Written and narrated by Christopher Green, with material from the National Lesbian and Gay Survey

In 1993, Christopher Green was a scared young man, sitting alone in a hospital room with a dying man he barely knew. Chris had volunteered to be a Terrence Higgins Trust buddy, and had been introduced to the man in the bed: Kenneth Barrow, an actor and writer who had set up a mass observation diary project involving 700 gay men and lesbians. Asked to write anonymously about their everyday lives and loves, the contributors documented their lives during the years when HIV and AIDS first came to public attention, and Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1986, forbidding the 'promotion of homosexuality', was fought over and passed into law. They continued well after Kenneth's death and for over twenty years, when they were finally collected and archived as the National Lesbian and Gay Survey, alongside the Mass Observation archive at the University of Sussex.

As Writing The Century continues to explore the history of the twentieth century through real-life correspondence and diaries, Christopher tells the story of Ken's remarkable project, and how the candid and entertaining personal stories contained in the Survey remind us all how radically - and recently - life has changed for lesbians and gay men in Britain.

Olivier-award winning entertainer Christopher Green is best known in his multiple personas as Country and Western Icon Tina C. (nine-time Grammy award-winner and host of five Radio 4 comedy series), OAP Rap Artist Ida Barr (Artificial Hip Hop), and as The Singing Hypnotist, as well through his commissions from the RSC, the British Library, the Tate gallery, the V&A, the Science Museum and the Barbican.

1/5 In which young Christopher learns about Karposi's Sarcoma, jerk off parties and Norma Shearer.

Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting. Show less