Russell T Davies: I want to write a darker LGBTQ+ drama

Davies said he is immensely proud of It's A Sin, and has thought about revisiting it

Russell T Davies says he wants to write a darker LGBTQ+ drama as he feels there is "a lot of hatred in the air".

Speaking at the Iris Prize, the largest LGBTQ+ short film prize in the world, the It's a Sin writer and producer said he was worried about "where we are now".

Davies, whose work also includes Queer as Folk, said his writing always came back to the "here and now".

"I have things to say about that," he added.

Davies, who recently took charge of Doctor Who after helping to revive it in 2005, said he thought his work would always relate to the modern day.

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"I might write historical stuff like A Very English Scandal, or futuristic stuff like Doctor Who, but if you look at my work, it always comes back to the here and now," he said.

It's A Sin is about a group of gay friends living in London during the 1980s AIDS crisis

"I think I have done two big pieces, which are Queer as Folk set in 1999, and looked at the world then. And then there was Cucumber, set in 2015," Davies said.

"I think as I'm getting older now, slowing down, towards the end of my life, I would love to write a third piece that says where we are now.

"I worry about where we are, and I think there's a lot of hatred in the air, a lot of nonsense in the air, a lot of rhetoric, and a lot of hate-makers stoking up the fires, and I have things to say about that, so I'd be surprised if I don't say something about that."

'It's dangerous to think it's alright'

Davies said representation was important.

"We need to constantly work to keep LGBTQ+ representation at the heart of the narrative.

"It's dangerous to think it's alright. There's still more that needs to be done."

Queer as Folk, broadcast in 1999, drew complaints at the time because of its depiction of gay sex, but it also attracted audiences of 3.5m

Davies, whose work also includes Years and Years, said it was important to keep a taste of today.

"It's very easy to sit in your office, especially as you get older and become divorced from the world and settle into things, and suddenly you're writing things that could've been written ten or 20 years ago," he said.

"One of the plus sides of gay rights and queer rights being on the news is it keeps me on my toes.

"I wish we didn't have half the problems or any of the problems, but actually when you're constantly the headline, when politicians constantly talk about you, when the media is constantly talking about you, at least you're on top of things, and kind of aware of the arguments."

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