BBC Archive

Manchester HIV charity Body Positive has been outlining to BBC Radio Manchester's Gay Hour programme exactly what checks they have in place for their 1 minute HIV testing service.
The writer of a controversial play about the conversations gay men have after those brief encounters in saunas, steam rooms and cruising areas, has premiered his play Fucking Men in Britain rather than America.
It's one of the big taboos in the lesbian community but no more! The Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester has launched a major campaign aimed at improving awareness of sexual health for women who have sex with women.
Canal side safety's becoming a major issue in Manchester's gay village after the death of a man trying to resue a relative who fell off the wall along Canal Street. Local businesses and community leaders are now deciding how to prevent a further tragedy.
Latest figures suggest more gay men and women smoke than their straight counterparts. Statistics have been released to coincide with National No Smoking Day. So why do so many gay people seem to need the nicotine buzz?
Dr Mike Homfray’s new book: ‘Provincial Queens: The Gay and Lesbian Community in the North West’ has just been published and Mike’s been telling Ashley Byrne all about it.
The latest book by the zoologist Desmond Morris holds up so-called ‘neoteny theory’ as one of the reasons for people being gay. The man who first came up with this theory has been explaining what it means to Ashley Byrne.
Tony Holland – one half of the gay team which created Eastenders back in 1985 has died at the age of 69. Inside Soap Editor Steven Murphy talks to Ashley Byrne about his contribution and legacy.
Kylie, Madonna and cheesy pop isn’t to everyone’s taste but some people think that’s all that you can hear on the gay scene up and down the country. DJ Jo tells Ashley Byrne why he’s had enough and is setting up a new Indie Night at Manchester’s Thompson’s Arms.
Arts Council North West recently announced it was withdrawing nearly £100,000 of funding for Queer Up North, putting the festivals entire 2008 programme at risk. Artistic Director Jonathan Best spoke to BBC Radio Manchester's Emma Goswell and gave his reaction to the decision.
Desmond Tutu apologises for persecution of gays. In an exclusive and historic interview, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has apologised to gay people around the world for the way they’ve been treated by elements within the Church over the years.
Sackville Park was again the location for this year’s World Aids Day Vigil. BBC Radio Manchester’s Gay Hour reporter Andrew Edwards mixed and mingled with those remembering friends, relatives and loved ones lost to HIV and Aids.
Britain’s bisexual community is fighting back against prejudice of all kinds and from all sides – and a special Bisexual Activists’ Conference was held in Manchester at the end of November.
Parliament is considering whether or not to allow lesbian couples who have children through IVF the right to both be named as parents on birth certificates. The controversial proposals were discussed at length on BBC Radio Manchester’s Citizen Manchester LGBT (the Gay Hour).
Every November an International Transgender Day of Remembrance is held around the world – and for the second time, a special vigil took place this year in Manchester’s Sackville Park. Andrew Edwards from BBC Radio Manchester’s Gay Hour (Citizen Manchester LGBT) was there.
He was the camp icon of British comedy and he starred in one of the the country's best-loved sitcoms. John Inman was a talented actor and a respected pantomime dame whose mincing walk and 'I'm Free' catchphrase earned him the love of the nation. In March 2007 he sadly died but his legacy lives on. So who was the man behind the mince?
The year 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of thediscovery of HIV and AIDS. On 1st December BBC Radio Manchester broadcast a special programme for World AIDS Day looking at a quarterof a century of pain, prejudice, and in some cases, progress.
He was Britain's best loved entertainer and his fall from grace was meteoric; but Michael Barrymore returned to the public eye. In October 2006, not long after leaving the Celebrity Big Brother house he spoke candidly to Ashley Byrne about his turbulent life.
"Vigils and virgins, riots and raids, cruising and crying, pub-crawls and mirror-balls."
He was the father of modern computer science and broke the enigma code during the second world war. He lived and worked in Manchester and was an openly gay man before his time. There's a statue of him in Manchester's Sackville Park and one of the city's main roads is named after hm. He's the man who knew too much but do we know enough about him?
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