Tom Shkolnik’s beautifully observed The Comedian (2012), in which a possibly gay, possibly bi thirtysomething (Edward Hogg) tries to make it as a standup in the capital, also narrowly missed inclusion. We have to gauge if they are willing sex workers or if they have been brought here on false pretences. If you include men offering sex on classified sites like Craigslist and Backpage as well as social media sites, that figure rockets to almost 2,000. Otterj has worked extensively with the queer party producer Honcho, whose underground queer sex-positive aesthetic fits well with Otterj's vision. We’ve narrowed down the list to films easily available on DVD, although honourable mention must go to the über-rare Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969), a swinging slice of the 60s that hinted at interracial homosexuality.

gay films | BFI 10 great British gay films | BFI

The British ‘kitchen sink’ dramas, focused around working-class lives, that prevailed in the late 50s and early 60s occasionally contained sympathetic gay characters, such as Murray Melvin’s student in A Taste of Honey (1961) and Cicely Courtneidge’s ageing actor in The L-shaped Room (1962).

Yet despite their often taboo nature, films with gay characters have been around since the silent era. Clearly in some ways the police have had to change the way they operate attempting to understand how these networks operate online.

Council Lads - for lad’s into Council, Chav, Scally, Trackie

It’s a super play, but the film just about trumps it, thanks especially to the performances – Glen Berry retired from acting, Scott Neal played another gay role in The Bill, while the scene-stealing Linda Henry became a fixture on Bad Girls and EastEnders. Victim was released four years after the publication of the Wolfenden report, a paper which recommended that male homosexuality no longer be regarded as a criminal offence. Premises shared with someone else who works on alternate days or weeks will still count as a brothel, even though there is never more than one person working at any one time. I couldn't believe that they were bold enough to do this in front of others who were bound to have been watching.

Though some of the women are rough sleepers many sofa surf, stay with punters or remain in abusive relationships. One particularly startling statistic is that many of these men told charity workers they started doing sex work from as young as 14. This favourite remains one of the sweetest of all gay films, telling the story of two troubled boys – one bullied at school, the other at home – who find love in each other’s arms.

Scally Lad Scally Lad

Homosexuality is just one of the topics covered in Hanif Kureishi’s ambitious, Oscar-nominated screenplay, which also takes on racism, culture clash, and the state of Thatcher’s Britain. Though it’s the oldest profession, it really has changed so much,” says Detective Constable Chris Nield. Additionally, his work has been featured in Butt magazine as well as a number of galleries coast-to-coast.Ken Robertson is very good as the antihero, especially in the film’s best scene, when the teacher comes out to his homophobic class and confronts their prejudices. Now Nighthawks can be re-evaluated as an invaluable time capsule of the late 1970s gay scene, in the liberated period between decriminalisation and the outbreak of AIDS. In addition to photographing several of its parties, he has hosted several blowouts on his home turf in Denver.