A moving drama explores two gay romances seven decades apart
The stark differences and poignant similarities between two gay love affairs 70 years apart are explored this week in BBC2’s compelling new drama Man in an Orange Shirt.
The two-parter, a highlight of the BBC’s Gay Britannia season, is the first TV drama from best-selling author Patrick Gale. It begins in 1944 as soldier Captain Michael Berryman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is reunited in Italy with a school friend, Thomas March (James McArdle), who is now a war artist.
The men fall deeply in love and during their time together after the conflict has ended, Thomas paints a portrait of his lover entitled Man in an Orange Shirt. But a shadow hangs over their liaison because Michael is about to marry his girlfriend, schoolteacher Flora, played by Joanna Vanderham.
After the wedding, Michael tries desperately to stay away from Thomas but when Flora discovers their secret, all their lives fall apart.
LOVE HURTS
This story is from the July 29,2017 edition of TV & Satellite Week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 29,2017 edition of TV & Satellite Week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Culture vultures
Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder take a tour of Italy's art and architecture
Attack of the clones
Krysten Ritter and Keeley Hawes star in a sci-fi spin-off
Fooling THE FEDS
How a fake movie helped Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton escape the FBI
Mersey mystery
Troubled teens and pushy parents are caught up in a Liverpool-set whodunnit
Prize idiots
Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan return to host the TV bash
Doctor Who CONFIDENTIAL
Showrunner Russell T. Davies reveals all the secrets in our insider's guide to the new series
Across the universe
The TARDIS lands in the Swinging Sixties as the Doctor and Ruby meet The Beatles in the thrilling new series
Cruel intentions
Nazi guard Stefan Baretzki exerts his power over Lali and Gita...
Night of SHAME
How ticketless thugs caused carnage at the Euro 2020 final
Lessons in love
Romance is on the curriculum at Abbott Elementary