If I told you there was a practically perfect show out there for people who love cozy mysteries, British TV, and lesbians, would you believe me? I mean, obviously not, because if such a show existed we’d certainly be aware of it by now.
Or would we?
Related
For many years, we’ve been charting the existence of queer characters on non-queer shows, non-queer shows that feel like queer allegories, and all the other sneakily creative ways gay people have of turning shows not made for us into art that speaks to us. But we’ve been extremely remiss in not mentioning one of the ur-not-gay-gay shows of all time. I speak of the Clive Exton series Rosemary & Thyme, which gave us one of the greatest non-sapphic sapphic couples of all time.
Entertainment with an edge
Whether you’re into indie comics, groundbreaking music, or queer cinema, we’re here to keep you in the loop.
When horticulturist Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal) and ex-constable Laura Thyme (Pam Ferris) meet one another, they’re both on the verge of great change. In the pilot episode, Rosemary gets sacked from her university job and Laura’s husband leaves her for a much younger women. But do these two sit around nursing their sorrows? Hell no! They enter into a gay partnership with one another in the guise of a landscaping business that doubles as a detective agency. And because the women do everything together—living, gardening, and crime-solving—of course the show is not shy about showing us their sleeping arrangements. Two side-by-side twin beds, of course!
As you can see, this is all very heterosexual and straight, especially since every episode some middle-aged man proposes marriage to either Rosemary or Laura, and they always turn him down. Because again, this is a deeply heterosexual union in which there is just no room for men!
But do they ever—you know—address the fact that they’re two women sharing their lives and free time with each other? Sort of. In the first episode, some dude makes an offhand comment to Rosemary about her “partner” Laura, and we all know what he’s getting at. Rosemary gets all in a tizzy over this. “Just because we happen to live together and share a bedroom!” she says huffily. Well girl…it may surprise you to know that even the best of straight woman friendships usually draw the line at sharing a single bedroom with twin beds. But hey, what do I know!
Clive Exton, who wrote and directed several of the show’s episodes, also created the equally fantastic (and equally subtextually queer) Jeeves and Wooster series with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in the 90s, and while we don’t know his sexuality, it’s clear that as a writer, Exton excelled at creating memorable same-sex friendships and partnerships. He also had a lot to build on: using writers like Agatha Christie and P.G. Wodehouse as a starting point, he created brilliantly-plotted series that hold up to this day, many of them focusing on intimacy between friends—or co-workers—of the same sex.
But Rosemary & Thyme is one of his more intriguing creations. It’s a midlife crisis story with a twist, the twist being that you might, in your 50s, meet a woman who you like and get along with much more than your boring husband. Which, again, is a perfectly straight and hetero point to advance!
If you want to check out Rosemary & Thyme—and in these awful times, I suggest you do because it’s delightful—many episodes can be found on YouTube, or failing that, via BritBox. I hope you have a lovely, totally heterosexual time watching it!
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
