A few years ago, when I was on line reading all the American websites going on about how amazing Bad Girls is, I got a little smile. After all, who on this side of the water wasn’t jealous of them, getting to see the entire Nikki and Helen story for the first time? I am sure we’d all agree it is one of the best TV lesbian story lines of all time. 

I remember watching it with my mam of all people in 1999.  She was the big Bad Girls fan in my house -- and then I saw Helen as I walked through the sitting room one evening and thought, “I may as well spend some quality time with my mam!”. I mean, that voice: Helen Stewart could read the phone book and I would go weak at the knees. I think any notion my mam had of my being straight died a death right there.

Helen was, of course, the wing governor on Larkhall’s G wing. The wing housed many women, one of which was the kick-ass Nikki, imprisoned for killing the cop who tried to rape her girlfriend. Come on -  even her reason for being there was noble. Although Helen was engaged at the time, I remember being hooked, I was so sure we’d actually have a lesbian love story as the main plot in a mainstream show that I was hyper.

I have re-watched it all many times, my friends and I always ended up watching the video after we watched The L Word. Well we were all there, why not?  It never got old and is still a great view today. The chemistry between actors Simone Lahbib (swoon) and Mandana Jones was palpable and, to be honest, I have yet to be as invested in a story since.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSqVzW_y9pk

Now, NBC have ordered a pilot of a remake of the show from Shameless (US) producer, John Wells. 

This is great news but it’ll be interesting to see if this version has the same pull as the original. As good as shows like Prime Suspect (US) and Shameless (US) are, let’s be honest, they aren’t a patch on the UK original versions. Much of that is because we have such relationships with the original that it is almost impossible to re-create something of the same stature, but it is possible and I really hope they pull it off with Bad Girls. According to Eileen Gallagher, CEO of Shed Media, the show will have the same characters and the same storylines.

The original had characters like Rachel, who committed suicide after being bullied. It had a prisoner violently strip searched by fellow inmates to find drugs and even a prisoner miscarry in her cell. These were real characters and the storylines were hard hitting.

Who could forget Jim Fenner, the greatest villain ever?  We wanted him to suffer and suffer badly. Jack Ellis should have won award after award, he was amazing. God, we hated him. Not forgetting the likes of Shell Dockley and Denny Blood of course? Shell slept with Fenner in season one and eventually escaped Larkhall with Denny in the third season. Bodybag, The Two Julies, Yvonne -- I could go on and on, such was the depth of the character pool. 

Will NBC be so brave with the characters relationships or will they shy away from the depth the original had?

John Wells’ shows give me cause for optimism. He has shown he’s not afraid to push boundaries. The West Wing was smart, rewarding telly and shows like ER and Shameless (US) have plenty of substance. I really hope he does this show justice and that Helen and Nikki take centre stage again.

Related posts:

1. Candy Bar Girls come to the telly
2. Emmerdale to get more lesbian
3. Criminal Minds U-Turn

There’s been a lot of talk about how Brittana and Santana get no Gleespect as a couple. The fact is, we’ve never seen them smooch, no matter how much they’ve talked about it since season 1. We’ve seen them hold hands a lot. We’ve seen cheek kisses. We’ve seen them lying on a bed discussing kissing and scissoring, but we haven’t seen them kiss. Not properly. And really, it’s all our little lesbian hearts want.

On the 14th, Glee Goddess Naya Rivera tweeted this:

And we all tried really, really hard to not get excited because we’ve gotten so excited before.

And then this happened on Monday:

So, we should still try really, really hard to not get excited. We know from cast tweets that they’re still filming the episode (called “Heart”) so nobody knows what made the final cut yet. And those of us who survived the Klaine Xmas Box/Ring fiasco know all about spoiler disappointment. There’s nothing worse than staring at your telly at the end of the episode wondering what happened to the scene you knew was going to happen.

And don’t worry. Unlike in America, the Valentine’s Day episode won’t be on Valentine’s Day here, so you’re free to go to the Melissa Etheridge gig in Dublin, or something else (who are you kidding?), and you can enjoy the episode when it airs later.

So, what do you think? Is it finally going to happen? Is it going to be sweet and cute or breathless?

Related posts:

1. Glee fans not so sweet on new girl Sugar
2. Glee: Santana vs It Gets Better
3. Glee Season 3 Preview!

The debut season averaged over half a million viewers  per episode and I am confident in saying the vast majority of them wanted more than a paltry six episodes.  I know I did, so although we all took a communal sigh of relief when the series was recommissioned we shouldn’t really be to surprised, after all, it was well written and well acted, so why shouldn’t it gather a large and loyal following?

The cast of characters lead by Laura Fraser, Ruta Gedmintas and Fiona Button, are a bunch of twenty-something lesbians living in Glasgow, and they all have something going for them.  My personal favourite is Button’s portrayal of Tess, she’s just so adorable, however, I don’t think there is any doubt that it’s Fraser and Gedmintas’ long lost love that gets most people tuning in.

Those of you who saw all of season one know how it ended.  Sam waiting in the pub with her mates while her girlfriend, Cat, slept with her ex, Frankie.  So who’s camp are you in?  Frankie or Sam?  Who should Cat end up with?  For me the key issue here is that I just don’t feel any chemistry between Cat and Frankie, whereas Cat and Sam had real chemistry before the writers decided they had done to good a job and tried to tone it down a bit.  I think Frankie is a pain in the back side quite Frankly (see what I did there?).  I know she’s supposed to be a commitment-phobe trying to mend her ways, but it doesn’t play for me.  She comes off a selfish and just plain annoying.  The whole idea of Cat sleeping with Frankie again just made me dislike her more, it didn’t change my mind about Frankie at all.  I know what you are thinking, Frankie is ‘the one’ so it doesn’t matter how nice Sam is, however, as I said, I don’t see that she is the one.  I am probably alone here but there you go.

It takes great writing to have us all arguing over who’s the one and well done to the show’s creator and writer, Harriet Braun, for giving us lesbians and bi women what we want, nay, need!  A show about real women living in the real world.  When season two got the green light Braun said:

I am incredibly happy to be given this opportunity to take the characters forward and to allow all of our loyal viewers a chance to get to know them even better. I’ve got some great twists, turns and surprises up my sleeve for series two

That’s what we like to hear Harriet, twists and turns -- music to my ears.  So lets take a look at a little teaser shall we?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kXFTW3rqgM

Not exactly giving the game away there are they?  Basically it’s letting us know what has already happened -- as if we could forget.  I have had many a Frankie v Sam discussion in the last year.

