Against The Law

Against The Law – 2018 BAFTA TV Nomination

Congratulations to Against the Law on its 2018 BAFTA Television Nomination for Single Drama!

img_1374This critically acclaimed docu-drama first aired in the UK on BBC Two  in July 2017 as part of the BBC’s Gay Britannia season, Against the Law is an emotional look into lives of homosexual men in 1950’s and 1960’s Britain.

Against the Law is a powerful factual drama starring Daniel Mays, Richard Gadd, and Mark Gatiss. Mays plays Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover, under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial. Wildeblood, and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed. But the public thought the trial unfair and forced a reluctant government to set up a committee to investigate whether homosexuality should be legalised. The committee was led by Sir John Wolfenden. With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Peter Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him. He was the only openly gay man to testify before the Wolfenden committee about the brutal reality of being gay in this country at that time. In 1957 the committee recommended that the laws be changed. It would take a further ten years before these recommendations would become law.

Woven through this powerful drama is testimony from a chorus of men who lived through those dark days, when homosexuals were routinely imprisoned or forced to undergo chemical aversion therapy in an attempt to cure them of their ‘condition’. There is also testimony from a retired police officer whose job it was to enforce these laws and a former psychiatric nurse who administered the so-called cures. All these accounts amplify the themes of the drama and help to immerse us in the reality of a dark chapter in our recent past, a past still within the reach of living memory.

The BAFTA Television Awards ceremony will be held at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 13 May and hosted by Sue Perkins.

Congratulations to Daniel Mays, Fergus O’Brien, Aysha Rafaele, the team at BBC Factual, and everyone involved in the making of this powerful drama.

Against the Law had it’s world premiere at BFI Flare in March 2017

Against the Law review roundup

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

2018 British Academy Television Craft Awards- Against the Law Nominated

It was announced today that Against the Law has been nominated for a BAFTA Television Craft Award for PHOTOGRAPHY & LIGHTING: FICTION:

 

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Against the Law is the critically acclaimed docu-drama first aired in the UK on BBC Two  in July 2017 as part of the BBC’s Gay Britannia season. Starring Daniel Mays as Peter Wildeblood, Against the Law is an emotional look into lives of homosexual men in 1950’s and 1960’s Britain.

Also nominated in three categories is World War One Remembered: Passchendaele in which Daniel Mays participated.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations for its annual British Academy Television Craft Awards honour the very best behind-the-scenes talent working in television. This year’s ceremony will be held at The Brewery, London on Sunday 22 April and will be hosted by Stephen Mangan.

Best of luck to Johann Perry and Against the Law!

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

BritBox- Against the Law – US Premiere

Against the Law starring Daniel Mays, Richard Gadd, Mark Gatiss and directed by Fergus O’Brien premieres in the USA today, 14 February, on BritBox.

This critically acclaimed docu-drama first aired in the UK on BBC Two  in July 2017 as part of the BBC’s Gay Britannia season, Against the Law is an emotional look into lives of homosexual men in 1950’s and 1960’s Britain.

2017 saw the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in England and Wales between adult males, in private. While it would take several decades before homosexuals would reach anything like full equality in this country, this legislation marks the beginning of this journey.

But the dramatic events that led to this Act took place over ten years before and are at the heart of Against the Law, a powerful factual drama starring Daniel Mays and Mark Gatiss. Mays plays Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover, under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial. Wildeblood, and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed. But the public thought the trial unfair and forced a reluctant government to set up a committee to investigate whether homosexuality should be legalised. The committee was led by Sir John Wolfenden. With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Peter Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him. He was the only openly gay man to testify before the Wolfenden committee about the brutal reality of being gay in this country at that time. In 1957 the committee recommended that the laws be changed. It would take a further ten years before these recommendations would become law.

Woven through this powerful drama is testimony from a chorus of men who lived through those dark days, when homosexuals were routinely imprisoned or forced to undergo chemical aversion therapy in an attempt to cure them of their ‘condition’. There is also testimony from a retired police officer whose job it was to enforce these laws and a former psychiatric nurse who administered the so-called cures. All these accounts amplify the themes of the drama and help to immerse us in the reality of a dark chapter in our recent past, a past still within the reach of living memory.

