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For many people in the U.S., Russell T. Davies is best known for his work on Doctor Who, but in his home country of the U.K., he's also recognized for boundary-pushing work portraying queer identity on television including Cucumber and It's A Sin. That latter fact has led him to draw a direct line between early defining work Queer As Folk and recent global sensation Heated Rivalry, the charming (and frankly quite erotic) story of two rival hockey stars falling in love in the locker room while competing on the ice.

"Heated Rivalry does prove that the audience is there, and the market is there [for queer stories on TV]. And actually, it is unique in the way that it's become an international hit like that," Davies explained in a BFI Flare Screen Talk interview. "You see [series creator] Jacob Tierney on Instagram announcing 'Now it's in India, now it's in this country, now it's there,' and I think that's really exciting to see that. We couldn't do that with Queer as Folk. So it does have its own steam, and its own heat, and its own brilliance. It truly does."

It's worth noting that Queer as Folk was remade on American TV, running for 83 episodes across 5 seasons, as well as one season of a 2022 reboot.

As much as Davies is as enamored with Heated Rivalry like the rest of us, he's still a bit trepidatious at the comparisons to Queer as Folk made by some fans, which he feels misunderstand the nature of the relationship between the two shows.

"I love Heated Rivalry, and I think it's hot. I love Jacob Tierney. They fought to get that made. And yet, to be completely honest, when people sit there going, 'Oh it's such a revolutionary gay show,' I'm like, 'Hello! Thank you!'," he quips. "And then people on my Instagram say, 'Queer As Folk walked so that Heated Rivalry could run.' I'm like, 'We were f—ing running from the start!'"

By contrast, Davies sees Heated Rivalry as a window into the queer experience for modern audiences who may not connect the same way with Queer as Folk, now over 25 years old, a continuation of the long fight to keep ensuring that LGBTQ+ stories make it to the viewers that want to see them.

"Of course people don't spend time looking backwards. And revolutions have to keep on happening. Looking back on Queer as Folk now is like me being a teenager and looking back on Cathy Come Home," Davies laughs. "To fill in the reference, that's an ancient show from the '60s. It's like looking back at the Addams Family or something. It's like, things do have to keep on happening."

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