BBC drama executive producer Matthew Read has said

We were delighted by the audience response to Lip Service – both in terms of its loyal fan base and the level of discussion online – so its incredibly exciting to be moving forward with a second series.

When Matthew, when will you “be moving forward with a second series”, we need it NOW!

Some Possible Spoilers

Season two is rumoured to start off with none other than Cat and Frankie returning home after a trip to South America.  Does Sam know who Cat was with?  Has she finally made up her mind?  I doubt even she knows.

Tess is still sharing a flat with Frankie, however, when Lexy, a sexy doctor, turns up to interview for the third room, sparks fly.  Will Tess, who has just got a major actor job, find love?  Apparently she already has a girlfriend, is it the electrician from over the road?  I hope so.

Unfortunately Sadie is still part of the group, but who knows, they might actually do something with her character this time.

_

So what do you really want to happen in season two?  More or less Sam (stupid question)?  New characters?  Tess for Prime Minister?  Let us know in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Where’s the Service?
2. Filming Lip Service season 2
3. Glee Season 3 Preview!

I’ve said many times on Gaelick how I love a good awards show, and none more so than the GLAAD Media Awards.  It’s an awards show and it’s gay, I mean come on, someone pass me the popcorn.  Over the last few years I have been stunned by the magnitude of the nominations.  Gone are the days when the nomination panel must have had to thrall through all of the LGBT movie festivals to scrounge for possible winners.  There are gays on TV now you know, and in movies and on talk shows, who knew?  I for one am delighted.  I attended many a film festival to watch 20 films and enjoy perhaps 2 of them, seriously.

So lets have a look at some of the main categories and who might be walking away with the awards.  There are some mainstream, some independent films and some great documentaries, as well as some of the best TV shows around.

Outstanding Film -- Wide Release

Albert Nobbs
J Edgar
Beginners

Three great films. J Edgar is an amazing film and packs a real punch.  Beginners is just wonderful and Christopher Plumber puts in one of his best performances.  I want to say Albert Nobbs will win because it is set in my home town of Dublin and Janet McTeer is phenomenal in it, however, I think the sentiment of Beginners just might bring it over the line.  It’s a tough one to call.

Outstanding Film -- Limited Release

Circumstance
Weekend
Tomboy
Pariah
Gun Hill Road

I can’t remember ever seeing such a strong list of nominations in one year.  However, if I was to pick the winner it would have to be Pariah.  As much as Circumstance stayed with me for weeks and Tomboy was deeply moving, Pariah is just incredible and I’d recommend you take the oppertunity to see it when it comes your way.  Having said that, Weekend has won lots of awards around the festivals and Gun Hill Road is provacative, so time will tell.

Outstanding Documentary

Becoming Chaz (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
The Strange History of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (HBO)
The World’s Worst Place to be Gay? (Logo)
Two Spirits (PBS)
We Were Here (Red Flag Releasing)

I can’t say who I think such walk away with this one having only seen Becoming Chaz, The World’s Worst Place to be Gay? and We Were Here.   The other two are, however, top of my to-do-list.  Becoming Chaz is a great movie which chronicles Chaz Bono’s life as he transitions, it was followed up on OWN by Being Chaz.

We have all read about Uganda’s kill the gays bill but what’s it like to actually call it home?  The World’s Worst Place to be Gay? shows an openly gay reporter, who has never had to deal with homophobia in his own life, see for himself the devastation to every day people.

We Were Here is an intensely moving documentary which explores the AIDS crisis as it happened.  It is deeply inspiring and again I would recommend you see it.  Be warned though, it’s heartbreaking.

Outstanding Drama Series

Degrassi (TeenNick)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
Shameless (Showtime)
Torchwood: Miracle Day (Starz)

So much lesbian goodness in the nominations this year, and yes, you read that right, TeenNick and ABC Family are among the networks with nominated shows.  For me this category will go to Grey’s Anatomy simply because it had a lesbian wedding on prime time.  To be fair however, Calzona aren’t centre stage on the show and I’d be inclined to hope Pretty Little Liars gets the nod, it’s overflowing with lesbo goodness.  I have watched all these shows and any one of them could win.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Exes and Ohs (Logo)
Glee (Fox)
Modern Family(ABC)
Happy Endings (ABC)
The Big C (Showtime)

Although I really want Exes and Ohs to win this one I can’t see past Modern Family.  It is the stand out among these five with Santana, Kurt and Blaine probably gaining a lot of favour for Glee.  Happy Endings and The Big C just aren’t in it for me but I could have my tail between my legs when it’s announced.

Outstanding Talk Show Episode

“Zach Wahls” The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated)
Chaz Bono” Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
“Children & Teens Caught in the Wrong Bodies” Anderson (syndicated)
“Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests” The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated)
“The Wedding of Scott Cronick & David Gorshein” Conan (TBS)

If you haven’t seen these shows then get yourself to YouTube this instant.  Talk shows are such a powerful way to get stories into people’s living rooms and I would be amazed if, for that reason, anyone other than the queen herself, Oprah, was given this important award.  Just look at the title and it says it all, Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests, say no more.  When I was young I ran home from school everyday in the hopes Oprah was doing an LGBT related show as it was the only, and I mean only, place I ever heard it mentioned.  Well done Oprah and thank you.

There are many other categories, individual episodes, blogs, music, comics as well as awards for journalism and even theatres.  You can see all the nominees here, or the highlights on this video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCPp9M_WskA

So who was left out and who deserves to walk away a winner?  Let us know in the comments section below.

There will be the usual three annual award ceremonies.  New York on March 24th, Los Angeles April 21st and finally San Fransisco on June 2nd.  We gays sure now how to make a party last.

Related posts:

1. GALECA nominees announced
2. GLAAD Awards 2011
3. Glee’s Naya Rivera Hosts 22nd GLAAD Awards in San Fran

The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Awards (GALECA) will take place on 16th January next and the nominations are in. Let’s take a little look at some of the categories.

