Banana
Writer/Director
Russel T. Davies. Banana focuses on a wider range of characters, and on more of the LGBTQ youth community. It follows different characters and different story lines in each episode, as opposed to Cucumber which focuses mainly on one character and one story line. The characters that make an appearance in Cucumber are explored in my depth in Banana and given their own story lines and spotlight, as well as new characters. It sometimes overlaps with the story line of Cucumber.
Setting
Canal Street, Manchester - same as Cucumber.
Characters
- Helen: Transgender. The first time a transgender actor has been cast as a transgender character in UK TV, played by Bethany Black. Her parents have always been very supportive of her. She is a victim of cyberbullying by her former stalker boyfriend. Appears in Cucumber as another resident who got evicted at the same time as Henry, Frankie and Dean from the same building.
- Freddie Baxter: Gay. Returns in Banana but does not have his own story line.
- Dean Monroe: Gay. Returns in Banana with more of his own story line. He paints his family as these horrific monsters who hate him for being gay, but in reality they are only concerned for him. He has a crush on Freddie.
- Scotty: Lesbian. She obsesses over people. After falling in love with a woman she sees in the supermarket, she then continues to stalk her. Appears in first episode of Cucumber.
- Sian: Lesbian. Her mother was a lesbian too, but after her childhood being filled with a string of her mothers lovers, she vowed to never be like her and therefore only dated men. However, she enters into a romantic relationship with Violet, but they eventually break up.
- Amy: Lesbian. Suffers with some mental health issues - can't stop obsessively thinking about everything that can go wrong, or how people can die. This means that she struggles with going on dates and finding love.