''Then Barbara Met Alan'' is a 2022 British television drama film about Barbara Lisicki and

Alan Holdsworth Alan Holdsworth (born 1952 in Salford, stage name Johnny Crescendo) is a British musician and disability activist living in Philadelphia, United States. He participated in the 1990 and 1992 Block Telethon campaign while living in the United King ...

, the founders of DAN (

Disabled People's Direct Action Network The Disabled People's Direct Action Network (DAN) is a disability rights activist organization in England and Wales that campaigned for civil rights with high-profile street demonstrations involving civil disobedience, rallies and protests. Prio ...

), a disability activism group. It is written by

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', a ...

and Genevieve Barr and stars

Ruth Madeley Ruth Madeley (born 1987) is a British actress known for her roles in '' Years and Years'' and '' The Rook''. She was born with spina bifida and has worked with the charity Whizz-Kidz for much of her life. She was nominated for a television BAFT ...

and Arthur Hughes. It broadcast on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

on 21 March 2022.

Plot

After meeting in 1989 at a gig, two cabaret performers, comedian Barbara and activist-performer Alan, fall in love. Fueled by their passion and life experiences of mistreatment by an ableist society, they help found DAN, the

and lead protests for disabled people's rights which eventually lead to the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995. As the movement grows and the pair have a child of their own, the pressure begins to wear on their relationship

Cast

as Barbara Lisicki * Arthur Hughes as

*Phillipa Cole as Sue * Mat Fraser as Mat *

Liz Carr Liz Carr is an English actress, comedian, broadcaster and international disability rights activist. Early life and education Carr was born 21 April 1972 in Port Sunlight and grew up in Bebington, Merseyside. She attended Upton Hall School FCJ i ...

as Liz

Production

The project had the working titles of ''Piss on Pity'' and later ''Independence Day? How Disabled Rights Were Won''. During his MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Thorne said this was the first time he had a budget comparable to regular television drama for a disability-centered project. Concerning production difficulties in general, this lecture referenced a forthcomin
report
by Screen Skills written by four writers including

and Genevieve Barr, and it debated the ideas behind a forthcoming campaign of the same name, ''Underlying Heath Conditions'', concerning TV and disabled people. The production prioritized disabled talent and visibility, including 17 disabled actors, 55 disabled supporting actors and 50% senior editorial team representation, in addition to extra help from disability groups as consultants and co-ordinators. Lisicki was also involved in the production, providing archival materials and historical consultancy.

Historical alterations

Some historical events and people depicted were altered for dramatic purposes. These include: * the Block Telethon protests in 1990 and 1992 were organised under the name of ''Campaign to Stop Patronage'', * DAN was formally created in the spring of 1993 by around 16 disabled people at a weekend meeting in Norwich, * some of the later protest events in the film around the compromised

Disability Discrimination Act 1995 The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c. 50) (informally, and hereafter, the DDA) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which has now been repealed and replaced by the Equality Act 2010, except in Northern Ireland where the Act ...

were organised by a disability campaign called Rights Now! although most DAN members took part in these protests too.

Reception

The film received positive reviews, commending the performances, storytelling and attitude towards disability. Several reviews also noted the presentation of a disabled sex scene on mainstream television. Jack Seale of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' awarded the film five out of five stars, declaring it a 'rollicking fact-based drama'. Sean O'Grady of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'' also gave it five out of five stars and remarked the film, '(is) as much a moving love story and wryly amusing sitcom as it is an emotionally charged chronicle of a small revolution.' He also praised Madeley and Hughes' performances. Ben Dowell of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'' gave it four out five stars. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' also gave it four out five stars. In an article for ''The Guardian'', disability activist and author Frances Ryan extolled the programme's highlighting of an undercelebrated part of civil rights history, as well as its handling of disabled representation on television.

Awards

At the 2023 Broadcast Awards, the film won "Best Single Drama".https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcast-awards-2023/bbc1-and-sister-win-big-at-broadcast-awards-2023/5178943.article

References

External links

* {{Jack Thorne 2022 in British television British television films 2022 films Films set in England Films shot in England Films with screenplays by Jack Thorne 2020s English-language films