FILM OF THE YEAR

Midnight in Paris
The Artist
The Descendants
The Skin I Live In
The Tree of Life
Weekend

This is a tough one. Many of the films went on full cinema release and had big names but for me it’s between The Artist and Weekend. Both are very moving in their own way and very different from what’s usually on offer at your local plex. However, The Artist is one of those love ‘em or hate ‘em films, so I am going to go for Weekend. I can’t help myself, it’s such a gem.

FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Christopher Plummer / Beginners
Leonardo DiCaprio / J Edgar
Janet McTeer / Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep / The Iron Lady
Michael Fassbender / Shame
Rooney Mara  / The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I have to admit to not seeing J Edgar yet and I’d imagine DiCaprio is as amazing as ever. So with that in mind I will be cheering on Janet McTeer. As amazed as I am to not see her co-star Glenn Close on the list, McTeer’s Hubert is a worthy winner. Yes, the film is based in my home of Dublin so I am biased, but there you go.

LGBT-THEMED FILM OF THE YEAR

Albert Nobbs
Beginners
Pariah
Tomboy
Weekend

You mean I can only pick one? Lordie! What a great headache, so many great LGBT themed films. It has to be Pariah for me but any of the above are worthy winners.

LGBT-THEMED DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR

Becoming Chaz
Bill Cunningham New York
Making the Boys
Vito
We Were Here

Again an amazing list, Becoming Chaz is wonderful but I’m going to plumb for We Were Here – and while I am at it I heartily recommend you see it if you haven’t already, it’s incredibly moving.

TV DRAMA OF THE YEAR

American Horror Story
Downton Abbey
Homeland
Mildred Pierce
The Good Wife

Now here’s a right pickle. There is very little to pick between this lot. Both the acting and writing is immense but I just have to vote for Archie Panjabi – sorry ,I mean The Good Wife. I lost myself mid-swoon there.

LGBT-THEMED TV SHOW OF THE YEAR

American Horror Story
Happy Endings
Modern Family
RuPaul’s Drag Race
True Blood

This just comes down to personal choice but for me it’s True Blood all day long. People say Glee is the gayest show on TV but I think True Blood gives it a good run for it’s money. Even losing points for killing off Evan Rachel Wood’s sexy queen Sophie-Anne, it’s still top of my list.

You can see all the categories and their nominees here.

Which of your favourites have been shamelessly left out and who would you vote for?

Related posts:

1. GLAAD Media Award Nominations 2012
2. Who will gain Oscar glory?
3. Globe time

• Another from newbie Jen Gore, writer extraordinaire:

In the fabulous world of vlogging you have your “Leave [insert famous name] alone!” vlogs, wanna-be-famous vlogs, angry ginger vlogs and the greatest vlogs you will ever see: the lesbian vlogs.

There are but a handful of useful lesbian vlogs that dish out sound advice and humour, which I discovered while creeping on Tumblr one fine day.

Jenna Anne: ‘Lesbian Answers’

Jenna Anne started her vlog, Lesbian Answers, last year and since setting it up she has gone on to achieve internet fame for her videos that provide lil’ lesbos all over the globe with advice.

Jenna is quite well known, and her channel has seen over a million views accompanied by thousands of followers. Her willingness to talk about lesbian topics and her openness are both refreshing and helpful.

Natasha Nicole Ponomaroff

Natasha’s vlogs are less lesbian related than Jenna Anne’s, but she deserves the number two spot for a video she did for National Coming Out Day 2011. In her video she told everyone her coming out story and how her mother took it badly. The aim of her coming out video is to encourage others to come out and to let them know they’re not alone.

Now some lesbian drama: Natasha and Jenna Anne got together after a friend suggested they would make a perfect couple. I followed their relationship on Tumblr. Natasha and Jenna regularly updated with videos, posts and pics on how they were doing, but after a year they called it a day and Jenna Anne explained in a video on her channel why.

Take a look at Natasha’s coming out video:

ArielleIsHamming

Arielle is known for her humorous lesbian vlog posts (as you’ll see from this video). It’s a small world so it will come as no shock that I also stumbled upon Arielle on Tumblr, through Jenna Anne and Natasha’s blogs.

Arielle did a series on lesbian speed dating, where fans submitted their own video applications to Arielle. Jenna Anne appeared in a special speed dating post but unfortunately she failed to make it to the next round.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_oqIMAUAW0

You may be asking yourself, “Why there are only three essential vlogs?” Well, to be honest there are no other lesbian vlogs, that I know of, that are up to scratch with these three; although the following deserve mentions: LezBeOnTalk, TheFemTastic, BeaverBunch.

Do you have any favorites?

Related posts:

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2. This bunch of lesbians walks in to a bar…
3. A is for Anne Catherine Frey

It’s great. We watched the first couple episodes of Breaking Bad and the quality was great, even on our pokey broadband connection.

So after that, I decided to show my wife all the films they have on offer. Sure, it’s limited, but I’d had a browse on my PC earlier in the day and I was excited to show her the Gay & Lesbian category.

Except it wasn’t there.

The Nintendo Wii interface isn’t exactly straightforward, so I tried several times to find it. I tweeted, and had some helpful advice. I checked to see if “Parental Controls” were active on my Wii (even though we don’t have children). I checked my settings on my Netflix account.

There was nothing amiss. The category Gay & Lesbian was still visible on my PC, but not on my Nintendo Wii.

And that just makes me sad. Because it seems like a good service. It even recommended my somewhat obscure favourite film to me after doing my “taste profile”, so yeah, well done. But I’m not giving my money to a company that feels it’s more comfortable to get rid of my words.

PinkNews reported yesterday that the iPad and PS3 versions of Netflix also exclude the category. Wii and iPad exclude the HD category as well because the devices don’t support true HD playback. They also apparently don’t support queer film categories. Weird hardware flaw, probably.

So either Netflix have removed this category themselves or Sony, Nintendo and Apple all decided to do it independently of each other. You guys have any guesses?

No related posts.

The internet has been responsible for a lot of crap; commenters on YouTube, lolcats and trolls to name but three.

Among some the huge advantages though, is the chance for filmmakers to reach an audience hitherto only available to large movie studios.

The advent of the web series has revealed the level of talent that there is out there, from acting to post production. Although 617 The Series is only into its first episode, the indications are that this is one to watch.

We spoke to Katie Shannon (right), writer and director supreme, and one of the brains behind the series, who described it as “a cross between Sex In The City and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia“.

