So Sex and The City is returning under a new name, and there is a new Russell Davies drama about gay experience. When will television dare to address the experience of heterosexual men with even an ounce of sensitivity?
My thoughts were prompted by the American drama A Teacher (currently on BBC iplayer), about an affair between a teenager and his English teacher. On paper, it is sensitive to the male experience, for the conclusion is that he is traumatised by the affair – despite lots of back-slapping from his mates, he is depicted as a victim of abuse. But this conclusion is disingenuous, and so lacks credibility. For he is, from the start, a cool stud, a sexually fluent dude, and the titillating trysts are predictably porny.
Culture has invested heavily in the idea that the sexual experience of women and homosexuals is more profound, more humane, more worthy of celebration
A drama that had real interest in depicting the young male experience would have shown us a more nervous, anxious teenager, intimidated by this woman instead of just attracted to her.
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