Russell T Davies was interviewed by Bernardine Evaristo at the Royal Northern College of Music on October 11th as part of the 2026 Manchester Literature Festival.
After Bernardine had listed Russell’s long and very impressive collection of awards, the interview settled into a series of questions and answers, some of which were surprising. This was followed by throwing things open to the floor.
Born in Swansea in 1963, he attended university in Oxford and eventually joined the BBC, although he was rejected three times before being taken on. He had several successes, but he’s probably best known for the groundbreaking series Queer as Folk (1999). Rejected by most broadcasters, including the BBC, it eventually aired on Channel 4, where it was a huge global success. The parallel with the Beatles being turned down by Decca Records is striking.
Since then, we learned, the BBC has been a huge game of musical chairs, where, if you wait long enough, people move on and what was rejected by one person could easily be accepted by their replacement.
Russell has a great ability to come back at questions, and he read a couple of extracts from his latest book, The Queerest of Folk: The Memoir of a Life in British Television, which was on sale alongside his earlier works. He’s an understated activist but certainly gets his message across.
His work on Doctor Who was explored, and we went through several of his other television projects: It’s a Sin (2021), Casanova (2005), Cucumber, Banana and Tofu (all 2015), and Tip Toe (2026).
It was a packed house with a loyal audience, and the evening ended with a book-signing session. The queue was enormous.
All in all, it was a thoroughly entertaining and informative evening in the company of one of British television’s most influential writers.
Paul Schofield for Canal Street Media.
More information of Manchester Literature Festival can be found HERE.