With a little guidance from some recognizable locals, three friends from their childhood days in Quincy – Griffin, Scotty and Sully – and three friends from their formative/informative college years – Alana, Siobhan and Cat –will discover what life and love off the Red Line in the hub of New England has to offer.

According to Katie, the characters break down like this:

Alana “is a free spirit with an eclectic fashion sense. She is inappropriate in a lot of social situations and sees nothing wrong with it”.

Siobhan “is a no nonsense type of person. She’s thick skinned, but deep down has her insecurities, especially when it comes to men”.

Cat “works in advertising at a social networking site in Boston. She is comfortable with her sexuality, doesn’t hide it, and isn’t the type that flaunt it either. She loves her job, is determined to be successful, and is a loyal friend”.

Sully “is your friend that is never going to grow up, and never intends to get a real job either. He always tries “get rich quick” schemes that usually cause him more harm than good”.

Griffin “works hard and plays hard. He has worked his way up in a computer software firm. He’s social, outgoing, sleeps around, and is loyal to his friends. He values his friendships with Sully and Scotty and would do anything for them”.

Scotty “has been out of the closet since college and Sully and Griffin have been by his side through the whole thing. He loves his Boston sports teams, going out, and men. He works in the financial district at a well paying job, but doesn’t exactly love what he’s doing”.

Getting the characters and storylines together is one thing, but actually going about filming the thing is a whole other ballgame, with the pilot episode taking a full year to put together.

The idea for 617 was a culmination of a lot of things. I was living in Los Angeles when I developed the concept for the show.  I worked as an assistant director on another web series, and when the shoot finished, I was moved to create my own series. I usually write more drama focused scripts, so 617 was a great departure from that. I wrote the character of Griffin first waking up next to a one night stand and it all fell into place from there.

[Producer] Amy [DePaola] and I first met in November of 2010 while I was living in Los Angeles. I returned to Boston that January to begin the casting process. When I had to return back to LA, Amy filmed the auditions in Boston and sent them to me so we could discuss them.  Some would say we were in a long distance relationship!

I flew back to Boston in March to shoot the first half of the episode, and then we shot the second half in June. It took a little less than year to get the pilot made and now we are in full swing to shoot two more.

This collaborative style of working is important to Katie and the crew, who stress that “a great number of people have dedicated a lot of time to this project”.

On set we have an amazing and talented crew always willing to go the extra mile for us. My executive producer, Amy DePaola, came on board very early in the project and the two of us have worked tirelessly on it since. We recently created a writer’s table consisting of about eight people.

Our goal in doing this is to keep things fresh and to develop a variety of ideas to work with for each episode.

One of the freshest things about 617 is the city it’s set in. Boston isn’t just the backdrop for this sextet to wander through life, it’s a character in itself.

I definitely wanted Boston to be one of the main characters of the show. I was born and raised in Massachusetts and also completed my undergraduate and graduate educations here so the area will always have a special place in my heart.  I’ve lived in a lot of places and this is the city that I always wanted to come back to.

New Englanders, especially Bostonians, are fascinating people.  I wanted that to come across in the series. The city itself has somewhat of a small town feel and that’s what I love about it. Also, shooting here has been amazing.  Everyone has been so generous as far as letting us use their restaurants, apartments, and boutiques for scenes. The people of Boston really just want to be a part of something that is homegrown, and I love that.

Irish people watching will be aware of our link to the city, but unless you’ve been there, you’ll be amazed at just how Irish it is. It’s a city where “the cobblestone out numbers its inhabitants, and bartenders are the equivalent to rock-stars”.

The first episode introduces us to the characters, with lezzie Cat and nice guy Griifin each waking up to a woman who seemed like a good idea five pints in. The friends reactions over hangover cures is the perfect introduction to the pals and you are immediately hooked.

Well acted, well directed and looking gorgeous, 617 is definitely one to watch. Last word to Katie:

We are currently fundraising on Kickstarter to raise money to shoot two more episodes. If we don’t raise the amount that we asked for then we don’t get any of the money. Please visit our website at www.617theseries.com and click on kickstarter to donate.  You don’t want to miss the next few episodes. We have something for everybody!

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2. Autostraddle’s Unicorn Plan-It
3. Exes & Ohs Season 2

I’m back again after a year of tellyvisual dedication, all on behalf of you, dear reader! But I’m glad to report that it was all totally worth it, and present to you the findings! Who knows, perhaps they might find themselves into a stocking near you. I find that massive, clanging hints usually help, so don’t be afraid to mention all of these to your nearest and dearest this festive season!

I’m going to start with the hit of the past year, Downton Abbey. Set in Edwardian England just after the sinking of the Titanic, it follows the extremely eventful lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, in the titular gaff.

“But Bear”, you may interject, “hasn’t it been established that costume drama is a well-known cure for insomnia?” Not this one, by ‘eck! There’s inheritance entanglements, sibling rivalry/divilry, suffragettes, secret love, not so secret love, the scene-chomping Penelope Wilton and the scene-stealing Dame Maggie Smith, who gets the most divine one-liners I’ve heard in years. And that’s just the first episode!

And now for something completely different.

Spiral (or in France, Engrenages) is a French police drama following the work and life of six employees of the judicial system: a police captain and her two lieutenants, a judge, a prosecutor and a lawyer.  Captain Laure Berthaud is the best reason to watch, she tough, bends the rules and constantly runs down the bad guys even as she battles against a corrupt system.  Fans will also rave about defence lawyer Josephine Karlsson, just when you think she can’t get any more ruthless and amoral, she’ll shock you anew.

Spiral has been likened to The Wire, and in some ways it does correspond, but in others it is a totally different kettle of poisson.  It’s not one for the faint of heart – some of the murder scenes are so gruesome they make CSI look like the Cartoon Network – but don’t let that put you off!

Speaking of The Wire, creator David Simon followed that soon after with Treme, which focuses on the working class neighbourhood of the same name in New Orleans, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

You can’t help but compare it to The Wire, not least because it features familiar faces in the cast (Wendell Pierce, Clarke Peters, Steve Earle), but Treme has a very different pace, and features civilians instead of cops, with musicians taking the lead.  Keep an eye out for lots of cameos, but this being David Simon, they are subtle.  This is one I’m recommending to all.

Head up north a bit for Brotherhood, more drama this time set in Providence, Rhode Island.

