Characters & Actors
 The Charles family
Leo Charles (played by Don Gilet)
Nick's first boyfriend, Leo is black, works for the council, rides a bicycle and lives in Willesden. He's cocky, sexually promiscuous and although intelligent, not an intellectual. He comes from a one-parent, very religious background, where his homosexuality is a secret, and has been supported in the past by Pete, an antiques dealer who now has Aids.
Despite the difference between the lives they are living, Leo and Nick form a close bond. Nick is left reeling when Leo mysteriously ends their affair at its most intense point, and it's only as the years pass that he begins to piece together the truth.
Though just a few streets away, Leo's world gives us a taster of life beyond the privileged drawing rooms of the Feddens.
Mrs Charles
Leo's mother, Mrs Charles, is a committed Christian. Her faith is central to her life, but prevents her accepting the truth about her son.
Floella Benjamin
The much loved presenter of children's shows Play School and Playaway in the 70s and 80s, Floella Benjamin was born in Trinidad. She recounted the experience of moving to Britain as a young teenager in her autobiography, Coming To England.
Since 1987, she has run her own successful TV production company, Floella Benjamin Productions*, making programmes such as CITV show Jamboree and an adaptation of Coming To England, in which Floella acted. Her other acting credits include Within These Walls and Angels.
She is actively involved in charities including NCH Action for Children*, Barnardo's and the Sickle Cell Society*. In 1999 she was on This Is Your Life, and she has been awarded both an OBE and a BAFTA Special Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to television.
Rosemary Charles
Leo's sister is close to him, but that doesn't mean the two don't have secrets from one another. Like her brother, she has problems reconciling her lifestyle with her mother's religious beliefs.
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Episodes
Backstage
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Related Links
Best of Drama
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Best of BBC
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