A Gay Old Time
Welcome to 'A Gay Old Time' with Nigel May.This series is a celebration of a beautiful queer community; people of all ages, people who have had to tread their own path to live their real truth, who have fought with their emotions and emerged victorious, who inspire, who aspire and always entertain.Every week, I'll speak to a person from the LGBTQ+ rainbow to hear their story; one person, one life, one conversation. And I'll guarantee, a Gay Old Time!Follow us on instagram @agayoldtimepodcast Produced by Pineapple Audio Production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
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"I was so lonely, and I really didn't want to be gay" - with Darren Hayes
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Nigel's guest today is Darren Hayes. Darren became world famous as lead singer of the group Savage Garden. Between the group and his solo career Darren has sold over 30 million albums, achieved two US billboard number one singles and won countless awards. He was given the Order Of Australia, his home country, by the late Queen Elizabeth for services to the music industry. But behind the stratospheric fame Darren hid his true sexuality from himself and dealt with demons such as depression, a violent father and thoughts of suicide. His novel, Unlovable, which is out now, details his struggles...
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"The first performance I ever did in drag was my school pantomime in primary school" - with Ginger Johnson
Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Nigel's guest today is drag sensation Ginger Johnson, winner of Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Ginger’s brand of drag is quirky, colourful, campy and completely unique. She is a true cabaret maestro! But that’s hardly surprising when Ginger’s love of performing started at an early age. She has polished her craft to perfection. Winning the most famous drag show on TV has given Ginger the platform that she always wanted – one from which she can entertain, educate and inspire in her own exceptional way. Her journey to get where she is today, both professionally and personally, has been an ...
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"If I was starting out now, I would crawl through glass to get on RuPaul's Drag Race" - with Sherry Vine
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Nigel's guest today is Sherry Vine, a star with over 30 years of experience under her sequinned belt. Sherry has toured the world and appeared at countless Prides with her all singing powerhouse vocals and hilarious comedy routines. She is the dictionary definition of old-school cabaret entertainment. She has been honoured with The Glam Award for Living Legend and been named the HX Drag Queen Of The Year. She has her own entertainment programme The Sherry Vine Variety Show on TV and celebrity fans include Madonna and Boy George. This series is a celebration of a beautiful queer community; p...
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“I've got two people on my shoulder, one saying, do this, one holding me back” - with Aaron Renfree
Wednesday, 9 October 2024
Nigel's guest today is Aaron Renfree, choreographer to the stars and former member of the legendary S Club Juniors. As a choreographer Aaron has worked on countless hit musicals and TV shows like The Masked Singer, The Masked Dancer, Dancing On Ice and The X Factor. He’s strutted his funky stuff alongside pop stars like Nadine Coyle, Rachel Stevens and The Saturdays and he’s popped up as the choreographer in residence on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK teaching the queens a move or two. Aaron is a gay man, but for a long time he put his own sexuality on a back burner. This series is a celebration of...
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"No mum, I want to walk down the aisle with a man" - with Steve Grant
Tuesday, 1 October 2024
Nigel's guest today is Steve Grant. Steve is one of the most famous faces (and bodies) from the 80s UK pop scene. He was, and still continues to be, a member of Tight Fit whose pop tunes like The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Fantasy Island shot up the charts in the early 1980s. Steve’s appearance in a loincloth and not much else on Top Of The Pops when The Lion Sleeps Tonight hit number one, was a homoerotic dream and gave me, and doubtless countless other young queer boys their first sexual awakening. But Steve had to hide his own queerness to the world and later deal with the band imploding, h...
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“There is no expiration date on fierce, fabulous and funny” - with Jackie Beat
Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Nigel's guest today is legendary drag performer Jackie Beat. Her razor sharp comedy and hysterical song parodies have entertained people around the world for over thirty five years. Her one-woman show Jackie Beat Is A Whole Lotta’ Love ran for a record-beating eighteen months at hip New York cabaret spot, Fez. She has starred in Sex And The City, been in countless movies, one alongside Robert De Niro and has written material for everyone from Margaret Cho and Elvira through to Jennifer Coolidge and Sandra Bernhard. She’s also the lead singer of the Electroclash band Dirty Sanchez. She’s a b...
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"I definitely put on a straight persona. It's exhausting!" - Andrew Hayden Smith
Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Nigel's guest today is Andrew Hayden-Smith. Andrew rose to fame on the cult kids’ TV show Byker Grove in the late 1990s and early noughties and went on to be a pretty much permanent fixture on kids’ TV for many years. He was the poster boy for countless teen magazines and ended up hosting Children’s BBC, the most wholesome of telly jobs. So when Andrew decided to come out as a gay man at the age of 21 in the pages of Attitude Magazine it caused quite a splash. But thankfully this didn’t stop him from going on to star in popular TV shows like Hollyoaks, Dr Who and Cucumber.This series is a c...