Featuring two brothers, one a local politician, the other a gangster with New England’s Irish mob.  If that wasn’t enough conflict, their mammy is played by none other than Fionnula Flanagan, who definitely relishes the roll of manipulative matriarch.

The action kicks off when the gangster bro (Jason Issacs) returns from exile to a town where his brother (Jason Clarke) is building up a career in political circles.  Think Irish-American Sopranos and you’ll have an idea of the dynamic.  Though you might not have heard of this one, it’s definitely worth checking out for the writing and performances.

And remember, that’s a real New England accent, in case you think they’re all doing really bad Irish ones!

Happy holiday viewing, y’all!

No related posts.

After Ellen is running a poll on the site’s readers’ favourite TV couples. There were a few I recognised, and plenty I didn’t (there are shows out there I just have to start watching!) but I was a little bit jarred to read Rizzoli & Isles were included.

Don’t get me wrong. My initial forays into TV fandom included subtext couples: Xena and Gabrielle before they were canon and Alex and Olivia/Liz and Casey in Law & Order SVU (file this under “will never happen outside fanfiction“). But the other thing this list tells me is that there are actually quite a few bona fide lady-loving-ladies on television now, who actually do more than go shopping together, or work together or eat together. You know, like make out and … other stuff … together.

My love affair with subtext couples had a lot to do with the lack of actual lesbian couples on television. It was fun and validating to choose two characters who don’t hate each other (and hey, those worked too) and find a way to fit a relationship into a show that would often totally contradict that idea (often by liberally adding “manvils”: male dates who served no narrative purpose but to assert the female character’s heterosexuality). And it was fun to hang with other people on the internet who did the same.

Rizzoli & Isles (nope, not a couple either)

More and more, though, I find subtext depressing. You know, the way I find the UK’s new “You only have to not have sex for a year” relaxed gay-blood-ban depressing. A large part of making those relationships work in my head was explaining why the characters may feel they have to hide their sexuality/relationship. And more and more, there are fewer comfortable reasons for strong female characters to do that. Also, there are actual shows out there with actors playing actual lesbians on television and we’re still watching these shows that taunt us with two straight girls who are highly unlikely to ever actually fall into bed with each other (for any reason other than exhaustion)?

So, subtext fans, I have a question: what keeps you coming back to shipping gay couplings of straight characters? And do you watch shows with maintext lesbian couples too?

Related posts:

1. Copping on
2. Alainn or Appalling: Angie Harmon
3. Rizzisles Teaser

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the last couple of episodes.

Not-so-quick recap:

When we first met Santana, she was 2nd queen bee at Mckinley. Only behind Quinn Fabray in high school royalty, she had power. Nobody questioned her. She was a dream girl and it seemed like pandering to some porno stereotype when we discovered she was having sex with her gorgeous bff, Brittany. Of course, Glee, as Glee does, turned the trope on its head when it was revealed that they weren’t just messing around, but they had feelings.

The story is really simple: The week before (Mash-Off), Finn told Santana she was being a coward for not being open about her feelings for Brittany. In the school hallway. At McKinley. Of course, some pizza mogul congressional candidate’s niece overheard the conversation and made sure her uncle knew. He, in turn, used it in a political ad to attack Sue Sylvester’s commitment to family values and also to imply that, like her head cheerleader, Sue may be into the lady loving herself. He, kindly, gave the crew a heads up before the ad went live.

Santana, who hadn’t told her parents, or anyone other than Brittany really, unless you count singing “Landslide” as coming out (some do), was understandably distraught and slapped Finn in front of both glee clubs.

Suddenly (in the next episode, I Kissed a Girl), McKinley has an anti-violence policy and Santana is about to be suspended.Finn recants and tells everyone it was a stage slap. Then he tells Santana that unless she comes crooning out of the flannel closet, he’ll get her suspended. Oh yeah, you can see where tempers are getting a bit fired up. (Does this remind anyone else of Will setting Finn up for possession of weed to make him join Glee club?)

Santana tells her parents, who are actually cool with the whole idea, and then the ad airs. She’s threatened with corrective rape by some douchebag sophomore rugby head. The glee girls from both New Directions and the Troubletones come to the rescue, with Quinn and Rachel doing the bulk of the talking, because Santana is suddenly tongue-tied. Remember what Brittany said about Santana lashing back with her vicious words? Yeah, not so much now. It’s harder, you know, because nobody ever made her feel that freaking vulnerable before.

So the the glee club assignment is now formulated to make Santana feel as awkward as possible, so they sing songs that are written by women, for women. Puck sings a thin rendition of Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m the Only One” to his teacher, the glee girls sing “I Kissed a Girl” as they rescue Santana from the aforementioned douchebag, Kurt and Blaine (the cutest couple alive, sorry Brittana) sing “F*cking Perfect” without the “F*cking” and Santana is not impressed.

This is where it was jarring for me. “F*cking Perfect” was a fantastic queer solidarity anthem for Glee. The happy couple, both having been victims of anti-gay violence, sing about the happiness and comfort they’ve found. And Santana rejects it, outright. When blackmailing-Finn sings a slow, kind of boring, version of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, Santana is touched. She appreciates it.

Thoughts, feelings:

A lot of people were really confused.

But it actually all makes sense. And it gives a powerful voice to the people who’ve been questioning the impact of hopeful-future stories like the “It Gets Better” project, too.

The problem is, it doesn’t start better. And the people telling her these stories are not the people that, frankly, matter.

Santana has seen Kurt’s story from his coming out to his happily-ever-after half of the couple-known-throughout-the-land-as-Klaine. One of her greatest fears is to be Kurt. And, of course, she won’t be. She hasn’t spent most of her life struggling with how she performs her gender and the questions that raises. She has never had any reason to identify with queer culture at all. Except, of course, that she’s gay.

The problem is that, for Santana, she already has her Blaine. She has Brittany, and that hasn’t solved all her problems. In fact, her feelings for Brittany are actually the problem. Her abuela (grandmother) has rejected her. She can’t see her path in Kurt’s except for the hurt and the torment and the tears.

Like most of us, she didn’t come out and immediately seek the approval of queer society. She came out and wanted her peers to approve, even in fail-ally ways. Kurt is in no way Santana’s peer, socially speaking. So when Quinn sticks up for her and Finn sings her a song, that works for her.

