Product Details

• Actors: Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly, Charlie Hunnam, Denise Black, Andy Devine
• Directors: Charles McDougall, Sarah Harding
• Writers: Russell T. Davies
• Producers: Nicola Shindler, Russell T. Davies
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: X (Mature Audiences Only)
• Studio: C1TV
• DVD Release Date: May 8, 2001
• Run Time: 240 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005B3Z6
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,761 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #9 in	Movies & TV > Drama > Television > Queer as Folk
  #41 in	Movies & TV > Gay & Lesbian > Television
  #62 in	Movies & TV > Television > Showtime > All Showtime Titles

• For more information about "Queer as Folk - Series 1 (British TV Series)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 1 in The Queer as Folk (British) Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

When it appeared on British television in 1999, Queer as Folk caused quite a ruckus. There was the sex, as graphic as most anything you'd see in an R-rated film. There were the questionable morals--after all, one of the lead characters knowingly seduced a virginal 15-year-old boy. There was, of course, the rampant homosexuality, seeing as the series followed a group of gay men living in Manchester. But what really got people talking was the quality of the series: no leaden soap opera or exploitative sex romp, Queer as Folk is an engrossing, incredibly well-written series that ranks with some of the best ever produced for British TV. Following the adventures of Stuart (Aidan Gillen), a rake capable of seducing anyone anywhere, and Vince (Craig Kelly), his boy-next-door best friend, as well as the family and friends who surround them, Queer as Folk paints a complex, emotional, and funny portrait of its characters, who range from the regular to the outlandish. Less sensationalistic than it sounds, Queer as Folk shares more in common with gritty, working-class British films like My Beautiful Laundrette and Beautiful Thing than it does with glossy, sex-themed American TV like Sex and the City or even the Americanized version of Queer as Folk. Though definitely comedic in parts, Queer as Folk takes a clear-eyed yet fond view of its characters, from lothario Stuart, who can be charming one minute and self-obsessed the next, to hapless Vince, a mess of insecurities who can't believe it when a handsome Australian (Peter O'Brien) falls in love with him. Fans of the American Queer as Folk will recognize the British counterparts to the American characters, as well as familiar plot arcs, but this series' writing and directing make it a far more dramatic--and multifaceted--look at gay life. This first season set, known as "Series 1," clocks in at four hours. --Mark Englehart

From the Back Cover

There's never a dull moment in this lively drama following the lives of three men living it large in Manchester's gay village. Stuart Jones (Aidan Gillen) has got it all. He's rich, drop dead gorgeous and always the center of attention. He can be forgiven the arrogance because he's pretty close to perfection. His best mate Vince Tyler (Craig Kelly) is funny, adorable and definitely a babe but, unlike his friend, has zero confidence in himself. Since time began, Vince has carried a torch for Stuart but his love remains firmly unrequited. They're both 29, hitting Canal Street every night, stalwarts of the scene but just starting to wonder where else their lives may be going. Then along comes Nathan Maloney (Charlie Hunnam). Young, wild and coming out with a vengeance, he crowbars his way into their world and once he arrives, nothing is ever the same again.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go Ahead. Buy it., May 23, 2001

By	Stephen McLeod (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This DVD contains the first series - 4 hours on two discs - of *Queer as Folk* as it was originally seen on television in the U.K. I hesitated for awhile, wondering whether it was worth the rather steep price for two discs. (Actually, I didn't know how many discs there were -- search as you might, I dare you to find that information here). Plus, I wasn't crazy about the what I saw of the U.S. version. Finally, I'm always scared by films and television from the U.K. because the regional accents are often indecipherable to my Yankee ear. Anyway, I bought it and I'm glad I did.

First, I had no problem with the accents or the regional idioms. All the "shagging" and "wanking" wore off on me a bit, actually. ("Do you think ov'im when you av'a wank? No? Then ee's your Boyfriend alright.") The teleplay is flawless. Other reviewers are better at synopsis than I am. The point is, it's how the story's told that really sells this.

The ensemble cast, led by Aiden Gillen, Craig Kelly, and Charlie Hunnam is terrific. Where the U.S. show had guys who really looked good but weren't very interesting, this show has more or less normal, but still good looking guys who look better and better as you get to know them. As Stuart, Aiden Gillen, for example, plays a character who "doesn't even have to work for it." But it's not so much that he's a god, physically, it's rather his attitude, which is so much more complicated than the voracious party boy he pretends to be. Craig Kelly broke my heart as Vince, Stuart's best friend, who apparently has been smitten by Stuart since they were both 12. And Charlie Hunnam swipes every scene he's in as Nathan, the 15 year old who starts out as a victim-waiting-to-happen, and ends up a hero, both to himself and to his adopted community. The setting is realistic too: straight people who run the gamut from insane homophobes to fellow-travelers; and gay people who have carved for themselves a community, but who have also found out that the world isn't "Will and Grace" and liberation is an inside job.