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"From somebody who made it through, trust me, there's always something better on the other side" - with Gabbi Tuft
Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Nigel's guest today is Gabbi Tuft, an American wrestler, social media star, nutrition and fitness expert, and quite simply an inspiration.She is best known for her time in the world of WWE under the ring name of Tyler Reks. Gabbi thrived in that hyper-masculine world of but decided that something was not quite connecting in her life. She realised that she was in the wrong body and made the brave decision to confront her desire for change. She came out as a trans woman in 2021 and has now found her happy place. But the journey there was one that she nearly didn't survive. This series is a ce...
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"I'd rather forever live authentically than bend for anyone to change who I am" - with Daniel Franzese
Wednesday, 4 September 2024
Nigel's guest today is Daniel Franzese, an actor, comedian, activist, director, writer and singer. Daniel is probably best know for his iconic and highly quotable film role as Damian Leigh in the legendary flick Mean Girls. Daniel also played the key role of Eddie, a character living with HIV, in the TV show Looking. You may also know him as Donna Bellissima from his time on RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race. He is a queer Christian and hosts his own queer faith podcast and also works as an Ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS foundation.This series is a celebration of a beautiful que...
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"The world opened up once I was able to be comfortable with my sexuality" - with Jamal Sims
Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Nigel's guest today is Jamal Sims, choreographer, producer, director and star of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Jamal has worked with virtually every pop star on earth, creating moves for everyone from Miley Cyrus and Celine Dion through to Usher and Madonna. His first audition landed him a job alongside a certain Michael Jackson. Jamal’s career started big and has continued to grow ever since. His work alongside RuPaul has lead to Mamma Ru making him a permanent judge on the Drag Race Global All Stars season. He is now loud and proud about his sexuality but that wasn’t always the case.This series is ...
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"Two options: a slow suicide...or swallow what little pride I had left and reach out for help" - with Matthew Mitcham
Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Nigel's guest today is Matthew Mitcham, a true champion in the LGBTQIA world. Australian Matthew became the first openly gay athlete to win an Olympic Gold medal when he competed as a diver in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. But as he smiled with pride on the podium and became a role model to many Matthew had to also face the self-doubt and depression that had plagued him since childhood. His life has been one full of personal demons that he has had to deal with, including addiction and spells in rehab. Today Matthew, retired from sport, is a keen speaker, advocate and shining light in the wo...
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"If I'm a bug or a fairy or an elephant...I will be the gayest elephant you'll see because it's a wonderful life" - with Steven Carter-Bailey
Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Nigel's guest today is Steven Carter-Bailey. Steven rose to fame when he was the runner-up on his season of The Great British Bake Off. Since then he has continued to be one of the most popular bakers ever to compete in the most delicious tent on TV. He is now a successful businessman and has also become celebrity cake baker to the stars creating delights for everyone from Russell Tovey through to Sir Ian McKellen. Steven’s a proud gay man but his journey to his present day happiness has been one full of personal issues that he has carefully had to navigate. This series is a celebration of ...
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"I'm a hopeless romantic. I love the idea of love" - with Todrick Hall
Wednesday, 5 June 2024
Nigel's guest today is Todrick Hall. Singer, rapper, choreographer and as the title of his latest album says, Icon. His meteoric rise to fame on YouTube has been for the whole world to see and as a member of the queer community he continues to push back boundaries and fight injustices with his artistry. Whether it be onstage, on TV or on one of his countless dance tracks Todrick always brings his expertise to deliver the best results. He has worked with everyone from Taylor Swift and Beyonce, through to Mamma RuPaul herself and the legendary Chaka Khan. We think he is a master at what he do...
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"I was probably eight the first time they told us gay people went to hell" - with Brooke Eden
Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Nigel's guest today is Brooke Eden, country music singer and songwriter. These days Brooke is a proud gay woman, married to the woman of her dreams and able to sing about her love, life and relationship to her masses of fans with a feeling of beautiful authenticity. But when she was growing up in Florida dreaming of a career in music she had to keep her feelings hidden – because of religion and because of fear of rejection. Country music and queerness are not the easiest of combinations and for many years, Brooke hid her sexuality fearful of potential backlash. But after finding fame on Ame...
