Cucumber (British TV series)

Cucumber

Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2015
Founder	Russell T Davies
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Television series
Parent	Channel 4

Cucumber is a British comedy drama television series from 2015, created by Russell T Davies and broadcast on Channel 4. The narrative delves into contemporary gay experiences, focusing primarily on Henry Best (Vincent Franklin), a man in his middle years. Following a disastrous encounter with his long-term partner Lance Sullivan (Cyril Nri), Henry's life begins to fall apart, compelling him to confront fresh personal obstacles.

The series had been in development since 2006 and was officially announced in November 2013 alongside its companion projects: E4's Banana and the web series Tofu available on 4oD. These titles are inspired by a scientific classification of male erection firmness, ranging from tofu to cucumber. Davies acknowledged this study as the creative impetus behind the show.

Cucumber aired for a single season, with Davies confirming no plans for continuation. The series garnered critical acclaim within the industry, including a nomination for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series.

Development

During his tenure as showrunner of Doctor Who, Russell T Davies developed Cucumber. Conceived as a spiritual sequel to the 1999–2000 Channel 4 show Queer as Folk, it was initially titled More Gay Men and centered on the lives of middle-aged gay men. The concept emerged from a question posed by Davies' friend Carl Austin in 2001: "why are so many gay men glad when we split up?" Although production was scheduled for 2006, Davies’ commitments to the revived Doctor Who delayed progress. By March 2007, he had completed the first episode script.

In correspondence with journalist Benjamin Cook, Davies highlighted a pivotal scene:

By 2008, after relocating to Los Angeles, Davies prioritized More Gay Men among several projects, including an American adaptation of Bob & Rose. The series was acquired by American cable channel Showtime and BBC Worldwide, entering pre-production in July 2011. However, this process was halted shortly thereafter when Davies’ partner Andrew Smith was diagnosed with a brain tumour, leading them to return to Manchester for medical care.

Subsequently, Channel 4 commissioned Cucumber, produced by Davies' former collaborator Nicola Shindler and the Red Production Company. This represented Davies’ first Channel 4 production in over ten years, following earlier disagreements involving reversed greenlighting decisions related to a spinoff of Queer as Folk and The Second Coming. Former Doctor Who producer Piers Wenger encouraged Davies to come back due to the show's significant political themes. By this stage, the project had expanded to include companion series Banana and Tofu. The names refer to a urological firmness scale—ranging from tofu, through peeled banana, and banana, up to cucumber—which is referenced in the opening narration of the series.

Cast

• Vincent Franklin as Henry Best
• Cyril Nri as Lance Sullivan
• Julie Hesmondhalgh as Cleo Whitaker
• Freddie Fox as Freddie Baxter
• James Murray as Daniel Coltrane
• Fisayo Akinade as Dean Monroe
• Ceallach Spellman as Adam Whitaker
• Con O'Neill as Cliff Costello
• Matthew James-Bailey as Tomasz
• Eleanor Worthington Cox as Molly Whitaker
• Darren Lawrence as Raymond
• Jamie Zubairi as Max
• Letitia Wright as Vivienne Scott
• Anjli Mohindra as Veronica Chandra
• Adjoa Andoh as Marie

Episodes

{{Episode table |background=#84e6ae |overall=5 |title=22 |director=20 |writer=22 |airdate=18 |country=UK |viewers=11 |episodes=

Reception

Sam Wollaston from The Guardian described the launch of the combined Cucumber/Banana/Tofu series as the "television event of the week," commending its candid portrayal of gay themes while emphasizing its accessibility to straight audiences. Mark Lawson identified a broader motif of "respectability meltdown," illustrating Henry’s swift plunge into social turmoil.

Lawson and Theo Merz of the Daily Telegraph drew parallels between this trilogy and Davies' earlier work, Queer as Folk. Although both Cucumber and Banana feature explicit sexual content, they reflect societal progress such as legalized gay marriage and reduced age of consent, rendering the material less contentious. Merz highlighted that unlike Queer as Folk, Cucumber portrays a more diverse spectrum of gay characters, alleviating the pressure of representing the entire queer community on television.

Gerard O'Donovan of the Telegraph lauded the opening episode for its sharp humor and dynamic scriptwriting. Conversely, Michael Hogan, also writing for the Telegraph, expressed dissatisfaction by the third episode, criticizing the protagonist for lacking emotional warmth.

Ellen E. Jones in The Independent offered a favorable critique, describing Davies' mix of tragicomedy as both touching and witty, with resonance that extends beyond exclusively gay viewers.

International broadcasts

The series Cucumber and its companion piece Banana debuted in the United States on Logo on 13 April 2015, drawing an audience of 55,000. The shows were also broadcast in Australia on SBS Television and in Canada via OutTV during spring 2015. In Germany, a dubbed version premiered on WDR on 30 July 2016, attracting approximately 70,000 viewers.