Brighton: out the Closet

Over the decades, Brighton has developed into a Mecca for Britain's gay population. This programme is a unique gay observational documentary series which follows the lives and loves of Brighton's gay community - some enjoying the gay scene to the full, others opting for a quiet life.

Millie and Ginette, both in their sixties, found each other and love four years ago. For Millie it was a surprise: "I expected loneliness in my old age, but I didn't get it, did I?"

Twenty-year-old Keran has only just moved to Brighton - it's his first experience of a big gay scene and it's taking him a while to settle in. Love currently eludes Brian (55), who was born in Brighton, but his life is far from empty. After a 20-year career in the Navy, he is now a propmoter with a wide circle of celebrity friends and a part-time cabbie with a reputation for organising hot and steamy hen nights!

Freddie is another of Britain's long-term gay residents - he's lived there for 20 years and runs the town's gay cafe and sex shop. His sharp sense of humour makes him a popluar character but, as big business moves in to chase the pink pound, Freddie wonders whether his cafe will survive.

Just up the road, a disused shop ios being transformed into a trendy bar for women. Kim and Kimberley, who also run London's highly successful Candy Bar, are sure of its potential. The series follows them as they try to succeed where others have failed. PJ and Jamie have their own challenge to face - they're on the organising committee for the Brighton and Hove Pride 2000 festival. But they're not experienced organisers and have a lot of work to do to make the biggest social event of the gay calender happen.

In the first edition Brian has booked his usual hen-night staples - a drag queen and male strippers. But when the main act disappears, he wonders who will be stripping...

Jo never wanted a relationship with a woman who had a child, but when she met Hannah, they fell in love and she decided to take the risk. And young and handsome Philip, who is HIV positive, has arranged a blind date with a gorgeous guy he's seen on the Internet.

In the second edition we meet Dave, a 35-year-old successful businessman with two children and a wife - except that he no longer lives with them as, two years ago, he realised that he was actually gay. Now he's a regular on the scene, making up for lost time.

For Joe, a paramedic, night life in Brighton means street fights, drug overdoses and drunks. He likes to think he does his job with that extra flair which comes from being gay but, when dealing with street fights, he believes he needs to keep his gay flair to himself. Millie and Ginette have both been married but now, in their sixties, they believe they have found the perfect relationship, with each other.

The third edition follows Freddy who runs a gay cafe and sex shop which is the only place where you can sit comfortably, have a coffee and cake, and, at the same time, buy a dildo. But as Brighton's gay village becomes more commercial, how will Freddy survive the stiff competition?

Dave's nightly ventures onto the gay scene are coming to an end. He's found a gorgeous man, and this time, he wants him to stay in his life. And Millie and Ginette are off on holiday, but they can't decide whether to go gay or straight.

In the fourth programme, Freddy recharges his batteries with a camp camping trip and returns to the gay cafe and sex shop with a plan which should lure in more customers. Meanwhile, Dave's new relationship takes an interesting turn and Joe the paramedic realises that straight people have it just as bad as gays. Teenager Keran finds that running away to gay Brighton isn't all a bowl of cherries.