New Drama Marks Decriminalisation Of Homosexuality

Clapham Junction is a powerful new single drama for Channel 4 Television to be broadcast as part of a season to mark the 40th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. Clapham Junction is to be broadcast in July 2007.

Starring Paul Nicholls, Rupert Graves, Samantha Bond and James Wilby, Clapham Junction is written by acclaimed playwright Kevin Elyot. The drama is a snapshot of the mixed experiences of several gay men whose lives interconnect over 36 hours in London.

From a civil partnership ceremony to a dinner party, five separate stories are woven into the fabric of modern day London from school and work, to bars and clubs in one hot summer in the capital.

When the middle class dinner party is interrupted by the arrival of police on Clapham Common to investigate a reported attack, the characters are drawn together with devastating effect.

"While there seems to be a greater acceptance of gays in society - consent equality, civil partnerships, higher media visibility,” says Elyot, “homophobic violence has not disappeared. Bigotry is still bubbling just below the surface and sometimes in the most surprising quarters. Clapham Junction follows the stories of several groups of characters one hot summer's night throughout London and across class divides. "

Elyot is best known as the author of the ground-breaking 1994 play My Night With Reg, which was one of the first productions to successfully (and wittily) engage audiences with the growth HIV and AIDS in the UK and won him an Olivier award. It transferred from the Royal Court Theatre to the West End before being filmed for the BBC.

Produced by Elinor Day and Executive Produced by John Smithson, Clapham Junction is being directed by Adrian Shergold, whose recent credits include the BAFTA and RTS winning drama Low Winter Sun for Channel 4.

Clapham Junction is being produced by Darlow Smithson whose previous collaborations with Film4 include the highly acclaimed, feature documentaries Touching The Void and Deep Water.

Liza Marshall, Head of Channel 4 Drama says: “Clapham Junction is a powerful personal view of modern gay Britain through the eyes of one of our foremost playwrights. To mark this defining anniversary in gay politics, Kevin was keen to ask the pertinent question – how tolerant is society and why is homophobic violence on the rise?”