BritBox: Indulge your Inner Brit – Direct from the UK’s top channels, BBC & ITV, you’ll be connected like never before with expert curation and an inside view only these programmes can provide. 

If you live in the USA and are not already signed up, you can begin a 7 day free trial of BritBox. Fees apply after the initial free trial period.

Against the Law had it’s world premiere at BFI Flare in March 2017

Against the Law review roundup

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

Against the Law-Broadcast Awards Nomination

Against the Law starring Daniel Mays has been shortlisted for Best Single Drama in the 2018 Broadcast Awards. This BBC Two Factual drama also stars Richard Gadd and Mark Gatiss. Written by Brian Fillis and directed by Fergus O’Brien it aired in July 2017 as part of the BBC Gay Britannia Season.

2017 sees the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in England and Wales between adult males, in private. While it would take several decades before homosexuals would reach anything like full equality in this country, this legislation marks the beginning of this journey.

But the dramatic events that led to this Act took place over ten years before and are at the heart of Against the Law, a powerful factual drama starring Daniel Mays and Mark Gatiss. Mays plays Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover, under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial. Wildeblood, and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed. But the public thought the trial unfair and forced a reluctant government to set up a committee to investigate whether homosexuality should be legalised. The committee was led by Sir John Wolfenden. With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Peter Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him. He was the only openly gay man to testify before the Wolfenden committee about the brutal reality of being gay in this country at that time. In 1957 the committee recommended that the laws be changed. It would take a further ten years before these recommendations would become law.

Woven through this powerful drama is testimony from a chorus of men who lived through those dark days, when homosexuals were routinely imprisoned or forced to undergo chemical aversion therapy in an attempt to cure them of their ‘condition’. There is also testimony from a retired police officer whose job it was to enforce these laws and a former psychiatric nurse who administered the so-called cures. All these accounts amplify the themes of the drama and help to immerse us in the reality of a dark chapter in our recent past, a past still within the reach of living memory.

The Broadcast Awards are held 7 February 2018 in London.

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

Against the Law Wins 2017 Pink News Award!

Against the Law starring Daniel Mays, directed by Fergus O’Brien, and written by Brian for BBC Two as part of the BBC’s Gay Britannia Season was nominated and WON the Pink News Special Award for 50th Anniversary coverage of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality.

Daniel Mays attended this evening’s Pink News Awards in London (18 October). The Awards celebrate the contributions of politicians, businesses, campaigners and community groups to improving LGBT+ life in the UK and beyond.

Congratulations to all who were nominated and won this evening!

Watch the video of the evening’s awards at Pink News Facebook page.
Against the Law’s winning announcement with speeches from Fergus O’Brien and Daniel Mays is at 1hr28 mark.

Photos from tonight:

With thanks to Pink News and its voters.

Against the Law is available on DVD.

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

Against the Law – DVD

Against the Law is released on DVD today. Daniel Mays stars as Peter Wildeblood.

First aired on BBC Two in July as part of the BBC’s Gay Britannia season, Against the Law is an emotional look into life of homosexual men in 1950’s and 1960’s Britain.

2017 sees the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in England and Wales between adult males, in private. While it would take several decades before homosexuals would reach anything like full equality in this country, this legislation marks the beginning of this journey.

But the dramatic events that led to this Act took place over ten years before and are at the heart of Against the Law, a powerful factual drama starring Daniel Mays and Mark Gatiss. Mays plays Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover, under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial. Wildeblood, and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed. But the public thought the trial unfair and forced a reluctant government to set up a committee to investigate whether homosexuality should be legalised. The committee was led by Sir John Wolfenden. With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Peter Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him. He was the only openly gay man to testify before the Wolfenden committee about the brutal reality of being gay in this country at that time. In 1957 the committee recommended that the laws be changed. It would take a further ten years before these recommendations would become law.

Woven through this powerful drama is testimony from a chorus of men who lived through those dark days, when homosexuals were routinely imprisoned or forced to undergo chemical aversion therapy in an attempt to cure them of their ‘condition’. There is also testimony from a retired police officer whose job it was to enforce these laws and a former psychiatric nurse who administered the so-called cures. All these accounts amplify the themes of the drama and help to immerse us in the reality of a dark chapter in our recent past, a past still within the reach of living memory.