This show never panders to those who want easy or politically correct answers, or who want everything to be tied up nicely in a bow. Instead, it overflows with insight. Inthe U.S. version, this seems mere melodrama. Here, it works on so many dramatic levels. One of the best things to be said about it is that it truly is "made for t.v." Which is to say that it totally exploits and expands the medium. I could no more imagine this on the big screen than on the stage. It does, in other words, everything that T.V. should do and none of the things it shouldn't.

There's a lot of sex in the show, some of it more steamy than most U.S. viewers have ever seen on the tube (not counting HBO), but it's never played for shock value. It propels the story. It's honest. And yes, it's erotic.

So the bottom line is, this is a very fine show, and you're not likely to see it if you don't buy it. So if you *can* afford it, you probably should.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing Original, December 20, 2001

By	Ian D. Smith (Bangor, ME United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had seen 'Queer As Folk' in its original cut in the U.K., and I was dutifully impressed by how realistic, breezily fun and uncompromising this series was. As sexy, glitzy and prettily-cast the American version is, it doesn't have the heart or depth of the British original.
One of the most obvious things the U.K. version develops better is its characters. The non-chalant and irresponsible Stuart is not as cut and dry as his American counterpart (though I personally find the American Brian to be more attractive), and the multi-dimensional character is served by a more interesting actor. The hapless character of Vince, with his babbling unease, obsession with 'Doctor Who' and endearing modesty is never hard to watch, and he is played with absolute earnest by Craig Kelly. Nathan, as played by Charlie Hunnam (late of Fox's 'Undeclared') is a fresh-faced and honest character with a well developed transformation from innocent boy to more worldly young man.
Without the need to stretch stories out for whole seasons at a time, this miniseries is able to spend just enough time on all the fun and serious moments which comprise the plots of these 8 episodes. While this series isn't as graphic or as dependent on sex as the Showtime version, it certainly has more than its fair share of controversial situations and characters, and as a result it is a far more daring and relevant production.
The DVDs are a bare-bones presentation of the series, condensing all 8 episodes into 4, and editing some scenes while severely altering the soundtrack into basically a series of generic (read: cheap) dance tracks. While the original score is left largely untouched, there is no 'Sexy Boy' or 'It's Raining Men' for instance in the C1 version, which is disappointing to say the least, as the songs chosen for the original soundtrack added so much. There are no extra features of any kind on the DVD - a scene selection menu and subtitles would have been in order at least.
In the end, this is a must-see miniseries, a triumph for television and a tribute not only to the gay lifestyle, but to good old-fashioned smart dialogue and honest characterization. The skeleton DVD and the annoying C1 edits may diminish things slightly, but not to those who have never seen it before - it's such a compelling and sincerely fun series. Gritty, frank and unapologetic, the British 'Queer As Folk' is a testament to truth and realism, obscuring nothing but serving to open many eyes.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Drama without the beauty, August 11, 2002

By	Matt Graham (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queer as Folk (British TV Series) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I watched the first series of QAF when it aired in the UK and it was pretty ground breaking stuff over here. This was mainly due to the gritty storylines and its 'no holes barred' approach. I loved the series as it was refreshing to see gay storylines that weren't all about HIV and queer bashing (which is all you got previously on british TV). I disagree with some of the other reviewers as I thought it was really well acted and the casting was fantastic.
The american QAF has just started to be aired on cable over here and I found it a little disappointing though still enjoyable. Me and many of my mates were really excited when we heard HBO were releasing an american version. Even Russell T Davies (the writer of britsh QAF) hailed it as fantastic. Yes the actors are much more attractive and there's more nudity and better sex scenes, but if thats all you want from a series, go and get some porn. If you can't watch TV without needing to be titilated the brish series is probably not for you. I personally prefer the series because its not so 'fluffy' and makes you question your own opinions and ideas of gay life. It had to be rougher cause thats life in the UK - no one here would of been able to relate to the beauty of QAF USA. Maybe a british audience expect different things to an american audience. It also appealed to a huge sraight following here because it wasn't incredibly homo-erotic.
If you enjoy good, gritty drama as opposed to lighter, sweeter, more attractive TV, I think you'll like the series a lot. QAF USA is good and has its place but in my mind doesn't equal this series.