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"I started working at Disneyland when I was 19 and that is a very gay place to work" - with Jackie Cox
Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Nigel's guest today is Jackie Cox, a drag star who shone worldwide when she became a contestant on Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race USA.Born to a Canadian father and an Iranian mother, Darius Rose, aka Jackie Cox has become a unique and hugely talented and respected performer in the worlds of both drag, cabaret and theatre. Jackie was the first contestant in Drag Race herstory to walk down the catwalk in a Muslim-inspired outfit, something she was keen to do to both represent and educate as a nod to her own heritage. Jackie is a well-known soap opera star in America and was once crowned as P...
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"When the zombie apocalypse happens, baby, it's going to be full of queer people" - with Dominic Skinner
Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Nigel's guest today is Dominic Skinner, make-up artist extraordinaire and judge on the hit BBC TV series, Glow Up. Dominic has been a leading light in the world of cosmetics for many years, working at the top of his field and gaining an international reputation as the make-up maestro to work with. The public fell in love with him when he was picked to be a judge on the make-up TV show where he and fellow judge, Val Garland, get to say who glows and who goes. He is soon to be an author too with his first book Glowography, A Practical Guide To New Make Up. Dominic is a gay man who possesses a...
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"I really wanted to be able to talk about sex in a way that straight people do" - with Cazwell
Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Nigel's guest today is Cazwell, the groundbreaking rapper, record producer, DJ and songwriter. He’s been making music since the 90s and has never shied away from representing the queer community in his lyrics and his videos. In a genre of music where more often than not any kind of queerness has always been considered taboo, Cazwell was and always has been unapologetically brilliant at pushing back the boundaries of prejudice and making music that doesn’t just deliver the bop it also serves to represent and deliver a strong message. He is the favoured go-to for many Rupaul Drag Race girls w...
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"If I embrace everything I have been taught to hate about myself there's power in that" - with Miss Coco Peru
Wednesday, 1 May 2024
Nigel's guest today is Miss Coco Peru, drag royalty who has been a household name in the queer community for over 30 years. Her list of achievements is incredible – from starring in films like To Wong Foo and Wigstock, through to raising funds for LGBTQ causes with her iconic Conversations With Coco events. The list of people she has worked with includes everyone from Liza Minnelli and Jane Fonda, to Lily Tomlin and Bea Arthur, who became one of Coco’s close friends. She is a passionate activist with her unflagging support of the LGBTQIA community and firce dedication to AIDS related charit...
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"I got to know Divine quite well...he was a bit wary of me at first." - with Hazell Dean
Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Nigel's guest today is iconic pop star Hazell Dean, who has been lighting up dance floors as the Queen Of Hi NRG since her iconic queer anthem Searchin’ (I Gotta Find A Man) became a massive smash back in 1984. Her back catalogue of other incredible tunes includes Who’s Leaving Who, Maybe We Should Call It A Day and Whatever I Do. Hazell is a gay woman and a huge Trans Ally and supporter of Trans Rights. She is Patron of Pride in Surrey and has featured on the Pride Power List as one of the most influential LGBTQ people in the UK. She recently celebrated 40 years of Searchin’ with the relea...
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"They told me not to be slutty at breakfast!" - with Jimbo
Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Nigel's guest today is Jimbo, a drag star best known for competing in the first season of Canada’s Drag Race, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Vs The World and for winning Drag Race All Stars. She is a pure drag icon garnering international recognition for her show-stopping looks and shows that astound crowds with their creativity and leave audiences screaming for more. Jimbo is a designer with a huge background in theatre and is unique in the world of drag. Her worldwide tour Jimbo’s Drag Circus has been described as the “weirdest show on Earth” and feature many of her outrageous characters. This ser...
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"I got fired from the bank for wearing women's clothing to work" - with Peppermint
Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is Peppermint, a true trailblazer in the worlds of drag and transgender rites.She is an actress, singer, songwriter, TV personality, and activist. When she was announced as a contestant on Season 9 of Rupaul’s Drag Race USA she became the first transgender woman to come out prior to the show airing.On stage she became the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway and her music career has seen release many successful dance tracks that don’t just bring the bop, they also bring a message of what it’s like for a black transgender woman li...
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"I was very traumatized. It isn't normal to be burying your friends when you're 23" - with Paul Burston
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is Paul Burston, journalist and author and a man who has been described as the senior statesman of queer culture.He edited the LGBT section of Time Out magazine for many years and is the author of many best-selling books. He is also the curator and host of the award winning Polari Literary salon and founder of the Polari Prize book awards for LGBTQ+ writers.He has been on the frontline promoting freedom, equality and LGBGTQ+ rights around the world for decades. He is a Rainbow List National treasure and former AIDS activist with ACT UP London. Alongsid...