So it has to make us think about the impact of the “It Gets Better Project”, because it is specifically mentioned in the episode (when Finn said he’s worried Santana would die by suicide like Jamey Rodermeyer) and very much referenced in the Kurt and Blaine performance. What is the benefit of it exactly? Are these videos really providing the kind of hope and acceptance that gay youth need?

Glee (at least Santana) says no. Santana needed the approval of her family and friends. In that coming out moment, when it all seems so scary, it doesn’t matter that your friends are really sucky gay allies. It matters that they’re trying and they’re still your friend and it can all stay something like it was.

Related posts:

1. Glee fans not so sweet on new girl Sugar
2. Alainn or Appalling: Santana Lopez
3. Glee Season 3 Preview!

Marcus Collins

Hailing from Liverpool, Marcus is the last “boy” left in the competition.  He was in a tough category as mentor Gary Barlow had a host of talent to pick from, not least Craig Colton who left the competition very prematurely in my opinion.  Marcus came along to his audition with a group of supporters including clients from his hair salon, right off the bat he had what the X Factor judges insist on calling “the likability factor”.  He seems to prefer upbeat songs and likens himself to Bruno Mars.  There is no doubt he can sing, he has some moves and all of Liverpool will be behind him.

Little Mix

The first girl band to ever make the final, Little Mix were formed by judge and mentor Tulisa at the “judges houses” stage.  I have to admit to liking this group, mainly because each of them can sing, I mean really sing, and it’s about time we had such a group.  It appears that right now they are the bookies favourites, but who knows what a week can do, and they are yet to get up in front of such a big crowd and do the business.  It’s great that the usual assumption that young girls vote for boy bands rather than girls bands seems to have gone this year.  The band have had some hard press to deal with too, saying they don’t look pretty enough, well I for one hope they make those “reporters” eat their words.

Amelia Lily

This year saw a great come back kid.  17 year old Amelia was voted off in the first live show, when each judge had to send one of their own acts home.  However, when Frankie was forced to leave the show, the public had a chance to vote one of those four back, and Amelia was their choice.  The correct choice, in my opinion, this girl can sing, and I mean, really sing.  Sadly, I think her late return to the show might well go against her when the voting starts next weekend, however, I really hope she goes on to have a career as she has the talent and as her mentor Kelly says, she hits these notes in her sleep.

So who will you be voting for and do you think any of the above will actually make it, in the style of Olly Murs or Leona Lewis?  Get commenting below!

Related posts:

1. One for the X-factor fans: The Risk and Johnny Robinson in the George
2. Preview – FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011
3. Alternative Miss Ireland XVII 2011 Preview

• This just in from one of our newbians, Sinéad Dolan:

Last night, I was watching Glee, and I had to ask myself, “Why the fuck am I watching this crap?”

Is it because Naya Riviera is at least five times fine? Is it because Idina Menzel might start singing Wicked songs at any moment? Is it because I want to see where they are going with Puck’s Hipster Mohawk (is that what they are going for with that haircut? Does anyone know? He looks like someone accidentally shaved off half his weave and he is just trying to Work It)?

It’s actually not any of those things; it’s an even sillier reason than that. The truth is I have a problem. Lots of other lesbians suffer from it; more are in denial about it. It might be the most serious issue facing our community today.

The problem is this: I will literally watch anything as long as there is a dyke in it.

And I do mean anything. It pains me to admit it, but I’ve watched episodes of CSI just because I heard that Katherine Moennig was going to be in them, and I thought maybe she’d Queer shit up a bit. (It actually turns out she is The Worst at acting, I guess she was only convincing at playing Shane because Shane has no emotions, she left them with her bras and shirts that fit on the Mean Streets before the series began.) Why would I do that to myself? And it doesn’t stop there, oh no. This problem is extends all the way to the top. And by the top I mean my DVD collection.

Straight people are always shocked when they look at my DVD collection. “Gee Sinead,” they say (my friends are also The Waltons), “You sure do own a lot of objectively terrible movies.” They aren’t wrong either. Can we blow this shit wide open, and admit to ourselves that, sexytimes aside, Bound is actually one of the worst films ever made? Is it still too early for that? We all have it, we all watch it, and it’s because they have sex in it. You guys, why aren’t we just youtubing those scenes? Why are we supporting a movie which contains the line:

For me, stealing’s always been a lot like sex. Two people who want the same thing: they get in a room, they talk about it. They start to plan. It’s kind of like flirting. It’s kind of like… foreplay, ’cause the more they talk about it, the wetter they get. The only difference is, I can fuck someone I’ve just met. But to steal? I need to know someone like I know myself.

Gina Gershon, I love you, but I don’t love your dialogue. That is both a terrible description of sex, but also it’s a terrible description of life as a thief.

Nobody in the history of the world would ever say something as lame as that in front of someone they wanted to have sex with, unless they were so drunk that hopefully the other person wouldn’t make out all the words. It does succeed in maybe being the most lesbian thing anyone has ever said, because it contains both the awesome idea of two ladies having sexy times, sandwiched between lots of shit nobody cares about, and it’s obvious she was thinking too much about it. She had FEELINGS.

Also, can we talk about how this movie wants us to think a lady is sexy, but also has the name Corky? What even is that, really? We only own this movie because two ladies bone in it loads, and chaps, we shouldn’t be supporting this shit. We should be making better porn, if that is what we require from movies.

But it’s not even just sex scenes. I – and a lot of my friends too – will watch any movie that has a lesbian in it, even if nobody gets laid and there is just lots of women lying pointlessly on top of each other while sheets blow in the wind and there is an extended piano solo somewhere. Come on, up hands everyone who owns Loving Annabelle? Or Imagine Me & You? Or Better Than Chocolate? Or But I’m A Cheerleader? Or that vampire shit, The Hunger or whatever? We are settling, you guys. Lesbians are approaching movies the same way we approach long term relationships. We have too many of them and they are all terrible. Also, we put up with terrible sex sometimes, spend way too long processing all of our emotions about each other, and one of us is getting fat.

So why do I watch Glee every week? It’s because sometimes, they are amazing, and they make Santana say things that break my little gay heart. But also, they made her sing I Kissed A Girl as if it was a lesbian call to arms, which, alright, it definitely is, but in the exact opposite sense than they intended.

