Nostalgia before bedtime

[strange_complex]

I've been watching You Rang M'Lord while I ate my tea: it's being repeated at the moment on UKTV Drama. A bit of Googling has informed me that it first aired in December 1988, when I was all of twelve, and I remember enjoying it very much at the time. I'm now having the pleasure of rediscovering it, and finding out that my taste as a twelve-year-old was not as poor as I'd assumed. It may not be high art, but it does some interesting things with the inevitable main theme of class tensions, and some quite surprising things with its characters and the relationships between them.

In particular, now that I'm older and more 'media aware', I'm really quite impressed that it featured an explicitly lesbian cross-dresser as a regular character: Cissy, one of the two daughters of the house. OK, so the impact is watered down by the fact that the series as a whole is set in what is effectively a fantasy otherworld, and that the primary function of her lesbianism really seems to be to help portray the family as decadent toffs. But still, some credit is surely due for challenging boundaries there.

I certainly remember myself being fascinated and amazed by the character at the time. Just one of many things which now cause me to look back and wonder why it took me so damned long to fully recognise my own sexuality. Ah, well - better late than never.

In other news, I feel utterly crummy tonight, and though I'm supposed to be going to the pub with the oxgoths, I suspect the evening will in fact end in an early retirement with a hot water bottle. I'll see how I feel in half an hour, but that bed is definitely calling...

Comments

[davesangel.livejournal.com]

I remember watching bits and pieces of that show, and I quite enjoyed it at the time - from what I can remember, anyway :)

And I'm really sorry to hear you're feeling crummy :( Hope you feel much better soon.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks. I'm just a little over-tired with my teaching, and maybe a little over-emotional to boot. Nothing that hot water bottle won't solve.

You going to be in Belfast during December 2nd to 5th? I'm planning a visit then, to take in Cornucopia and just generally get to see everyone.

[davesangel.livejournal.com]

Ooh that would be fab. I should definitely be here - originally I was to have been in Italy that weekend but the plans have fallen through - so it will be great to see you again :D

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Oh - sorry to hear you won't be going to Italy. But yay for you being in Belfast instead! I think I'll make my bookings for that trip tomorrow, as it looks like most of the people I want to see will be there.