Trial and terror
AS WE CONTINUE OUR COVERAGE OF THE BBC’S GAY BRITANNIA SERIES, WE CHAT TO AGAINST THE LAW STAR DANIEL MAYS ABOUT HIS ROLE AS PETER WILDEBLOOD, AN IMPORTANT FIGURE IN THE FIGHT FOR LGBT+ EQUALITY
WORDS: ADAM DUXBURY PHOTOGRAPHY: BARTEK SZMIGULSKI STYLING: NICK BYAM
When Against the Law was announced earlier this year, it came mere weeks after thousands of gay and bisexual men, convicted of sex crimes under antiquated anti-gay laws, were given posthumous pardons by the UK government. Some of those men are featured in this BBC programme, which blends real-life accounts of gay life before decriminalisation with a dramatised account of the 1954 trial of Tor y politician Lord Montagu for gay sex offences. As the BBC marks 50 years since partial decriminalisation in the UK and Wales, this touching but stark show — the centrepiece of the ongoing Gay Britannia series — is a reminder of just how far LGBT+ equality has come.
At the heart of Against the Law is Peter Wildeblood, a mild-mannered journalist, wonderfully portrayed by Daniel Mays, who appeared in Line Of Duty, Vera Drake, Mrs Biggs, Made in Dagenham and, more recently, Rogue One. The name Wildeblood is relatively unknown to most people now, but his trial and the book he wrote about his experiences, from which the show takes its title, were key events in the struggle for gay equality. Everyone has heard of the trial of Oscar Wilde and the persecution of computer genius Alan Turing, but Wildeblood’s role is often overlooked, despite the fact that he became one of the first men living in Britain to publicly declare his homosexuality. By bringing his story to our screens, writer Brian Fillis and director Fergus O’Brien are honouring one of gay history’s unsung heroes.