"Bob & Rose" (2001) TV series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Directors:

Julian Farino
Joe Wright

Writer:

Russell T. Davies (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

10 September 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

A witty, touching comedy-drama about a thirtysomething gay man who is surprised to find himself falling in love with a woman.

Plot Keywords:

Manchester England | Gay Club | Infidelity | School Teacher | Gay Bar

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Katy Cavanagh	...	Anita Kendrick (6 episodes, 2001)
Alan Davies	...	Robert Gossage (4 episodes, 2001)
Lesley Sharp	...	Rose Cooper (4 episodes, 2001)
Jessica Hynes	...	Holly Vance (4 episodes, 2001)
Siobhan Finneran	...	Marina Marquess (3 episodes, 2001)
Daniel Ryan	...	Andy Lewis (3 episodes, 2001)
Penelope Wilton	...	Monica Gossage (3 episodes, 2001)

Runtime:

47 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15

Filming Locations:

Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company:

Red Production Company

Would Jerry Falwell Approve?

I saw this program at a screening at the NY Gay/Lesbian Film Festival. While Bob maintains that he's still gay even though he's fallen in love and lust with a woman, I seriously doubt that's a concept most people would grasp, let alone believe. Even the British press who covered this program generally called it a "gay man goes straight" show, which I gather is not what Davies had in mind.

I didn't really buy what "Bob and Rose" is selling, but it was better written and acted than expected. What the show depicts may indeed occur once in a blue moon, but I was surprised that "Bob and Rose" painted a rather dreary picture of gay relationships (breakups, shagging in the alleyway) while turning the gay/straight relationship in to a complex, but finally positive and romantic experience. Double-standard, eh? And from a gay man like Davies, you'd expect better.

Back in 1978, there was an American film called "A Different Story," about a gay man and a lesbian who wound up falling in love, getting married, and having a kid. "Bob & Rose" has been called "mold-breaking" in the U.K., but it's not that far from the older film in many ways.

If someone really wanted to break a mold, they'd make a film about a straight male who finds himself attracted to a gay man, and finally falls in love with him. I wonder if audiences would embrace that scenario as readily as they do "Bob & Rose," or simply refuse to believe such things could happen, while more than willing to believe a gay man can "change?"