The original 'Queer as Folk' just celebrated 25, but where's the original cast now?
It's been 25 years since Russell T. Davies' original version of Queer as Folk debuted in the United Kingdom and changed LGBTQ+ content on television as we knew it.
This groundbreaking series followed the lives of a group of gay men and women in Manchester, England, and gained widespread attention for its frank and raw portrayal of LGBTQ+ issues, despite some initial pushback after the show first premiered. Shortly after it went off the air, it inspired the American version that ran on Showtime from 2000 to 2005, and was revived again in 2022 by the streaming service Peacock.
Though it only ran for 10 episodes, it still managed to gain a few award nominations and even a win during its time on the air, including the Best Actor nomination at the 2000 British Academy Television Awards for Aidan Gillan and the nomination for Best Drama Serial at the 1999 Royal Television Society Awards. The composer, Murray Gold, won the award for Best Music - Original Score at the RTS Craft & Design Awards in 1999.
Scroll through to see where the main stars of the original, British Queer As Folk series are up to today!
Aidan Gillen
Aidan Gillen starred as the highly sexual advertising executive Stuart Allen Jones who had a way of making people do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
Gillan has had a number of significant roles since his time on Queer as Folk, including recurring roles as Councilman Thomas Carcetti on HBO's The Wire, a CIA Op in The Dark Knight Rises, and as Janson in the Maze Runner films. More notable roles include Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish in Game of Thrones, Aberama Gold in Peaky Blinders, and John Reid in Bohemian Rhapsody. He remains an active actor, with more recent recurring roles as Frank Kinsella in Kin and Milo Sunter in Mayor of Kingstown.
Craig Kelly
On Queer As Folk, Craig Kelly played Vince Tyler — Stuart's long-time best friend who's not as lucky with men and happens to develop an unrequited crush on his best friend.
Kelly has also kept himself busy over the last 25 years, though his credits aren't quite as notable. He lent his voice to the Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka mini-series, played Nick in Totally Frank, and held down a 78-episode role as Luke Strong on Coronation Street. More recently, he played Simon Grigson in an episode of Jamie Johnson FC and as Peter Jeffries on Boat Story. Coming up, he's in pre-production to play the role of Alice in The Mysterious Death of Lord Harrington.
Charlie Hunnam
You read that right: the Charlie Hunnam we’ve gotten to know in recent years played the character of 15-year-old Nathan Maloney who certainly didn't lack confidence but was totally new to the gay scene and fell in love with Stuart. The actor's career has landed him in some significant starring roles. Following Queer as Folk, he played Lloyd Haythe in Undeclared, Bosie in Cold Mountain, and Raleigh Becket in Pacific Rim.
Hunnam's most notable role is arguably as Jackson "Jax" Teller in Sons of Anarchy, though his career hardly halted after that show went off the air. He also played Percy Fawcett in The Lost City of Z and Arthur in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. More recent roles include Lin Ford in Shantaram and Kai in Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, with Part Two: The Scargiver in post-production and slated for a 2024 release.
Denise Black
Denise Black played Hazel Tyler, Vince's free-spirited mother everyone wishes they either had or at least knew with their own best friends.
Most of the work Black has done since Queer as Folk has been in the soap opera world, including over 200 episodes for each Joanie Wright in Emmerdale Farm and Denise Osborne in Coronation Street, though the latter was already in play before and during the filming of Queer as Folk. Recent roles have included Bibi in The Lady of Heaven and Mary in The Last Tree, with a role as Joyce Madden in Rivals in post-production and slated for a 2024 release.
Andy Devine
Andy Devine played Hazel's lodger, Bernard Thomas, an old and sarcastic gay man who relishes in all the sexual exploits of Stuart and everyone else.
Unfortunately, Devine passed away in 2022 at the age of 79. Most of his credits happened prior to his role as Bernard on Queer as Folk, though following the show he also played Jason Ross in Coronation Street and had a few one-off roles in shows like Doctors and Monroe. Outside of those, he's most known for his role as Shadrach Dingle in Emmerdale Farm, which he started right before he began Queer As Folk and stayed with until 2010.
Esther Hall
Esther Hall played Romey Sullivan, a lesbian character who mothers Stuart's child after he donates his sperm.
Although not as active as her other costars, Hall's credits still go as recent as 2023. During and after her time on Queer as Folk, she also played Louis Macken on Always and Everyone. Following that, she played Rachel Finn in Serious and Organized, Dr. Felix Gibson in Waking the Dead, and most notably as Lyde in Rome. She had a 15-episode arc in Doctors and had a role as Vanessa Dahl in the Black Mirror season 3 episode "Hated in the Nation." Her most recent roles were as Sadie in an episode of The Diplomat and Beatrice in an episode of Best Interests.