So I’m taking a stand. I am going to throw every single piano solo movie I own in the bin. No more watching shit television just for a little representation for me, because the truth is, even after spending money I could have spent on actual real life lesbians on shitty fake Movie Lesbians, the only time I have ever really been represented on screen was when Naomily were on Skins. That shit was crazy good, you guys, and we cannot argue with that. We should really have made every show after that try and reach the benchmark it set, but no, instead we let the BBC show us how to saw a lady in half on Lip Service. (Ruta Gedmintas, you’re sexy, but fucking hell, were you trying to rub that lady out?)

I’m going on Popular Culture Strike. I am never going to watch another piece of shit TV show or movie just because there is a dyke in it, I am taking a motherfucking stand on this one. From now on, I’m only going to watch good TV and movies, and make my own representation (maybe out of papier mache and beanie hats). It’s going to be great.

That is, until Glee do another two minutes scene where Santana is a lesbian properly and I buy the fucking box set.

How embarrassing for me.

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1. “I Can’t Think Straight” – The Web Series
2. Mamma!
3. Xena: Warrior OAP

Trying to bring my blood pressure back down from boil so I can write about this ep, but mostly I wanna scream FUCK at my keyboard

(dorothysnarker)

Dorothy Snarker is not happy.

Nor are half the lesbians across the North American continent, it would seem.

Last night’s episode of Glee (“I Kissed A Girl”) sent some Gleesbians into a tailspin of rage. Not least, given that episode title, due to false advertising. Nor solely because Puck covered a Melissa Etheridge song. (…What?!)

I’ll leave the proper recaps to HAL. In the meantime, here’s a taster of some of the online reaction. The lesbians are restless.

(Warning! Here be spoilers! Maybe.)

Remember that time we let Kurt come out when he wanted to and didn’t force him? It’d be great if we did that to Santana.

(Jay00789 of Plaid Ponderings)

i feel gutted and not in a good way, 2nites episode 4 the most part was a train wreck,n the ratings will keep going south

(lepiki)

Thanks to tumblr I know the best reactions to Glee episodes this yr. Cringe, facepalm, or rage those are all the choices.

(reignbowbrite of Reign Overall)

Puck singing a Melissa Etheridge song makes me really uncomfortable…

(celluloidtears of Just off Route 66)

No mention of Finn outing Santana being bad. No real sweet lady kiss. But lots of women getting saved/sacrificing for men. #WTF

(dorothysnarker of Dorothy Surrenders)

Dear Glee Writers, I hope you know that by not giving us a #Brittana kiss in I Kissed A Girl means you owe us a make-out sesh.

(punkystarshine of turning phrases)

I’ll say it again: Santana/Naya Rivera was the only thing in tonight’s episode that made it bearable.

(abarda of ghosts of thought)

The gf just got home and she wants to watch Glee. Yay, now I get to be disappointed twice tonight

(debatingdykes of debatingdykes.com)

Honest to God, this ep of Glee is really, really getting on my nerves…

(bobgrrl)

So um, glee. Next time you call an episode “I Kissed a Girl”, HAVE SOME KISSING OF GIRLS in it.

(roseyndigoyen of Queer for Theory)

Whoever wrote this episode of glee? You are not allowed to write lesbians or women focused episodes ever again!

(Naamenblog of Words from the Center, Words from the Edge)

According to my honey: “Glee just shat all over us.” I have to agree.

(ladyjax)

Oh. Em. Glee.

Related posts:

1. Glee: Santana vs It Gets Better
2. Candy Bar Girls come to the telly
3. Cleaning out her closet

Ab Fab is back with a special for the festive season – the first of three new episodes to mark 20 years of Absolutely Fabulous. (Christ, do I feel old..)

In honour of the occasion, here are just a handful of personal favourites from the archives. Share yours!

Dream sequence.

Gabon.

Bubble.

For all our overseas emigrés.

And for those who’ve been Left Behind.

Some of the best bits.

Related posts:

1. Grey’s Anatomy SPOLIER

Lost Girl is a supernatural drama which focuses on a succubus (bear with me) called Bo.  Not knowing why her kiss literally sucks the life out of people could get a girl down, that is until Bo realises she is part of a underworld of beings called the Fae.  Still with me?  The bottom line of season 1 is that Bo, a bisexual, is in the centre of a love triangle involving a Fae police detective, Dyson, and a rather sexy human doctor, Lauren.  Season 1 sees a lot of Dyson action but season 2, now that is all about the lovely doctor and our sexy heroine.

Of course we can’t forget Bo’s human best friend either, Kensi, the funniest character on TV bar none.  As sexy as Anna Silk (Bo) and Zoie Palmer (Lauren) are, Ksenia Solo’s Kensi is comedic gold.

SPOLIER ALERT (if you haven’t seen any season 2 then look away)

Season 2 kicks off with a travelling circus and continues on with episodes involving witches, werewolves, characters inhabiting one anothers bodies and all manner of Fae goodness.  However, it is learning Lauren’s back-story that keeps us hooked.

What we know is that Lauren is enslaved to The Ash, the leader of the light Fae.  What we don’t know is why or how this happened.  When a new Ash is elected in episode two the plot thickens.  It is clear that he sees humans as objects to be owned and Lauren is in for a tough time.  Episode six however, It’s Better to Burn Out Than Fae Away, is where it all kicks off.

The Morrigan, leader of the dark Fae, employs Bo to do an investigation and in return promises her information on freeing Lauren.  When Bo is successful the Morrigan gives her a small box and says it’s the key to saving Nadia.  Who?  Exactly!  Turns out Lauren has a girlfriend.  So who is this Nadia and does Bo have a right to be peeved that Lauren never brought her up?  Well yes, I think she does.

Lauren explains that Nadia is in a coma, she has been for 5 years.  While in the Congo the doc and her photographer girlfriend came across an illness, turns out it only affected Fae and our hero doctor found a cure.  However, Nadia also got ill and The Ash offered the doc a deal.  He will give her all his resources to find a cure for Nadia but only if she enslaves herself to him.  I know, nasty stuff but lets all swoon together at Lauren’s loyalty.

When Lauren and Bo open the box given to them by the Morrigan it contains a nail.  What does that mean, who the hells knows, but I am hooked!

Lauren then asks Bo to “meet” Nadia saying

Look, if somebody that I slept with and care about told me that they had a girlfriend in a coma trapped inside a top-secret facility run by a society of uber-humanoids called the Fae, I’d think it was a blow off.

