Bob & Rose (2001) User Reviews

Warm, engaging comedy-drama

[Reynolph · 26 September 2001]

Russell T. Davies, the creator and writer of Channel 4's hit gay drama "Queer as Folk" (1999) has come up trumps again with this warm, touching comedy about thirtysomething schoolteacher Bob who, having been happily gay all his adult life, has a chance meeting with feisty Rose and finds - to his amazement - that he fancies her.

Alan Davies (BBC1's Jonathan Creek) is perfectly cast as likeably diffident Bob, while Lesley Sharp is excellent as no-nonsense Rose. The supporting cast, too, give beautifully judged performances: Daniel Ryan is heartbreaking as Rose's boyfriend, Andy, as is Jessica Stevenson as Bob's colleague, Holly, who secretly carries a torch for him. Penelope Wilton puts in a hilarious turn as Bob's mother, who regularly embarrasses him in public by being a vociferous campaigner for gay rights.

As with Queer as Folk, the joy of Bob and Rose lies in the way it skilfully blends laugh-out-loud comedy and painfully recognisable human dilemmas. You find yourself rooting for this unlikely couple, yet wondering how a writer of Davies's calibre will resolve the situation happily without recourse to sentimental cliché.

Don't Believe the Bad Reviews

[most_fatal_horror · 10/10 · 21 January 2011]

So I heard about this little miniseries a few years ago and having seen all the bad press it got I was immediately turned off. How dare RTD write a show about a gay man going straight! Of course, what I didn't know when I was thinking that was that this little gem isn't about a gay man going straight. A few weeks ago I again come across this title and decide to sit down and watch it for myself, or at least try to.

Turns out, the point of this story is not to say that a gay man can become straight; Bob doesn't ever become straight. Throughout the entire series he is constantly trying to explain to others as well as to himself just what the heck is going on, but never does he tell anyone that he has been 'converted.' He's a gay man who is sexually attracted to other men and, for whatever reason, one woman.

The suggestion that the series depicts gay life as horrible and depressing while shining a light of goodness onto heterosexual relationships is also missing the point. The heterosexual dating scene is depicted as being just as fraught with problems as the gay dating scene. Rose is just as unsatisfied with going out on the pull at a straight pub as Bob is trying to pull at a gay pub. In fact there is a scene which closely parallels one with the other.

So don't let your own preconceptions of what this series is about deter you from watching it. Watching it will probably throw all your preconceptions out the window. Really the only reason to not watch this series is if romantic comedy/dramas aren't your preferred genre. And if that's the case, what are you doing reading a review for a romantic comedy/drama series anyway?

Fab

[Cazanya · 10/10 · 30 May 2006]

It is to typical of people complaining about something when they no nothing about it...So this is about a gay man falling for a straight women. First of all...This is a true story so you cant say its not believable Second its written by a gay man so the whole thing about this being against the gays are just plain stupid. Personally I think this was the best love story I've ever seen. And I am very pro gay. I think this shows that real love is about personality not just looks and sex. And it has nothing against anyone who is gay, straight or bi unlike so many other shows. Maybe we in Europe take to it more cus most TV here are a bit deeper and make you think more then American TV...Plus we don't fear when it comes to showing certain things.

If you want something funny with one of Englands best (Lesley Sharp) and you want to see a decent believable love story without too much sap this is for you. I know I love it

a wonderful love story

[dhatton3000 · 10/10 · 12 January 2011]

This is one of my favorite love stories of all time! it was fantastically written.

The show had controversy due to gay people thinking the show made out that being gay is a choice, but they forget... that a gay man wrote it.... based on his friend, who it happened to.

I'm a gay man, and I have had feelings for women in the past... i wouldn't say im bisexual by any means, but now and again, a woman will just seem appealing. i don't know why people got so upset about this TV program, as it was very well represented, and all the gay issues brought up by the gays on the outside about the theory were brought up in the show... such as bob's friend saying ''great, now all our mums will be hoping we'll settle down with a girl'' it was a wonderful TV program, suitable for all! a little bit like an adult sugar rush! my parents loved it... I've got friends who loved it both straight and gay.

its hillariously funny, and will make you cry with both joy and sadness at times. don't allow silly accusations put you off this. it is wonderfully written and one of the best shows itv has every created.

a come back would be brilliant... but then again you never know if it would be any good... maybe let a brilliant show die brilliantly. who knows! but if there was a sequel, i wouldn't miss it for the world.

