When does The Bisexual air on Channel 4?
The Bisexual debuts on 10 October on Channel 4 (Channel 4)
Channel 4 is about to debut a groundbreaking new show and we couldn’t be more excited.
The Bisexual will premiere on Channel 4 this month and promises to be an intriguing look at what it means to be bisexual in 2018.
The show will be looking at “love and sex, and what the love and sex they’re drawn to reveals about” the characters.
When does it air?
The Bisexual premieres on Wednesday, October 10, and will air weekly on Channel 4.
A stellar cast
The Bisexual is co-written by the writing duo behind The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Desiree Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele. Akhavan also directs and takes on the series’ main role as Leila, who, after dating a woman for 10 years, begins dating men. Her ex-girlfriend, Sadie, is played by BAFTA-nominated actress Maxine Peake (The Village, Three Girls, Black Mirror).
The show focuses on Leila’s struggle to come out as bi to her gay friends. Akhavan asks the question: “What if a lesbian did the worst thing in the world a lesbian could do, and became interested in men?”
The Bisexual delves into society’s “last taboo.” (Channel 4)
Leila’s unusual wingman, Gabe, is played by Brian Gleeson (The Phantom Thread, Mother!). Gabe will help Leila navigate her new-found attraction to men, while in turn, Leila will introduce Gabe to the lesbian scene.
The series’ summary promises a “raw, funny and unapologetic take on the ‘last taboo’ – bisexuality – and the prejudices, shame and comic misconceptions that surround it.”
“I wanted to write the show because I hated coming out as bisexual,” Akhavan told The Guardian, “I came out as that from the get-go, but that word always felt uncomfortable.”
In the same interview she discussed the core “invisibility” of bisexuality. “If I’m walking down the street holding a woman’s hand I’m gay, if it’s a man’s I’m straight. That’s how a lot of people side-step the label. It has a lot of stigma to it,” she said.
Yes to more bisexuality on screen
Rosa in another trademark jacket (Eddy Chen/NBC/NBCU/Getty)
The Bisexual adds colourful characters to a TV landscape in dire need of more LGBT representation.
However, several shows have recently introduced bisexual characters or bisexual storylines in an effort towards diversity.
Fans of cop show Brooklyn Nine-Nine were thrilled when lieutenant Rosa Diaz revealed she was dating a woman. Stephanie Beatriz, who plays Diaz, recently published an essay for GQ reflecting on her own bisexuality.
In Australian comedy-drama Sisters, one of the main characters, Edie, who is married to a man, explores her attraction to women with a steamy woman-on-woman affair.
