Revelations was a late-night soap opera created by Russell T Davies, Brian B. Thompson, and Tony Wood, produced by Granada and starring Judy Loe and Paul Shelley.[1] It aired in the Granada, Central and Carlton ITV regions between 6 October 1994 and 12 September 1996. The series is family drama about the family of the priest Edward Rattigan (Shelley) and his wife Jessica (Loe).[2] It follows and critiques the organisational structure of the Anglican Church at the turn of the millennium.[2]
In one episode, a female vicar, Joan (Sue Holderness), comes out as a lesbian in a two-hander with Mary Beckett (Carole Nimmons). It was the first openly gay character written by Davies, who would later go on to create and produce the gay-centric series Queer as Folk, Bob & Rose, Torchwood and Cucumber. Davies attributes the storyline to the "pressure-cooker nature" of the series leading to larger storylines, and the recent ordination of female vicars in the Church of England; Davies recalls that "when they introduced women to the church, I was thinking 'Yes! We can do a lesbian vicar!'".[2] He also revealed that a wedding storyline resulted in the groom falling in love with his best man, another landmark moment in TV.