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"Going for drinks with a random guy at three o'clock on a Wednesday" - with Bright Light Bright Light
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is Rod Thomas, probably better known by his pop star name Bright Light Bright Light.Rod has been releasing excellent pop music since 2012 and always shines as an example of how to continually strive forwards with their artistry and music despite the restrictions of being an independent artist.Born and raised in Wales, Rod now lives in New York which is where he feels most at home. His talent has seen him touring with Cher, with the Sister Sisters and recording songs with one of his childhood heroes, Elton John. He has recorded five studio albums and hi...
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"For a long time, I had guilt having sex" - with Jean-Pierre Barda
Tuesday, 5 March 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is Jean-Pierre Barda, best known as one of the members of the fabulously flamboyant Swedish pop group Army Of Lovers who first splashed onto the music scene in the UK back in the early 1990s with the massive disco anthem Crucified. Nigel remembers seeing the video for the song for the first time and watching the eye-linered Jean-Pierre reclining in a bath fanning his hairy-chested self and pretend sword-fighting in not much more than a loincloth and falling in love with the sheer gay-fabulous nature of it. It was camp, it was sexual, it was beautiful a...
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"I was a very bad dominatrix" - with Margaret Cho
Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is actor Margaret Cho.Margaret is a comedian, actress, advocate, entrepreneur and multiple Grammy and Emmy nominee. She has been named by Vogue magazine as one of the top nine best female comedians of all time. Margaret started performing comedy at the age of 14 and now performs to sell-out crowds around the world. She is openly bisexual but isn’t sure if that is exactly the right term for her gender. She is a huge champion of LGBTQIA+ rites and admits to being obsessed with gay men. It was Cho who launched a website promoting the legalization of gay m...
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"There's a big difference between being a gay dad and a gay daddy, as my DMs will attest to" - with Charlie Condou
Tuesday, 20 February 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is actor Charlie Condou. Charlie has been acting since he was a boy and gained huge recognition for his role as Marcus Dent in Coronation Street as well as roles in other hit TV series such as Holby City and Gimme Gimme Gimme. He has been a leading light of both stage and screen and also a trailblazer in championing LGBTQ+ rights. He lives with his husband and their two children in London and has been a huge advocate for LGBTQ families and same sex parenting. He was once named as Attitude Magazine’s Man Of the Year and has popped up on many a Pride Pow...
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"When I've finished being a boy I'm going to be a lady" - with Adele Anderson
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is Adele Anderson, Olivier-nominated singer and actress and best known as one third of the glorious camp cabaret act Fascinating Aida. She has been with the group since 1984 and still continues to tour the globe as the trio celebrate four decades of entertaining. She is a proud transgender woman who underwent her sex reassignment surgery back in the 1970s and details that moment as the moment she started to live her true life. Her life is as interesting and as compelling as one of Fascinating Aida’s fabulous songsThis series is a celebration of a beaut...
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"I have always identified as an in-between" - with Trinity the Tuck
Wednesday, 7 February 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is Trinity The Tuck, one of the most loved and recognisable drag artistes there is. Today we see her as a confident, beautiful multi-title winning Drag Race girl starring alongside Taylor Swift with millions of fans but Trinity grew up in Alabama, a place where her sexuality and identity made it hard for her to blend in. Her upbringing was tough and full of tragedy. But her journey into the world of pageants and dance and her quest to let her true self shine has led her to where she is today. She identifies as non-binary and decided to tell the world o...
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"I really stepped into my gayness and I rubbed it in your face" - with John Partridge
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is John Partridge, one of the UK’s busiest and most popular actors. As well as a star of stage and screen, he has also released his own music, acted as a telly judge, and starred in many a reality TV show, including his victory on Celebrity Masterchef and his turn on Celebrity Big Brother. On TV he is best known for his portrayal of Christian Clarke in EastEnders, an openly homosexual character who was an inspiration to many. He was once named Entertainer Of The Year at the Stonewall Awards. He has toured theatrically in many a much loved production in...
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"Just like any good homo, I'm gonna write a musical to protest" - with Jonny McGovern
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Hosted by Nigel May, whose guest today is Jonny McGovern, American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, songwriter, podcaster and show host. Jonny is known as the sharp-talking host of chat shows Hey Qween and Look At Huh! on which he interviews iconic celebrities, including drag queens, musicians, actors, adult film stars, and prominent figures within the LGBTQIA+ community. As a musician he has travelled the world as his alter-ego The Gay Pimp and his hit single Man Areas has clocked up over 22 million streams on Spotify. He is openly gay and the dictionary definition of daddy…This series ...