When you're ready, Season 2 please...

[TwittingOnTrender · 10/10 · 13 July 2020]

I wish I could give this more than ten stars. How did I miss this? Was it my (justified) anti-ITV drama snobbery? Probably. I found out about it in a freakishly accidental way - Alan Davies mentioned it in passing on his (wonderful) Arsenal podcast, The Tuesday Club (I'm not even an Arsenal fan but this podcast is pure entertainment). I found a cheap copy and bought it, and was so glad I did. Six one-hour (minus ad-breaks) episodes is just simply not enough. I see it is dated "2001 -" with no cancellation date, so I live in hope, 19 years later... I have never really paid much attention to Russell T Davies' stuff before (I'll keep my thoughts on the All New Dr Who to myself, and I don't think the title of Queer As Folk was designed to entice a middle-aged straight man like me). The writing in B&R is some of the best I have ever seen. Every character has a depth and personality (maybe excepting the chattering girls and boys in the respective circles of friends) - there are strong, resonant plotlines involving not just the main characters but their families, their exes, and Bob's reluctantly ever-so-platonic friend Holly, played by the stellar Jessica Hynes - a flawed character who doesn't always act in her friends' best interests, but who breaks your heart all the same. If it were not for the stunning performances by Davies and Lesley Sharp as the eponymous couple, Hynes would have stolen the show. I had been put off Sharp by the poisonously man-bashing Scott and Bailey, but she is so, so good in this, whether hilariously throwing dignity to the wind by hanging around outside Bob's house like a lovelorn teenager, throwing a strop at her mother's get-together, or canoodling with Bob in a non-sickly, natural way. Even in 2001, this was a brave choice for Alan Davies. Once again, I hadn't seen much of Jonathan Creek but I did love his Chef comedy, Whites (still waiting for a new series of THAT, too! Only ten years in this case...) He is outstanding as Bob. Human, humane, kind, weak... The supporting characters have great storylines - there is a wedding scene that is as tense as anything in Breaking Bad, and the respective mothers are funny, honest and, again, heartbreaking. Finally, the Manchester locations are lovely. Please buy this, enjoy it and lobby for a new series.

A very good, very real love story. With some unusual circumstances.

[abs_is_back · 10/10 · 19 April 2013]

Bob and Rose is a terrific love story, full of humor, misunderstandings, sex, hurt, and love. Like most relationships. And it's a story that wraps you up in it; you root for this couple. You have to stay and find out what happens to them.

This story was really ahead of its time. Just like true racial equality will come when race is no longer even a subject, sexual equality will come when people no longer use labels and just love who they love, period.

Bob and Rose (as well as many of those around them) go through some confusion about their relationship because it doesn't fit the molds society has created. Their relationship would be much simpler if those molds didn't exist. But right now, they do exist.

What does it mean that Bob has always been gay, but is now in love with a woman? What does it mean that Rose is in love with a man who has always been gay?

It means they fell in love. That's all.

Bob maintains that he is a gay man who just happened to fall in love with a woman. He hasn't become "un-gay" or "changed teams," he just fell in love. This reminds me of what another Russell T Davies character said several years later: when Ianto Jones of Torchwood tries to explain his love for Jack Harkness to his sister, she asks when he became gay; his reply is that "It's not all men. It's just him." He just happened to fall in love with another man.

Would that the world let it be that easy. Hopefully one day it will be.

Bob and Rose is a very good, very real love story. There are realistic conflicts and problems and the solutions are not always clear-cut. It is well worth your time to watch it. And you're going to wish it was longer.

Very Funny

[mralexkaye · 10/10 · 13 January 2021]

Lots of brilliant one liners mixed up with a brilliant story line, LGB politics and romance.

This ain't no 'Will & Grace'

[dave bumsh uk · 2 October 2001]

I'm only a few episodes into 'Bob & Rose' as I write this, but the programme is already shaping up to be a far superior product to Russell Davies' last TV hit 'Queer As Folk'. Daring and provocative (and just damn-well needed) as that series was, it always smacked of 'preaching to the converted'.

