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Out Now: A queer journey through modern television
'I loved it, and I'm sure you will too' - Joe Lycett
Two very gay things happened in the space of 24 hours in October 2003. Coronation Street aired its first gay kiss before the watershed. And Scott Bryan came out, aged 14, for the first time, in French class. In French.
From a very young age, Scott escaped into other worlds through the small screen. Navigating the world as a queer and neurodivergent person, TV offered both an escape and a way of better understanding himself. In the shadow of Section 28 banning promotion of LGBTQ+ issues in schools, television was crucial in breaking that enforced silence.
In Out Now, Scott looks back at the TV that made him, from the 90s to the present day, and the LGBTQ+ voices that were alternately championed and oppressed. Part memoir, part critique, the book takes us back to watershed moments in television history and evaluates the cultural and personal impact they had. Warm and witty in equal measure, Out Now looks at shows such as Queer As Folk, Desperate Housewives, Heartstopper and Heated Rivalry, and features interviews with the people behind the seminal moments - including Russell T Davies and Jonathan Harvey - that brought Scott and UK TV itself, to where they are today.
Two very gay things happened in the space of 24 hours in October 2003. Coronation Street aired its first gay kiss before the watershed. And Scott Bryan came out, aged 14, for the first time, in French class. In French.
From a very young age, Scott escaped into other worlds through the small screen. Navigating the world as a queer and neurodivergent person, TV offered both an escape and a way of better understanding himself. In the shadow of Section 28 banning promotion of LGBTQ+ issues in schools, television was crucial in breaking that enforced silence.
In Out Now, Scott looks back at the TV that made him, from the 90s to the present day, and the LGBTQ+ voices that were alternately championed and oppressed. Part memoir, part critique, the book takes us back to watershed moments in television history and evaluates the cultural and personal impact they had. Warm and witty in equal measure, Out Now looks at shows such as Queer As Folk, Desperate Housewives, Heartstopper and Heated Rivalry, and features interviews with the people behind the seminal moments - including Russell T Davies and Jonathan Harvey - that brought Scott and UK TV itself, to where they are today.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2026
About the author
Scott Bryan
1 book3 followersScott Bryan is a TV critic, writer and journalist based in East London. He has written for Variety, The New York Times, The Guardian and the Radio Times. He appears on Must Watch, the TV review podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
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Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC Review
I got this book as an arc, but all views are entirely my own
This book is vital. It's wonderfully written and laugh out loud funny at parts, but also heartbreaking at others. I saw myself in this book so vividly to the point where I bought it up in therapy.
I found myself not wanting this book to end because I need to know Scott's thoughts on everything, and find out more about him.
I didn't know how much I needed this book. Thank you Scott. Thank you, thank you, thank you
I got this book as an arc, but all views are entirely my own
This book is vital. It's wonderfully written and laugh out loud funny at parts, but also heartbreaking at others. I saw myself in this book so vividly to the point where I bought it up in therapy.
I found myself not wanting this book to end because I need to know Scott's thoughts on everything, and find out more about him.
I didn't know how much I needed this book. Thank you Scott. Thank you, thank you, thank you
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review