Bob & Rose

Bob and Rose is a British television drama, originally screened in six one-hour episodes on the ITV network in the UK in the autumn of 2001. It was produced for the network by the independent Red Production Company, and was that company's first prime-time drama for the ITV network.

The series was written by Russell T. Davies, who had previously been responsible for the much-discussed Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk, another Red Production Company programme. As with Queer as Folk, Bob and Rose involved homosexuality as a key theme. The storyline involves a gay man named Robert Gossage ('Bob') falling in love with a woman, Rose Cooper, and was loosely based on events that had happened in real life to a friend of Davies. This set up caused an uproar among gay rights activists who felt that the premise would make it appear as if being gay was a choice or a phase.

Bob was played by stand-up comedian and actor Alan Davies (no relation of Russell), who was at the time best known for his lead role in the BBC television mystery series Jonathan Creek. Rose was played by actress Lesley Sharp, who was nominated for the BAFTA and Royal Television Society Best Actress awards for the part.

Although critically well-received, Bob and Rose was not a huge success in terms of audience share for ITV, and the final two episodes were relegated from prime-time to later night slots. The series has subsequently been released on DVD, with a commentary track by Russell T. Davies and Alan Davies.

References

• Davies, Russell T. A Rose by any other name. "The Observer". Sunday September 2 2001.

External links

• Bob and Rose at the Internet Movie Database.
• Bob and Rose at the Red Production Company official website.