Against the Law is available on DVD from Monday 11 September

Against the Law review roundup

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

Against the Law – The Reviews

Against the Law starring Daniel Mays aired in the UK Wednesday 26 July on BBC Two to rave reviews from both the viewing audience and television critics. The one-off factual drama was in third spot for Twitter trends during the almost 90 minute broadcast.

Agains the Law is BBC Two’s powerful factual drama about Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover Eddie McNally, under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial.

More than ten years before the decriminalisation of homosexual acts in 1967, Peter Wildeblood, and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed.

With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him.

The reviews are in:

Observer New Review : [Daniel Mays] is perfect in the role.

The Times: ★★★★☆ Daniel Mays was ideally cast as Peter Wildeblood, whose bravery and testimony in 1954 helped to bring about changes in the law for gay men.

The Telegraph: ★★★★☆ A moving story of men who refused to feel ashamed. “…Daniel Mays, who can play cocky and cruel, but here wore the heartbreaking look of a schoolboy learning the vital skill of moral self-defence.”

The Guardian: Mays is unobtrusively brilliant as Wildeblood

The Arts Desk: Daniel Mays is a revelation in a factual drama about Peter Wildeblood’s imprisonment for homosexuality. He exceeds all expectation with this performance. He finds a remarkable range in a life wholly governed by watchfulness and fear.

The Spectator: In the central role, Daniel Mays captured Wildeblood’s reluctant journey into the spotlight perfectly.

Digital Spy: Against the Law is a powerful reminder of how far we have come.

Den of Geek: Daniel Mays delivers an astonishing performance as Peter Wildeblood.

The Conversation: A fitting tribute to gay men whose persecution in the 1950’s paved the way for new rights.

Radio Times:  Against the Law won heaps of praise from viewers last night, many of whom were moved to tears as they hailed the docudrama as both “heartbreaking” and “frustrating”.

The Northern Echo: Daniel Mays says that he believes the drama is “a profound, important piece of work”

You can catch up with Against the Law on BBC iPlayer through 25 August.

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

Against the Law – Tonight 9PM on BBC 2

Against the Law starring Daniel Mays has it’s television debut this evening at 9PM on BBC Two.

2017 sees the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in England and Wales between adult males, in private. While it would take several decades before homosexuals would reach anything like full equality in this country, this legislation marks the beginning of this journey.

But the dramatic events that led to this Act took place over ten years before and are at the heart of this powerful factual drama, starring Daniel Mays and Mark Gatiss. Mays plays Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover, under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial. Wildeblood and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed. But the public thought the trial unfair and forced a reluctant government to set up a committee to investigate whether homosexuality should be legalized. The committee was led by Sir John Wolfenden. With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Peter Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him. He was the only openly gay man to testify before the Wolfenden Committee about the brutal reality of being gay in this country at that time. In 1957, the committee recommended that the laws be changed. It would take a further ten years before these recommendations would become law.

Woven through this powerful drama is testimony from a chorus of men who lived through those dark days, when homosexuals were routinely imprisoned or forced to undergo chemical aversion therapy in an attempt to curethem of their ‘condition’. There is also testimony from a retired police officer whose job it was to enforce these laws, and a former psychiatric nurse who administered the so-called cures. All these accounts amplify the themes of the drama and help to immerse us in the reality of a dark chapter in our recent past, a past still within the reach of living memory.

We hope that you tune in this evening to watch this incredibly important factual-drama.
Against the Law – BBC Two 9PM 26 July 2017.

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

Against the Law – Press Updates

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28 July: Robert Elms Podcast (Interview from 24 July)

Gay Times Magazine: August Edition

26 July: Against the Law airs at 9PM on BBC Two. 

Evening Standard

Evening Standard 726

Radio Times: Why the Peter Wildeblood case in Against the Law was a defining moment for gay-equality.