'Bob & Rose' is a far more more mainstream affair than 'QAF', but in many ways is slowly proving to be more subversive. The characters in 'QAF' lived almost exclusively in the gay ghetto and thus the series sometimes seemed to avoid addressing the more common truth about those of us who attempt to live an open gay lifestyle whilst also operating in the 'real' world. By making 'Bob & Rose' a gay/straight affair, Davies has succeeded in telling a few home truths about the strained relations that exist within the supposed 'liberal' masses, who may be comfortable with gay lifestyles in the abstract, but who often react somewhat differently when faced with the less glamourised reality. The writer has, as a result, produced a far more profound and touching study of (shifting) sexuality than his - perhaps in retrospect - overrated last work.

Moreover, the language is frank and realistic throughout, avoiding the overbearing coyness that other gay/mainstream programming ultimately suffers from (I'm talking to you, 'Will & Grace'!)

One minor quibble, though, in relation to Alan Davies' character. I've been 'out' for almost 5 years now, and I have yet to have met any self-respecting gay man sporting a 'wet-look' shaggy perm. We're talking 'meek suburban white boy sporting early-eighties Rick James jeri-curls' here. Please sort your barnet out in time for series 2, sweetheart....

Witty, warm, provocative and honest

[Ozgal · 20 October 2005]

That rare combination in today's hypermedia, short attention spanned televisual world, Bob and Rose is witty, warm, provocative and honest storytelling.

The ever-prolific Russell T. Davies has delivered a small screen delight with a touching, funny, soul-mate saga that challenges and entertains. The show is awash with superb performances, Davies, Sharp and Stevenson a standout.

I can understand the subject matter provoking strong reactions, but I think that's surely RTD's point. Let's not forget he's the genius behind Queer as Folk - a refreshingly no holds barred writer, inclined to shake things up a bit whatever he turns his hand to.

Upstanding, outstanding television!

Problematic but just try to stop watching it!

[vitoruss · 4 December 2003]

The 2001 6-part series (each episode 45 minutes long) is finally coming out in the us on DVD. This was writer Russell T. Davies's follow-up to his QUEER AS FOLK. Although the gay male lead, Bob, continually says "I was born gay, I'm gay now, I'll die gay, I'll have a gay gravestone." but still he falls in love with (and has sex with) the female lead, Rose.

As the previous poster said, the problem with this is that there are misinformed people out there who believe that sexuality is a choice and that gays and lesbians could just CHOOSE to go straight. But, movies dont have to be politically correct and no one can fault Davies's commitment to gay enlightenment (his creation of Bob's mother as a fierce PFLAG mom certainly doesn't allow viewers to believe that this switch happens every day). The comedic and dramatic storyline concerns Bob's bewildered state of mind when he discovers that while he's totally gay, he's also in love with a woman and finds that one woman sexually attractive.

The miniseries is NOT saying that gays and lesbians can change their orientation through willpower. This is a specific story about one specific character, who is as baffled by this turn of events as are all his friends. So, should Davies not write a compelling story just because it could be taken out of context and used against us? Considering that innocent Bible verses are taken out of context and used as clubs of hatred, I guess NOTHING is safe. So, enjoy the characters and the story.

The cast is sensational; the editing is lightning quick like the original British QAF and the writing and direction is top notch. There's no way you'll be able to stop watching until you've finished all six episodes.

Its just a shame that the music soundtrack to the US DVD has replaced virtually all the songs that were on the double CD issued when the mini series ran in the UK in 2001. When will producers pay for the rights to the songs in both the US and UK? This same flaw effects the QAF dvds--which contains different music than copies of the original UK version did.

Great Writing. Little disturbing...

[crimmint · 26 December 2005]

Great writing. Stumbled into this cleaver story. Politically it was hard to view as a gay man but the great writing and solid plot made it enjoyable to watch. The premise that a politically identified Gay Man can find love with a woman seems far fetched. But this series story line, keeps you engaged and handles the topic intelligently and entertainingly. The various characters are well developed and believable. The plot has various ups and downs as you watch the series which are satisfying and well drawn. The actors portray the characters well although the English accents can be a little hard for an American ear.

