I agree with most of your ramt - and the getting into speculation about which ones are gay sounds totally out of order!
One caveat: I'm making an assumption that the gay UK culture is as concerned about visibility as the gay US culture. If this assumption is faulty, that makes this explanation much more likely. If the assumption is accurate, I think that at least one couple would have wanted to be shown on camera just for the sake of visibility. I think I said something about this yesterday, but possibly not very clearly. My experience of gay culture here is this: there are a few activists in the Peter Tatchell mode, but mostly there are just people like JB, Graham Norton, Amy Lame, Sue Perkins, who openly admit their sexuality but don't make a big deal out of it. The vast majority of gay people in the UK I would say fall into this category. So I'm not surprised to see no evidence of furthering the cause. We just don't really do making a scene here.
It's far more likely, in my opinion, that if there is a gay guy still involved, or one who at least made it to the last 100, that once he's working there'll be some sort of 'oh by the way I'm gay'. That's what happened with a Pop Idol winner a few years ago - he wasn't involved with anyone during the show, so nothing was said about it, then he came out later to a loud chorus of 'yeah, and?'. Except from the blue-rinse, right-wing brigade who had a coronary, but no-one pays any attention to them.
I find it highly unlikely that the producers are deliberately editing out boyfriends, not just because of GN and JB, but because I genuinely don't think it's necessary. The demographic of viewers, the fact that it's musical theatre, the people involved, the fact that it's the BBC (who have a pretty good track record of standing up to people who complain about stuff like gay kisses), all make me think that there genuinely are no boyfriends, or if there are, they've chosen not to be on screen for whatever reason.
no subject
One caveat: I'm making an assumption that the gay UK culture is as concerned about visibility as the gay US culture. If this assumption is faulty, that makes this explanation much more likely. If the assumption is accurate, I think that at least one couple would have wanted to be shown on camera just for the sake of visibility. I think I said something about this yesterday, but possibly not very clearly. My experience of gay culture here is this: there are a few activists in the Peter Tatchell mode, but mostly there are just people like JB, Graham Norton, Amy Lame, Sue Perkins, who openly admit their sexuality but don't make a big deal out of it. The vast majority of gay people in the UK I would say fall into this category. So I'm not surprised to see no evidence of furthering the cause. We just don't really do making a scene here.
It's far more likely, in my opinion, that if there is a gay guy still involved, or one who at least made it to the last 100, that once he's working there'll be some sort of 'oh by the way I'm gay'. That's what happened with a Pop Idol winner a few years ago - he wasn't involved with anyone during the show, so nothing was said about it, then he came out later to a loud chorus of 'yeah, and?'. Except from the blue-rinse, right-wing brigade who had a coronary, but no-one pays any attention to them.
I find it highly unlikely that the producers are deliberately editing out boyfriends, not just because of GN and JB, but because I genuinely don't think it's necessary. The demographic of viewers, the fact that it's musical theatre, the people involved, the fact that it's the BBC (who have a pretty good track record of standing up to people who complain about stuff like gay kisses), all make me think that there genuinely are no boyfriends, or if there are, they've chosen not to be on screen for whatever reason.
Hopefully that makes sense...