So so true it has to be said.  It’s actually really moving as Lauren is truly torn between the two.  Having spent 5 years as a slave and coming up empty on a cure for Nadia, she genuinely cares for Bo.  Good lord these writers love a good triangle, issues anyone?

It turns out that the nail is the Morrigan’s way of telling our ladies that Nadia isn’t ill, she has been cursed.  Why and by whom we don’t know yet but I have two theories.  Either she did something to piss someone off or, more likely, The Ash saw how talented Lauren was in finding the cure for his people, and set her up to become his slave.  We shall see.

What do you think?  Will Lauren save Nadia but still get with Bo?  Will Dyson eventually just leave the show altogether and leave the love triangle a happy couple?  Will Kensi win funniest character ever?

Related posts:

1. Get Lost Girl
2. Preview: Lip Service Season 2
3. Alainn or Appalling: Anna Silk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM5x17VVYKU

The fact that it was AC/DC* was cool too, even if I didn’t realise that was the song until the third time I watched it. The Shelby/Puck thing is all kinds of ick, but boy did this make up for it.

Then, to make things even more epic there was this mash-up:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb7zjKkLCoQ

Glee, what are you doing to me? Gay, lesbian and bi characters, actors who can act, Idina in that video and then Naya Rivera giving one of the most heart-breaking performances on the telly. As my sister-in-law said last night “this shit is real!”. Indeed.

*It’s been pointed to out to me that this was Van Halen not AC/DC. Ahem, I apologise, but all I can say is that Idina and Taye make me think AC/DC thoughts.

Related posts:

1. Glee Season 3 Preview!
2. Murphy’s revenge
3. The lezolution is not being televised!

Glee Spoiler Siren! Whiiiir Whiiirrr Whiiir!!!! To your Spoiler Exits, follow the signs always remembering the closest one may be behind you.

Are they gone? Ok, so what you think? Was Finn way out of line? If you didn’t see it, here’s the dish:

Santana had upped the ante on the insults to Finn who was getting sick of it so, in the hallway of McKinley he shouts something like “I know why you’re mean, it’s because you’re a lesbian and in love with Brittany, but you’re not sure she feels the same. You feel bad so you want others to feel bad”, I’m paraphrasing but I think that’s pretty close.

At the same time this is going on, there is a storyline about Sue and her campaign for a city council seat. Sue being Sue, she’s playing Tea Party dirty, by making stuff up about her opponents and using the lies in TV ads. To retaliate, one of her competition outs Santana in his ad. It goes something like “Sue is all for family values. So why then does she have a lesbian as her head cheerleader?”, again with the paraphrasing, I really should take notes. See, it turns out that this competitor’s daughter goes to McKinley and overheard Finn shouting at Santana.

When the episode was over, my partner, who is much smarter than me, said “Finn in a ****, I can’t believe he outed Santana”. It shames me to admit that I didn’t really think he had until I thought about it.

Originally, I was of the mind that he shouted something in the school hall, just like she shouts all the time. It doesn’t mean that Paddy O’Leprechaun actually has a potato mouth. The difference here is that Santana is on a journey, one that is proving painful for her and Finn, a gay ally, just made it more difficult. He may have shouted out something but he had the knowledge that it would hurt and why. That’s just cruel.

Dorothy Snarker has a great article about it here, and it re-itierated CanuckJacq’s article here. Gay allies aren’t just great, we need them, but we also need them to cop the feck on. Just because you know doesn’t mean everyone knows and just because you think it’s all kinds of hunky dory, doesn’t mean everyone will, or that it’s your information to share.

Related posts:

1. Glee: Santana vs It Gets Better
2. They kiss girls, don’t they?
3. Murphy’s revenge

We won’t dwell on the fact that Tim Walker, Richard Eden and the Torygraph in general are bitter little “people”.

Instead, let’s wish the BBC’s Jane Hill and her partner wedded bliss!

Ah, look at them there. Aren’t they lovely?

Hill, a journalist and news presenter with the Beeb and who recently received a mention in the UK’s Pink List, confirmed earlier this week that she and her partner, Sara (a fellow meedja type), are planning their marriage.

Hill chided another colleague, sports journalist Jonathan Agnew, for spilling the beans.

But what a sweet way to spill ‘em?

In 2009, Hill came out in the BBC’s in-house magazine, Ariel. According to the Independent on Sunday, she contributed in the past year to Stonewall’s “It Gets Better” campaign, to inspire hope in young people suffering harassment.

She holds a degree in politics from the University of London and previously worked at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in Washington, DC. She anchored the BBC’s live coverage of the events of 11 September 2001 and of the invasion of Iraq.

Basically, she’s pretty fecking amazing.

So, to Jane and Sara, I wish you nothing but hearty congratulations, the very best for the years ahead, and an absolutely epic knees-up!

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2. Running up that hill
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I was minding my own business on The Twitter last night, when I spotted the following from Katherine Lynch:

So Sinitta is going into I’m a Celebrity. That’s another black woman in the camp who springs to mind when u say the words “So macho!”

(14th November)

It stopped me in my tracks.

The overt gendered and racial sentiments were immediately objectionable. What is more, I had earlier read about Whitbread’s life in her own words. So I read back through Lynch’s tweets to see if she had anything else to say about the I’m A Celebrity opening night.

And boy, did she ever:

I hope Fatima Whitbread has to eat testicles in the jungle….her own

(13th November)

Fatima, the body of tarzan and the tits of Jane. Scary stuff!

(13th November)

Antony Cotton’s going to get bummed by Fatima Whitbread, put money on it!

(13th November)

Where are the bloody celebrities? Willie bloody Carson? Fatima “King Kong” Whitbread and Stefanie “I now look like FreeWay” Powers.Very weak

(13th November)

These pretty much cover the gamut of vile, nasty phobias and -isms that are out there, don’t they? (And as we know Lynch is no stranger to questionable “humour”.)

I try to avoid drawing attentions to haters (as we’ve seen before), but in this particular case, Fatima Whitbread just happens to be an amazing woman who has achieved some of the highest honours in athletics, having overcome what seems to be a childhood that was nothing short of horrific.

Whitbread wrote in The Observer back in 2003 about her life and experiences.

Lynch’s comments (and all those in the same vein that are doing the rounds) are utterly contemptible by themselves.

Katherine Lynch and those who laugh along should read about Whitbread’s life and be especially ashamed.

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1. BLT Sandwich (12th & 13th Nov)