The Guardian: Wednesday Best TV

BBC Breakfast: A special piece on Against the Law and the BBC’s Gay Britannia Season. (available for 24 hours only)

25 July:

Radio Times: Meet the cast of BBC Two’s Against the Law.

iNews: Interview with Richard Gadd

7:15PM Front Row BBC Radio 4 

Podcast version of BBC Front Row interview: UK and US

Pete Price Radio City 2 from 10PM: Interview with Daniel Mays. Pete Price took part in Against the Law as one of the men interviewed about their experiences of being a gay man during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Pete Price Radio City 25 July

24 July: Good Morning Britain– ITV – Daniel Mays’s interview is at 7:52AM 

Radio Interviews:
BBC Radio Kent : Interview with Dominic King approx 15 minutes into the broadcast.
BBC Essex: Interview approximately 1 hour 17 minutes into the broadcast.
Robert Elms/BBC Radio London: Interview approximately 1 hour 32 minutes the into broadcast.
BBC Radio Northampton: Interview approximately 1 hour 45 minutes into the broadcast.
TalkSport Radio: Interview with Hawksbee & Jacobs – Interview in the last hour of the show (will be online soon!)
BBC Radio Sheffield: Interview approximately 10 minutes into the broadcast.
BBC Radio Cornwall: Interview approximayely 1 hour 39 minutes into the broadcast

Fergus O’Brien attended a screening and Q&A with Directors UK.

Weekend of 22-23 July:
The Sun
Sunday Express Magazine

22 July – BBC Radio 4 at 19:15 Saturday Review will be discussing Against the Law.

21 July:What’s On TV 

Guardian: The best TV this week

20 July: DQ Daily: Mays Days

19 July: Two articles in The Sun:

Daniel Mays talks about Against the Law

Who is Daniel Mays

19 July 11 PM Radio City 2: Fergus O’Brien Interview with Pete Price on Late Night City. Pete’s story is included in Against the Law. Pete’s Daniel Mays interview will be airing next week (TBA)

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TV Magazines 22-28 July:

 

Metro 18 July: Daniel Mays has said filming his new factual drama Against The Law was a bracing experience.

“It was important to get right”

Radio Times 22-28 July Edition:  Mark Gatiss is guest editor and Daniel Mays interview

Gay Star News: The barbaric treatment of gay people is exposed in a shocking and sobering new BBC drama

15 July 2017 Guardian article on Peter Wildeblood and the scandal that rocked 1950’s Britain.

 

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk

Against the Law – BBC Two 26 July

BBCTwo26July.jpg

Against the Law will air Wedensday 26 July at 9PM on BBC Two.

Daniel Mays (Line Of Duty, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Public Enemies) stars in BBC Two’s powerful factual drama as Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover Eddie McNally (played by newcomer to television, Richard Gadd), under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial.

More than ten years before the decriminalisation of homosexual acts in 1967, Peter Wildeblood, and his friends Lord Montagu (Mark Edel-Hunt) and Michael Pitt-Rivers, were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed.

With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him.

Daniel says: “I’m incredibly proud to be part of a drama that tells such an important real-life story. Peter Wildeblood is a fascinating, complex, yet flawed character from a time when being a gay man in Britain was incredibly difficult – I can’t wait to bring his tale to life for the BBC Two audience.”

Patrick Holland, Channel Editor, BBC Two, said: “50 years ago, it was a crime to be a gay man in the UK. Against The Law is a stunning piece that melds drama and documentary testimony to tell the story of one man, and his wider generation, as they struggled to make society accept their sexuality as non-criminal. It is brilliant to have a film that brings the authorship of Brian Fillis, the vision of director Fergus O’Brien, and the outstanding talent of Daniel Mays and cast to this important subject”

The drama also features Mark Gatiss (Taboo, Sherlock) as Wildeblood’s prison psychiatrist, Doctor Landers and Charlie Creed-Miles (Ripper Street, Peaky Blinders) as Superintendent Jones.

Woven through this powerful drama is real-life testimony from a chorus of men who lived through those dark days, when homosexuals were routinely imprisoned or forced to undergo chemical aversion therapy in an attempt to cure them of their “condition”. There is also testimony from a retired police officer whose job it was to enforce these laws, and a former psychiatric nurse who administered the so-called cures. All of these accounts serve to amplify the themes of the drama and help to immerse us in the reality of a dark chapter in our recent past, a past still within the reach of living memory.

Written by Brian Fillis, Against the Law is directed by Fergus O’Brien, produced by Scott James Bassett and executive produced by Aysha Rafaele, Creative Director of The Documentary Unit, BBC Studios.

Watch the trailer for Against the Law

Don’t miss this incredibly important factual drama on Wednesday 26 July 9PM on BBC Two.

Follow Daniel Mays on Twitter @DanielMays9

©DanielMays.co.uk