: For Freddie and Stuart to say, “I love you” to each other, which they do quite seriously is a complete breakthrough. But I don’t think you know at the time if something’s really breaking through. It’s only years later and you look back and say “That broke though the walls”.
It’s not the prime function of Vicious to change the world. Our first duty is to make people chuckle, giggle and laugh out loud. And tune in because they’ve enjoyed it and want more next week.
But there are those of us to whom it’s important that we know there’s something a bit subversive going on that is perhaps changing people’s attitudes a little bit. Or at least recognising that attitudes are changing around the world.
TGUK: What difference does it make to you as an actor, to film in front of a live studio audience?
DJ: Well, it’s the first time Ian and I have done it, and I think at first we weren’t sure who to play to: the audience, or the camera?
But I think we have solved that now, and the answer is a bit of both.
It’s lovely to have the audience there. We are aware that they have to sit there for three hours.
It’s a bit of a marathon for the studio audience but they have been very, very good and stayed and responded wonderfully, we’ve been very lucky.
TGUK: Is that an extra pressure, to keep them entertained as well as making a show?
DJ: Yes, it is really. It’s a combination of that fear that you get at the theatre, as well as the thought of millions who are watching at home through the camera.
Fortunately, though, we are allowed to make mistakes, and sometimes the mistakes are better than the show!
The audience feels part of the creativity of the evening when we say, “You know how you laughed the first time? We have to do it again, so please laugh again”.
And thankfully they do.
TGUK: Was it an easy decision to come back for a second series?
DJ: Oh yes, completely easy, I loved doing the first series. Right from the moment they first phoned me to tell me the idea for the sitcom a few years ago I loved it.
Neither Ian or I had done sitcom before and nobody had to talk us into it. We both wanted to do it.
And this is one step beyond comedy; this is farcical.
TGUK: Are there any funny scenes that stand out for you from this series, that you can tell us about?
DJ: Well, there is one where we go to the gym and look absolutely ridiculous. And another scene in the ballroom where we are even more so.
I had this beautiful sequinned waistcoat, it was very lovely, and Ian comes on in a costume from CATS with a huge tail and looks wonderful.
We leave the house a little more open in this series also.
TGUK: Do you think Freddie and Stuart will ever marry?
DJ: That will certainly be an option for them now that the law has changed. We’ll have to see!
Certainly there is talk of weddings in this series but I won’t say anymore than that. Whether anything actually takes place you’ll have to wait and see.
Funnily enough when the series goes out in America on the PBS channel, it goes out on a Sunday night, the same night that Last Tango in Halifax goes out. So at 8 o’clock I am married to Anne Reid, and at 10 o’clock I am nearly married to Ian McKellen, which is nice.
TGUK: Would you like a wedding to happen between them, to normalise gay marriage on television?
DJ: Yes, it would be a very potent symbol. Marriage is not for all couples, and I’m not married, but for Freddie and Stuart I think that could potentially be very important, and it would also be a symbol of progress made.
The immediate image that comes to mind when you talk about a wedding is, dare, I say, not a suit but a dress.
That is getting better because homosexuality is now so much part of everybody’s lives.
But this sitcom is not just about being gay, it’s about age, it’s about relationships.
It’s about friendship and it is about acceptance and devotion.
So whether they do or don’t, there is still a good message at its heart.
The action plan to turn the iconic Royal Vauxhall Tavern into a listed building has being given celebrity backing as Sir Ian McKellen and Paul O’Grady put their weight behind the campaign.
Many of London’s gay venues have closed recently forcing the iconic RVT to seek landmark status as a listed building, which could protect it from redevelopment.
In recent years over ten LGBT venues have shuttered.
New York’s Stonewall Inn was awarded Landmark Status in recognition of its role in LGBT+ history.
The application for listed status was made by RVT Future, a group of performers, producers and punters concerned by the RVT’s purchase by property developers last year. The new owners have refused to discuss plans with the community about the fate of the RVT.
McKellen and O’Grady are among more than 30 performers, producers, local residents, LGBT+ charities, architects, historians and politicians who have written to Historic England (formerly English Heritage) to back the listing application made by RVT Future, a group of performers, producers and punters concerned by the RVT’s purchase by property developers last year.
The pub’s local vicar is on board with the campaign too.
O’Grady notes that following the closure of LGBT+ spaces across London, including the Black Cap in Camden, Madame Jojo’s in Soho and the Joiners Arms in Hackney, the RVT “is now one of the few remaining venues to showcase new and old talent every week”.
He believes the Tavern “should be offered protection to withstand today’s developers… Without listing the threat to its future is all too real. With listing I know the community will rally round and ensure it remains an important venue for many decades to come.”
Sir Ian McKellen has also written to Historic England to support the application. “I support the campaign to grant the Royal Vauxhall Tavern listed status”, says Sir Ian.
McKellen was among the founders of Stonewall UK in 1989 and is himself co-owner of a listed pub, The
Grapes in Limehouse.
The Tavern was built on the former grounds of the Vauxhall pleasure gardens around 1862, and has been a site of LGBT+ community and culture since the 1950s, if not earlier. The RVT featured in last year’s international hit film Pride, ‘playing itself’ as a hub of community activism.
A number of venues in recent years have closed, these include: The Black Cap, Barcode Vauxhall, Candy BAr, Covert, Escape, Madame Jo Jos, Green Carnation, Joiners Arms, Lo Profile, Profile Bar, Oak Bar,
Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi and Frances de la Tour return to ITV in the second series of hit comedy Vicious.
The new 6 part series returns viewers back into the boisterous world of Freddie Thornhill (played by Ian McKellen) and Stuart Bixby (played by Derek Jacobi) as we follow more of their adventures and mishaps.
The loving (and bickering) couple of over 50 years soon discover it’s all change amongst their close circle of friends as we catch up with Violet (Frances de la Tour), Ash (Iwan Rheon), Penelope (Marcia Warren) and Mason (Philip Voss).
