Russell T Davies (Strange as the folk are), writer and director Doctor Whodid not address the future of the hit BBC show on Monday after The Walt Disney Company and streaming company Disney+ decided to end their partnership with the British public broadcaster for it.
But he discussed the backlash to gay rights around the world, US President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and ICE, as well as the success and love of Hot competitionduring a Screen Talk session at London Southbank. The panel was part of BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQIA+ film festival.
Davies was asked about his upcoming Channel 4 programme Toe tipstarring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey, is about a Manchester pub owner and his old neighbor who become embroiled in a dispute. The series takes place amid the backlash against gay rights, including in the United States, with a clip released Monday referencing the political climate in the United States under President Trump. “The president of America gave these guys permission to attack us,” one character told another character in the clip. “You’re a freak in 2026; you’re a political act.”
Davies then spoke about the state of gay rights: “We’re completely regressing. Without a doubt. And that’s terrifying.” He added, “And I think that transgender stories are being used” to stir up negative feelings.
However, he stressed that the drama “is specifically about the points of law and laws and the Britain that we are building, or the Britain that we are now losing.” Discussing how his writing tends not to focus on politics, Davis said: “I’d like to be Aaron Sorkin. … Maybe I will one day, but I don’t think so. It’s not in my nature to do that kind of thing. I just believe in starting and finishing at the kitchen table. … Toe tip It is the ultimate suburban drama, and you’ll never look at suburbia the same way again once you finish it.
Asked how the series portrays conservatives through the lens of Morrissey’s character on the show, Davies emphasized that his interest was in highlighting the “hearts and humanity” of people. Morrissey explained that he plays an electrician who runs his own business, stressing that “this will always be the Conservative Party.” [aka Conservative Party] Voter, and for good reasons. In fact, in the past, the Conservative Party was a respectable party. The Conservative Party 30 years ago was protecting small business owners, and that’s the world in which it grew up, of course. And I hope we see their hearts and their humanity and why they think what they think, and the ridiculous pressures they’re under.
Davies was also asked about his latest hit show, sharing: “I love Hot competitionAnd I think it’s hot. [Writer, director, and producer] Jacob Tierney is a brilliant man. “They fought to make it happen.”
However, he shared that when people call him “this revolutionary gay show,” he says, “Hey!” The creator also rejected suggestions that Strange as the folk are He was walking so that Heated Rivalry could run, under the pretense that his show was already in progress. But Davies added:Hot competition It does not prove that the audience is there and the market is there. In fact, it is unique in the way it has achieved global success.
But he also warned about the current and future state of the world when asked whether certain doors of liberal and tolerant behavior had opened or closed. “I think we are on the verge of something, and the whole world is on the verge of something much worse,” Davies said, noting that it suddenly seemed possible that London could be bombed these days. “This door closes on its own naturally,” Davis said. “Now you see ICE in America, now you see the people at Doge, now you see Elon Musk, now you see literally [various] People…push that door shut. “So the situation is worse than ever, and the fighting continues.”
Davis discussed the challenges Strange as the folk are Confronted by Channel 4. “Everyone was terrified of this work, and… [it has] “A whole dog’s dinner for the opening, because everyone was so scared of the actual opening,” he said, sharing comments that said the opening scenes looked like a thriller. “It looks like he’s going to be killed,” he remembers being told. “They were very afraid.”
On Monday, Davis also provided two brief references that people discussed on their way out of the crowded hall. Discussing the cycles of popularity and opportunity for different types of television, he said: “I think we’ve seen the sketch show come to life with Saturday Night Live [U.K. on Sky]”, which he described as “really funny.”
After sharing the story of the funeral, Davis asked the audience and others not to play the song doctor from The theme of the song is when he dies.
