Culture

I Kissed a Boy: Here’s how viewers responded to BBC’s historic gay dating series

By Sam Damshenas

15th May 2023

BBC Three’s historic gay dating series I Kissed a Boy has finally premiered, and viewers are hailing it as a “game-changer” for queer representation.

Hosted by pop icon Dannii Minogue and narrated by Bad Education star Layton Williams, the eight-episode series follows 10 singletons who are paired up – “with help from the IKAB Matching team” – and upon first meeting, share a kiss.

(Check out the cast here.)

“No small talk. No messages. Just one kiss to test out their chemistry straight away. Will it be a polite peck? Or a passionate snog? And ultimately, will that first kiss lead to love?” reads the synopsis.

“I Kissed a Boy is packed with explosive drama, gripping cliffhangers and powerful untold stories – from coming out in a strict religious family, to the pressures of body image in the gay dating scene, to navigating self-acceptance, sex and first same-sex relationships.”

The first two episodes launched on BBC iPlayer on Saturday (13 May) and viewers have responded with overwhelming praise.

“I Kissed A Boy on @bbcthree is a game changer. It’s funny, it’s real, it’s wholesome, it’s EXACTLY what a dating show needs to be without all the bells and whistles,” tweeted one fan. “It destroyed my initial expansions. It’s an absolute must watch not just for the queer community but for everyone.”

Another viewer described I Kissed a Boy as the “perfect post-Eurovision tonic” and “so much more fun and authentic than most shows of this genre”.

The soundtrack, which includes iconic pop anthems from artists such as Lady Gaga, Jessie Ware, Kim Petras, Carly Rae Jepsen, Donna Summer and, of course, Dannii, was also singled out for praise. One fan said that whoever was in charge of the music “should get free poppers for life”.

Check out the best reactions below.

https://twitter.com/dragondroptools/status/1657702039332200448

https://twitter.com/mattyadamhurst/status/1657981712700416000

In an interview with GAY TIMES ahead of its release, Dannii commended BBC Three for “finally” releasing the UK’s first-ever gay dating show.

“It’s such a great show. I am so proud of it,” she said. “I can’t believe it’s taken this long, from everybody wanting a gay dating show to there actually being one. It still blows my mind. And there’s so many other dating shows.”

Dannii also said she wants viewers to “come into” I Kissed a Boy “open minded”.

“All of my friends are like, ‘I never had a show like this growing up, how different would things have been?’ There needs to be a time where seeing guys kissing on a TV show isn’t a wild thing. It’s guys kissing,” she explained.

“How lucky we are to be in a country where we can launch a show like this. I’m sure there will be a lot of people watching the show that have said bad things about the community and not been supportive, and hopefully this shows them that not everyone is the same.”

You can read our full interview with Dannii here and watch the first two episodes of I Kissed a Boy now on BBC iPlayer.