Virgin Radio’s Tom Allen celebrates 10th anniversary of same sex marriage with ‘Big Gay Wedding’ TV show

Virgin Radio

19 Mar 2024, 10:39

Tom Allen is set to become a star wedding planner in a moving new BBC show which will celebrate a decade of same sex marriage in England and Wales.

The Virgin Radio weekend show presenter will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the nations’ first gay wedding by organising a dream wedding for Brighton-based couple Adam and Dan.

Big Gay Wedding with Tom Allen will see the comedian go “full fairy godmother” in order to make sure the happy couple’s special day is one to remember. 

Joining him for the fun will be several showbiz friends including dancer Oti Mabuse, The Great British Bake Off’s John Whaite, ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and stylist to the stars Nick Hems.

As the show’s synopsis explains: “As Tom helps the lucky couple arrange the wedding of the year, he reveals the extraordinary story of the fight for equal marriage, meeting the LGBTQ+ trailblazers who helped make this day possible including Sandi Toksvig, Peter Tatchell, Lynn Sutcliffe and Sarah Hews.”

Tom will also meet some of the political figures who were instrumental in the passing of the bill, including Dame Angela Eagle, Lynne Featherstone, and Lord David Cameron.

“In the one-off film for BBC One and iPlayer, Tom will reflect on his own experiences of growing up gay as he considers how far LGBTQ+ rights have advanced,” the show’s synopsis continues. “It will culminate in the wedding of the happy couple, in a joyous celebration of love, community and hard-won equality.”

Speaking about the show in a statement released today (19th March), Tom shared: “When I was growing up, the idea that gay people could be accepted by society, never mind get married was as mad as a sack of chihuahuas. 

“Now every year, thousands of same sex couples get married, and that’s certainly something to celebrate. Now two people can say they love each other in front of their friends and families and have it recognised by all of us in society, and that’s a wonderful thing.”

Sharing what he hopes viewers gain from the documentary, Tom added: “I hope it's a sense of hope about what can be achieved when people work together. I hope it's an understanding of how difficult it has been, and continues to be, for queer people to exist in the world. Beyond that, I also hope it's a sense of gratitude for how far we have come, and to not take that for granted.”

Big Gay Wedding with Tom Allen will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the near future.