Soap star: ‘Coronation Street needs more gay characters’
A Coronation Street actor has said the soap needs more gay characters.
Antony Cotton, who is openly gay, plays the camp Sean Tully in the ITV soap.
According to Holy Soap, the former Queer As Folk star said: “The story goes that one in person in ten is gay. We’ve got 70 people in ours [Coronation Street] so there should be seven gay characters at least.
“Especially as Weatherfield is the gayest place on the planet as far as female characters are concerned! It’s the campest show on TV at times.”
On portrayals of gay characters on TV, he said: “The more there are, the more people are not going to seek representation.
“You can associate with one type and say that’s who I’m similar to, and not that person, but it’s not a problem because there are two different portrayals.”
Stonewall estimates that between six and nine per cent of the population is gay.
Coronation Street did not have any gay activity until 2003, despite its massive gay fanbase.
