Downton Abbey’s Only Gay Character Gets Optimistic ‘New Era’
starobserver.com.auThe first Downton Abbey film gave us Thomas Barrow, played by Rob James-Collier, a gay butler whose sexuality was explored throughout the film by way of a short-lived romance with the king’s royal dresser.
However, in Downton Abbey: A New Era, currently playing in theatres, Thomas Barrow’s story gets more of a spotlight and his experiences as a gay man are presented under a warmer more optimistic light, with bright hope for his future.
For LGBTQI fans of both the show and western television, the introduction of this storyline back in 2010 was a milestone moment.
Thomas Barrow is an openly gay character played by an openly gay actor; while in this moment in time this alone may not be much to celebrate, in 2010 this was relatively rare in Hollywood, considering shows like Will & Grace were the height of mainstream gay representation, with straight actors playing the lead roles.
