Out Now: A queer journey through modern television

by Scott Bryan

'I loved it, and I'm sure you will too' - Joe Lycett
'A captivating illuminating, witty, and tremendously moving' - Nigella Lawson
'A tender portrait of the importance of TV' - Jack Thorne

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.

In Out Now, Scott looks back at the world of TV, from the 90s to the present day, and the queer voices that were alternately championed and oppressed. In the shadow of Section 28 banning promotion of LGBTQ+ issues in schools, television was crucial in breaking that enforced silence. Part memoir, part critique, the book 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.

Warm and witty in equal measure, Out Now takes us back to transformative moments in television history and evaluates the cultural and personal impact they had.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2026

About the author

Scott 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.

Reviews

[Russell Thorne · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Similarly to Scott and many others I grew up watching a lot of TV but never feeling seen or properly represented in characters. A lot of the shows and stories Scott touches on in this book are the same/similar examples I experienced, albeit a few years later than Scott. Notably for me the John Paul/Craig storyline in Hollyoaks was instead Aaron Dingle in rival soap Emmerdale. Aaron's acceptance of his sexuality coincided almost exactly the same time as I found the courage to come out. Aaron was the first character in TV that I personally resonated with (and thankful he is still on screen today!)

Scott's book was a great and easy read overall - even with covering the not so easy subjects such as section 28 and it's effects/repercussions right up to today's issues of trans representation.

I wish I had a book like this I could have read when figuring things out back in the late 00s. I hope that now this book will support and help this and the next generation, as well as giving some good TV recommendations along the way!

[Boo · Rating 5 out of 5]

We must be a similar age because this whole book was nostalgic as fuck.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[cal hughes · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

i wish younger me had a book like this growing up. as someone who projects a lot of media onto their own experiences as a way of understanding, this really put my tendencies into perspective. it was an easy read, especially when dealing with sensitive and difficult topics like section 28 and autism asssesments/diagnoses. i am really here for the abundance of queer neurodivergent representation i am finding at the moment!

[Josh Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conflicted about this book - I did go in thinking it would have more of a focus on queer television and I guess it wasn’t what I expected.