TV creator Russell T Davies has questioned the billing of Canadian phenomenon Heated Rivalry as a “revolutionary gay show”.
Appearing at a special screen talk on Monday (23 March) as part of London’s queer-focused BFI Flare film festival, the Welsh screenwriter and producer said he loved the show but sounded less convinced about just how revolutionary it was.
“I love it, it’s hot,” he said, according to Variety. “To be honest, when people go, ‘Oh, it’s this revolutionary gay show’, I go ‘er, hello!’”
Davies, 62, said he’d seen people posting messages on social media such as, “Queer as Folk walked so Heated Rivalry could run”, to which he responded, “We were f***ing running from the start!”
Heated Rivalry, based on the book by Rachel Reid and created by Jacob Tierney, follows two young ice hockey players – Canadian star Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) – whose fierce rivalry on the ice masks a passionate and secret romance.
The show started streaming on Canadian service Crave and HBO Max in the US in November before arriving in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW in January, making stars out of former unknowns Storrie and Hollander.
Davies is behind a number of groundbreaking shows, most notably Queer as Folk, his late-Nineties drama about a group of gay men in Manchester, which has been credited with pioneering representation for gay men on screen.
He also created the 2015 series Cucumber for Channel 4, which explored gay relationships in the 21st century, and the Bafta-nominated 2021 drama series It’s a Sin, about the HIV/Aids crisis in the UK during the Eighties and early Nineties.
Along with discussing Queer as Folk and other key shows in his career, Davies shared a sneak preview of his next drama, Tip Toe, which launches on Channel 4 later this year.
The five-part miniseries is set in Manchester and follows a gay bar owner (Alan Cumming) while also exploring the rise of far-right politics and threats to LGBTQ+ rights.
In the six-minute clip, Cumming’s character Leo discusses the state of the world with his friend, drag queen Melba (Paul Rhys).
Discussing the online hatred the bar has received for reportedly hiring trans staff, Melba says: “The president of America has given these men permission to attack us. Leo, you’re queer in 2026, you’re a political act.”
It was announced last week that It’s A Sin is set to be adapted into a Rambert dance production, with legendary pop duo Pet Shop Boys involved in the project.
Davies will serve as executive producer on the stage show, as will Sink The Pink founder Glyn Fussell and Pet Shop Boys, whose 1987 single gave the TV series its title. US singer Roman GianArthur will create the music, with the support of Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.
Davies said in a statement: “It’s A Sin was such a special show for me, and it's one of the greatest honours of my life to have the show transformed by Rambert into something new and exciting.”
Father Ted star Ben Keaton dies suddenly aged 69: ‘We are all in shock’
Taskmaster star to host the Bafta Television Awards 2026
Hit Channel 4 drama to be adapted for the stage by Russell T Davies
Barbara Taylor Bradford: The real woman of substance
Netflix’s groundbreaking drama Adolescence tops Bafta TV nominations with 11 nods
