where he branded the couple ‘yuppie p**fs’ within his copy. Brookside’s 1994 lesbian kiss between Beth (Anna Friel) and Margaret (Nicola Stephenson) is often cited as the first UK gay kiss, but unfortunately they were five years late.
It is, however, a gamechanger for UK TV, as it was the first LGBT representative kiss on TV before the watershed – an agreed time where channels move to shows more appropriate for adults.
It was also the first gay kiss between two women. Speaking about the moment years later, Anna Friel said she wanted to make sure the significant moment wasn’t a passing phase for Beth, but signified her finding her own sexuality and falling in love with her best friend.