Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries

Britain's Great Gay Buildings (2017x46)

:

Stephen Fry is joined by seven fellow celebrities to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised private homosexual acts between men. The group explores the histories of several buildings that became cornerstones in the battle for gay rights in the UK. The Rev Richard Coles revisits the hedonistic past of London's Heaven Nightclub, while Mary Portas visits Shibden Hall near Halifax to celebrate the life of 19th-century lesbian heiress Anne Lister. Craig Revel Horwood investigates Britain's drag scene at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, and Simon Callow tells the story of Oscar Wilde's downfall at the Old Bailey. Plus, Rikki Beadle-Blair visit the Theatre Royal Haymarket to remember how the British public showed their support for John Gielgud after he was arrested for cottaging, and Liz Carr takes in Bletchley Park, the one-time home of Alan Turing. Finally, Waheed Alli tells the story of recent battles for gay right in the Houses of Parliament