Delightful comedy with depth

[kristinasc · 14 July 2002]

I have watched all but the last episode of this series and really look forward to finding out how the the story pans out. The characters are fully believable and likeable -warts and all. Alan Davies is developing into a credible actor and has shed the lisp (?) and the overgrown-boy-image.

Bob's mother (played by Penelope Wilton) is an absolute hoot and would drive any son to drink, gay or straight. A lovely, gentle series, funny but not shallow - it puts a smile on your face.

Would Jerry Falwell Approve?

[baker-9 · 21 June 2002]

I saw this program at a screening at the NY Gay/Lesbian Film Festival. While Bob maintains that he's still gay even though he's fallen in love and lust with a woman, I seriously doubt that's a concept most people would grasp, let alone believe. Even the British press who covered this program generally called it a "gay man goes straight" show, which I gather is not what Davies had in mind.

I didn't really buy what "Bob and Rose" is selling, but it was better written and acted than expected. What the show depicts may indeed occur once in a blue moon, but I was surprised that "Bob and Rose" painted a rather dreary picture of gay relationships (breakups, shagging in the alleyway) while turning the gay/straight relationship in to a complex, but finally positive and romantic experience. Double-standard, eh? And from a gay man like Davies, you'd expect better.

Back in 1978, there was an American film called "A Different Story," about a gay man and a lesbian who wound up falling in love, getting married, and having a kid. "Bob & Rose" has been called "mold-breaking" in the U.K., but it's not that far from the older film in many ways.

If someone really wanted to break a mold, they'd make a film about a straight male who finds himself attracted to a gay man, and finally falls in love with him. I wonder if audiences would embrace that scenario as readily as they do "Bob & Rose," or simply refuse to believe such things could happen, while more than willing to believe a gay man can "change?"

Crap

[oogy_boogy · 22 September 2003]

I watched this show with growing horror, the more and more i watched it the more i wanted to turn it off and put on something where it doesn't depict Gay lifestyle as hopeless, and that doesn't show that if the str8 women perserves then she shall recieve the holy grail of marriage and children, this series left me thinking "What the F***"

One of my major complaints is that now you can just hear the thoughts churning in every other gay parents head thinking "Ohhh, that could be our son!" Don't think so! I had nothing against the acting, nor the way the story was presented, i just didn't like the story itself. The idea that a gay man can go str8, and then leave it all behind while his gay friends are turning into old men and still shagging whatever it is they can, is horribly depressing.

I watched this with friends, they both liked it while i could utter what i thought was wrong with it, a gay man, shagging a str8 women in a train? And then he's completely horrible to her afterwards so Christ knows what happens next!

Most of my complaints with this series is that basically it is everything which most gay guys dont' want their parents seeing, we do not want our parents thinking that it just takes "the right girl" to snap us out of being "gay". Apparently it was written, or based on some guy and girl that the writer knew, well... Are you sure he was totally gay in the frist place? Most gay men consider women fun playful things, but never would consider sex with them EVER.

I don't like this series, i personally think that it should have never been made, but, i can't find a fault with the actors, their acting or the way the story is portrayed, it's a nice piece of work, it's just a terrible shame the story has to be about something which makes my blood want to boil.

Stop dreaming, it won't happen

[misaventuras · 5 October 2004]

Well, regretfully the road to hell is paved with good intentions. They wanted to present us with some sort of a pink story here but failed somewhere in the middle. First of all, there's no way a gay man is going to turn str8. That's kindergarten stuff everybody knows. Women make their greatest friends, buddies, whatever, but never ever are they to fall for them. If one does, he wasn't gay on the first place, just undecided or confused. But there's a good point here: Gay lifestyle can be as pathetic as str8 life is and yes, they worry about being old and alone in the road, and yes, they end up shagging older men. I have been surrounded by gay people for a long time, so I know how the song goes... Parental Advisory: If this series is based on a true story, that's 1 on 1,000,000,000. If your son is gay, he'll die gay. Hanging out 24/7 with cousin Isabella won't change him, so stop praying.