A Bit of Drama

This is something of a treat; the Canal St website have teamed up with Made in Manchester to publish a series of gay drama podcasts on their website.  The first episode, currently available here, is Rock, which sees West End star Michael Xavier play Rock while the incomparable Bette Bourne is his agent Henry Willson. Hudson was one of the biggest screen idols of his generation, but, due to his secret gay life, his career was perpetually under threat from the press. This engaging audio drama brings the seamy world of Hollywood's 50s heyday vividly to life and reveals how Rock Hudson - his name, his appearance and even his voice, was shaped for his audience. This drama comes almost 26 years since we lost Rock Hudson to AIDS in 1985.

The series continues with these three episodes:

Turing's Test 

Written by Made in Manchester writers Phil Collinge and Andy Lord, this drama examines the scientist's legacy in the field of artificial intelligence and the personal tragedy of his suicide through a deathbed dialogue with a "machine" played by actor Paul Kendrick who starred in the BBC4 film about the Wolfenden Report which eventually led to the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1968. Available from 26th Sept to 2nd Oct.

Undone

Chad McGitchie and Badcheck Productions play about surviving the village is adapted for radio by Made in Manchester and takes a look at how one young man tries to navigate his way through relationships, lovers and friends via the labyrinth of Manchester's gay scene. Available from 3rd Oct to 9th Oct.

Death in Genoa

In 1895, writer, wit and raconteur Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for gross indeceny with a number of young men. On his release, he settled on the continent under the name of Sebastian Melmoth. He wrote to his wife, Constance, but he saw neither her, nor his two young sons, again. The drama imagines what Wilde might have got up to in Italy during a visit to his wife's grave in Genoa. Available from 10th Oct to 16th Oct.

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