Russell T Davies to explore ‘modern gay sex lives’ in two new drama series

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

Queer As Folk and Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies is to return to Channel 4 to launch two new drama series on the contemporary sex lives of gay men.

The Guardian reports that Davies’ new series, ‘Cucumber’ and ‘Banana,’ will be twinned together as supplementary projects.

Launching next year, they will accompanied with an online series called ‘Tofu,’ which will also offer viewers the chance to share their own sexual experiences.

Davies said he was not planning on “reviving Queer as Folk, much as I loved it.”

‘Cucumber,’ to be broadcast on Channel 4, will be a drama focusing on the comfortable life of middle-aged Henry and his boyfriend, which changes drastically on a night involving a death and two police cars.

‘Banana’ will follow the lifestyles of younger characters on the outskirts of Cucumber’s drama, including Scotty, a young lesbian, and 19-year-old Dean. It will be broadcast on E4 aimed at a younger demographic.

Each episode of ‘Tofu’ is planned to relate to a particular theme or incident in the two dramas, aiming to create a gay sex guide.

On coming up with the series, Davies said: “I once read about a scientific institute which had studied the male erection.

“It divided the hard-on into four categories, from soft to hard. One, tofu. Two, peeled banana. Three, banana. And four, cucumber. Right there and then I knew I had my drama.”

He also revealed: “Those are actually the first lines of the script.”

Channel 4’s head of drama, Piers Wenger, said: “No-one can look into the heart and soul of modern relationships quite like Russell and, across Channel 4, E4 and online, he paints an unflinching and forensic portrait of how our sex lives affect us all.

“It might be 15 years since Queer As Folk, but he has made it more than worth the wait.”

 

Queer As Folk, which began in 1999-2000, ended after just two series. It spawned an American-Canadian remake, which had a longer run of five seasons.

In an exclusive 2011 interview, the producer first spoke about his plans for Cucumber, saying “It’s the best thing I’ve written in a decade.”