The Stage

Dance to play Wolfenden in BBC gay decriminalisation special

Published Thursday 31 May 2007 at 15:10 by Matthew Hemley

Charles Dance is to star in a BBC drama about the run up to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Britain.

Consenting Adults, made by Lion Television Scotland, will go out on BBC4 and is a 75-minute special about the Wolfenden Committee, set up in the fifties to look at the law relating to homosexual offences.

The drama will show how the committee struggled to come to its conclusion, which marked a turning point in British history by recommending homosexuality should no longer be illegal between consenting adults over the age of 21.

Committee chairman John Wolfenden, played by Dance, thought homosexuality was “an abomination”, but was aware that his own son Jeremy, played by Sean Biggerstaff, was an active homosexual.

Despite his personal views, he led the committee to conclude that the law should not interfere in the private lives of consenting adults or enforce any particular pattern of behaviour.

Richard Fell, executive producer for the BBC, said: “The Wolfenden Report was the turning point in the legalisation of homosexuality in this country. What is much lesser known is that Wolfenden himself struggled with his own feelings of shame and fear in finding out his son was gay.”

The drama has been written by Julian Mitchell.