Aidan Gillen And The “Queer As Folk” Team Spill The Tea On That Infamous Rimming Scene 25 Years Later
It’s been 25 years since Aidan Gillen and Charlie Hunnam’s steamy rimming scene in Queer As Folk sent shockwaves through British television.
“I think we all had a lot of balls to do that show…”
In a recent interview with GQ, Gillen, along with show creator Russell T Davies and co-star Craig Kelly, dished on the behind-the-scenes details of the groundbreaking moment.
Gillen, who played the charismatic Stuart Alan Jones, recalled the careful approach to filming the scene. “The important thing is to make a plan, to talk it through with everyone, to make sure what everyone’s comfortable [with],” he says, noting the absence of intimacy coordinators at the time.
Davies, the mastermind behind the series, praised director Charles McDougall’s professionalism and the actors’ bravery. “It was all handled soberly and sensibly and, with Aidan and Charlie, [they were] two very brave and up-for-it actors, actually,” he remarked.
Kelly also tipped his hat to his co-stars, acknowledging the courage it took to tackle such a scene. “I think we all had a lot of balls to do that show, but those two in particular, hats off to them,” he says.
The impact of Queer As Folk, which ran from 1999 to 2000 and spawned two US adaptations, continues to be felt 25 years later. The show’s unapologetic portrayal of gay lives and relationships paved the way for greater LGBTQIA+ representation on British television.
As the team reflects on the show’s legacy, it’s clear that the risk-taking and boundary-pushing of Queer As Folk remain as relevant and necessary as ever.
Aiden Gillen went on to become the long-running character Littlefinger aka Petyr Baelish in Game Of Thrones. Charlie Hunnam became known for action films like Pacific Rim, Rebel Moon and the adaptation of the novel Shantaram. Show’s writer and producer Russell T Davies rebooted Dr Who in 2005 and created other gay favourites like Torchwood and 2019’s HIV/AIDS chronicle, It’s A Sin.
