Originally Posted by
KornerKabin:
“I'm showing my age, but I remember watching it first time round on a tiny black and white TV that I was allowed in my bedroom! I was about 12 at the time. I had the volume down and sat right next to the TV so I could hear 



At the time I was, obviously, most taken by the depictions of gay sex, but when I rewatched it earlier this year, I was really struck by how interesting and deep the characters were, especially in series 1. Series 2 went a bit 'weird' but I think it worked well given the different format. Another thing that stands out is how open the show was in its depiction of underage sex. Stuart was nearly 30 and Nathan just 15 yet in the first episode most characters make a joke about them having slept together: "You're not the only one who had a child tonight". This was at a time when the legal age of consent for homosexual sex was still 18. I cannot imagine a scene like that airing today.
So many scenes from QAF were real and will stick with me forever. The two biggies, which I think are two of the show's most well-known scenes are Stuart rimming Nathan and then Nathan wanking off Christian in the changing rooms. I also love the scene when Nathan struts into school to 'Sexy Boy' by Air.
Just like you, I rewatched it after watching Cucumber/Banana to see how Russel T Davies had developed over the years. QAF was much more 'in your face', which was actually very much the late 90s style, whereas Cucumber was far more understated and mature. In fact, I think that Cucumber is far more powerful than QAF. I'm still making discoveries about Cucumber over a year later.
Vince's mum (Hazel) was also in Corrie in the early 90s. She also made the ghostly cameo in Lance's episode of Cucumber, playing the same character.”
When I was watching Cucumber last year I had the TV turned right down too!
I liked that line a lot but like you say it set the show really well and that it didn't shy away from anything. I did like Phil dying from taking drugs, as Stuart and Vince took drugs but they didn't die or get hospitalised yet Phil did and I liked that the show depicted it from different points of view, showing what could happen.
I liked those scenes also, particularly Nathan and Christian as it was unexpected. Christian was there talking about a girl pulling at his balls before she went home, then all of a sudden Nathan wanked him off without him doing anything apart from sitting there with his eyes closed. Even other scenes such as the homophobic car salesman were very realistic, as unfortunately there are people like that around.
That's interesting about Cucumber being more powerful. I really enjoyed the series and I liked how it interlinked with Banana and also Tofu. I could do with watching it again as it was really engaging, same with Banana.
I think Hazel is my favourite of the characters, she is just so brilliant and the kind of mum everyone would want.