A place to call home james bligh gay
Bevan Lee
With shows such as Home and Away, Packed to the Rafters and Prisoner to his credit, writer and originator of A Place to Call Home, Bevan Lee, has opened Australia’s eyes to the secret and forbidden world of queer life in the 1950s. He tells Matt Myers about how he developed the character of James Bligh.
The gay aversion therapy storyline on A Place to Call Home is quite unique to Australian TV. What has the audience reaction been like?
So far we have had shocked and sympathetic responses on the fan sites. The number of comments of the ilk of ‘I had no concept this sort of thing happened’ is a mournful reflection of how the past can be forgotten and consequently those lessons to be gleaned from it. I am sure the number of responses will increase when the story cranks up in intensity in the first episodes of Season Two.
What triggered you to take this storyline to light?
I was interested in dealing with social and moral areas in which transform has, or hasn’t taken place in the last sixty years, to spotlight how much we own changed as a nation in some areas and indeed how little in others. Sadly prejudice and bigotry will always be with us. Hopefully this story might alert
David Berry
I first interviewed David Berry on A Place to Call Abode. Now he’s an international success through another period drama – Outlander. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing David again.
You’ve had great international achievement with Outlander. Tell us about playing Lord John Grey.
David Berry: I earn to play a amazing character, with actors and a crew that are world class. I was well prepared for that from my experience in Australia on A Place to Call Home, but Outlander takes it into an extra gear. It’s been a fun encounter and certainly opened me to a whole bunch of other experiences through working and living in Scotland.
You’ve now been in quite a few period dramas!
Drama is great because you get to perform dress-ups with all the artistic details. The idea that goes into making a period production is something special. There’s so much artistry and serve from people behind the scenes, which also assists me in my position. I really like the historical component as I’ve been learning about both Scottish and American histories. From a performance show of view, it doesn’t really change too much because it’s about humans just living in a different time
Overview
Set in rural New South Wales in the period following the Second World War, it follows Sarah Adams, who has returned to Australia after twenty years abroad to originate a new existence and ends up clashing with wealthy matriarch Elizabeth Bligh.
It’s a very trendy show, and for good reason. It’s one of those fun period dramas that just ropes you in. They call it a “compelling melodrama about love and impairment set against the social change of the 1950s.”
Queer Plotline Timeline
Much of the series is about James, the same-sex attracted son, but Carolyn makes a show to introduce people to other queers out there.
Notable Queer-Centric Episodes
- Season 2 Episode 5 “Ghosts of Christmas Past” – Carolyn throws a party attended by many queers.
- Season 4, Episode 3 “When You’re Smiling” – Henry and James go on a double date with a lesbian couple, each as the other’s beards.
Characters
There are 7 queer characters listed for this show; none are dead.
Regular (1)
Recurring (3)
Guests (3)
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A Place To Call Home | James’ Gay Storyline | Watch all 36 partsPart 35 - sendvid | vid.me | streamable | openload | netu.tv Season Premiere - Part 1. James meets with Olivia, days after she left to be with the painter and they agree that they're marriage is over. James' dad wants to raise Georgie as a Blight and is determined to take him away from Olivia. James' grandmother recovers from a heart attack and asks Dr. Henry to take nurture of James. Finally, James and Henry have a nice quiet time for themselves. Part 36 - sendvid | vid.me | streamable | openload | netu.tv Season Premiere - Part 2. Olivia tells the painter that Georgie is not James' son and is willing to tell the truth about her stillborn baby to keep Georgie. Olivia accidentlly outs James in the process. James and Henry spend the night at the club but James is bothered by a waiter making assumptions and Henry takes into his own hands to teach James how to be more accepting of his homosexuality. James visits his grandma who finally accepts who he is and touchingly approves his relationship with Henry.
From Outlander to A Place to Phone Home
It’s only by coincidence that David Berry’s biggest acting roles have seen him portray two closeted gay characters who, ironically, own appeared simultaneously on Australian TV screens this year.
His breakout role in Bevan Lee’s gripping period drama, A Place to Call Place, saw him bear the emotional burdens of James Bligh, a young lgbtq+ man who struggles to accept his sexuality during the testing times of the 1950s.
Since then he has gone on to land another notable role, this moment in the romance-meets-history drama Outlander as gay closeted soldier Lord John Grey, who develops feelings for Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) after the ruggedly handsome Scot had spared his life when he was a teenager, a scene that played out in season two.
Both series are currently airing on Foxtel’s Showcase channel.
“I couldn’t tell you that the thought didn’t cross my intellect about the similarities for sure, you can see it,” the 33-year-old player says of the two roles.
“But at the alike time I loathe to draw too many comparisons because they are two separate people and I don’t long to connect them in ways just because of their sexuality as a reductive way to l