Comedian Rufus Hound to star in upcoming gay drama series Cucumber

Comedian Rufus Hound has signed up to appear in Channel 4’s upcoming gay drama series Cucumber.

Queer As Folk creator Russell T Davies last year spoke about his plans for two new gay-themed dramas, Cucumber and Banana.

Cucumber, which will be broadcast on Channel 4, is set to feature Hound, alongside Vincent Franklin and Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh, who played the soap’s first transgender character.

Companion series Banana, which will air on E4, is aimed at a younger demographic, and will feature Luke Newberry, recently the star of zombie drama In the Flesh.

Hound’s character in  Cucumber will be Rupert, a man in hot pursuit of Henry, played by Vincent Franklin.

Also cast in the series are Father Ted actor Ardal O’Hanlon, and Doctor Who star Adjoa Ando.

On coming up with the series, Davies said: “I once read about a scientific institute which had studied the male erection.

“It divided the hard-on into four categories, from soft to hard. One, tofu. Two, peeled banana. Three, banana. And four, cucumber. Right there and then I knew I had my drama.”

Queer As Folk, which began in 1999-2000, ended after just two series. It spawned an American and Canadian series and had a longer run of five seasons.

In an exclusive 2011 interview, the producer first spoke about his plans for Cucumber, saying “It’s the best thing I’ve written in a decade.”

Cucumber, Banana, and online series Tofu are expected to air in 2015.

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