Listen again: 24th December 2013 – Christmas Special

Photo: Sabine Schereck

Inspired by the opening lines to singer Krystle Warren’s ‘Yuletide Carol’, “In the holidays, the lonely gays are everywhere” (written whilst strolling through bars in San Francisco’s queer district on Christmas Eve), Rosie Wilby presents a treasure trove of humorous and poignant seasonal stories from our guests to investigate whether Christmastime, with its emphasis on family, is far from conventional if you’re LGBT.

Thank you to all our contributors: Alexander Geist, Veronica McKenzie, Damian Barr, Naomi Paxton, Brendan Nash, Clayton Littlewood, Christopher Isherwood with a letter written in 1963 read by Gorden Faith, Miss Hope Springs, Faye Patton, Graham Hoadly, Paul Burnham and CN Lester. The feature is produced by Sabine Schereck.

Also thank you to Chatto and Windus for their kind permission to use an extract from ‘The Animals – Love Letters between Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy’. Due to rights reasons the extract will only be part of the programme until 28th January 2014.

For rights reasons the music is not on the podcast, but that’s what you could hear on the show:

1) Krystle Warren: ‘Yuletide Carol’ from the album “Circles”

2) Miss Hope Spring: ‘By the Fire’ from the album “Now It’s Christmas Time” – on the podcast

3) Miss Hope Spring: ‘Now It’s Christmas Time’ from the album “Now It’s Christmas Time” – on the podcast

4) Lea DeLaria: ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’ from the album “Be a Santa”