Thursday, November 22, 2007
Cowboy builders
LABOURERS! The Street, BBC1, 9.00pm Labels: BBC1, gay, manual workers, The Street, TV
Homoltuous events in Jimmy McGovern's here's a typical setting peopled by typical people but with all the different people getting their turn in the dramatic spotlight at some point because people are interesting and these are typical people with typical people's stories because that's what good drama's all about, people, and no we didn't just nick this premise from Clocking Off series this week, as the particularly fine Vincent Regan and the hadn't really noticed Will Mellor take centre stage as loving husband/father/demolition labourer (yes, we know it's not quite the same thing as being a builder but we weren't going to waste a headline like that) Charlie and his homosexualist workmate Tom. On a working trip to Blackpool, Charlie finds himself growing closer to Tom while they share a room together. 'Growing closer'. Oh, you know what we mean. Come on.
Gays! Yes, it's time for The Gay Episode Of The Street, and whatever you think of the prospect of Will Mellor as a gay (though it can't be any more nightmarish than a double dose of shifty David Thewlis playing two different characters as he did a couple of weeks back), it certainly makes for better sport than watching annoying sixth form boys circling each other timidly for months and months and endless fucking tedious months over on Channel 4 (for example). Naturally, gayness leads to problem after problem, and there's the requisite 'But I'm not gay' / 'As a married family man life would be so much easier for me if I wasn't secretly gay' / 'Gosh look at his arse' business from Charlie as he succumbs to Tom's advances and life becomes a mass of lies and deceit and paranoia as he tries to avoid being rumbled by his beloved but sadly penisless wife.
Which is all great, because as much as happy gays make heartwarming TV and send our share prices skyrocketing, there's nothing more engaging than watching a genuinely appealing character wrestle with the general turmoil and heartache that comes with mostly living in the closet while savouring the brief, wonderful moments when he gets to grapple with another man's big arms, heavy shoulders and strong legs (we've seen the promotional photos). And they're Proper Workmen, so it's not like they'll just be sitting around typing and playing the piano and smelling of lavender for the rest of the time, either. Testosterotastic!
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