Hello, I'm John Curtis, and I'm Rachel Wolf.

We want to tell you about our new podcast, Trendy from Toy Toys.

It's all about what people think and why politicians do what they do.

Each week we're going to look at the most important social, political and economic trends,

in the hope that we can come to a better understanding of where we are as a country.

New episodes will be available every Thursday morning.

Search for Trendy, wherever you get your podcast.

The setting is the gay scene in 1980s London at the terrible moment

that the AIDS epidemic began to reveal itself.

I was a young journalist then, and I'll never forget the tragedy of those lost lives.

I'm glad the Channel 4 drama series depicting this time,

it's a sin, is a critical and a ratings hit.

But there was something that surprised me, and bothered me a little.

Just before the series began, its writer, Russell T. Davies,

revealed that he'd wanted to only cast gay actors for the gay roles.

I would happily defend that position.

It's the system I was looking at, and just this is the way I've run this show.

And it's my job to look for something new.

As the finale of the show airs tonight,

we speak to two people on either side of the casting desk

about what conversations are taking place in the film and theatre world.

There is something that a queer actor can bring to a queer role.

...