Those who campaign tirelessly for disability rights and visability have no doubt been awaiting the airing of Then Barbara Met Alan, the new BBC drama which tells the true tale of those who fought for landmark civil rights changes for disabled people in the UK in the 1990s.
The film, starring Ruth Madeley and Arthur Hughes, is based on the story of activist couple Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth – she a comedian, he a musician – and their love story, subsequent activism and fight to get the Disability Discrimination Act passed through Parliament in 1995.
Beginning in 1989, the story begins when Barbara and Alan – who are both ambulatory wheelchair users – meet at a cabaret show, at a time when disability inequity was rife.
As the BBC synopsis puts it: “Many disabled people in Britain faced huge barriers in the workplace, lived in poor quality housing and could not even get on inaccessible public transport. At that time, the idea that the disabled community should be the grateful beneficiaries of charity handouts was commonplace, and far from being equal independent citizens, disabled people had no rights in law.”
A role model for everyone.
Barbara and Alan's connection is instant, and as well as falling in love, they went on to launch the Direct Action Network (DAN), an activist organisation that campaigned for disability “rights, not charity,” organising street rallies and protests to fight for accessibility and legislation – and taking down a charity TV show, Telethon, that encouraged viewers to feel sorry for disabled people rather than advocate for their rights.
It's a groundbreaking film, in star Ruth Madeley's own words, because visibility for disabled characters within film is still too rare. “I never saw anyone who looked like me on TV growing up,” she told British Vogue. “Disabled people never get love stories on-screen, so to have Barbara and Alan’s relationship, the intimate moments, at the centre of the film was really groundbreaking.”
Then Barbara Met Alan was written by BAFTA-winner Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, This Is England ’86, ’88 and ’90) and Genevieve Barr – and during filming, the cast and crew were made up of majority disabled, deaf & neurodiverse people.
Ruth recalled: “I remember looking around and seeing so many disabled people. I’ve never had that experience on set before.”
Speaking of the project, writer Thorne – who previously considered himself disabled after suffering a skin condition which affected his mobility – also told the publication: “Disabled people have become treated by society the way that society sees them reflected, and that’s as victims or bystanders. Make disabled people complicated, dangerous, heroes and villains, and then some parity might be achieved in society.”
Then Barbara Met Alan airs on BBC Two on 21 March at 9pm, and BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.
