SIMON Fanshawe traces the history of the gay community in Brighton over half a century in a new TV programme.

It is called Brighton: 50 Years of Gay on BBC One South and South East and will be broadcast on July 31 at 7pm.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act and the subsequent decriminalisation of homosexuality, the popular broadcaster and gay rights campaigner charts the turbulent story of Brighton’s gay people over the last five decades.

Made by Brighton-based production company Factory Films, the 30-minute documentary highlights the major historical developments that have impacted on gay people, not only in Brighton, but across the UK.

This includes 1957’s influential Wolfenden Report, the devastating emergence of HIV and AIDS, the controversial Section 28 law of 1988, the emergence of the PRIDE movement and the legalisation of same sex marriage in 2014.

It features interviews with prominent figures from Brighton’s gay scene including comedian Zoe Lyons, broadcaster Melita Dennett and activist Simon Watney.

Mr Fanshawe said: “Meeting those who were leading voices in the early gay movement, I was bowled over by their modesty, their urgency at the time and their resilience.

“It was just not easy to lose your job, your health and be vilified to fight for your and other’s freedom.”