When Brian Hodgson joined the BBC in 1960, he found it a progressive environment to work in, even if old-fashioned attitudes were not uncommon. “The head of Programme Operations – a man I respected greatly – said he would never employ any homosexuals,” recalls Hodgson. “Had he stuck to that, he wouldn’t have had a department, because two thirds of us were gay.”
When Hodgson was young in the 1950s and 60s, homosexual activity between men was a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment. “It was something you just lived with,” he reflects sanguinely. “A lot of people of my generation said it was actually more exciting when it was illegal. One of my earliest boyfriends, Anthony Hall, was in the BBC Radio Repertory Company. That was when I started to convince myself I really was gay and not what we used to call ‘bi now, gay later’. I didn’t decide on my true sexuality until I was 26 or so.”
In the 1970s, Hodgson met the love of his life. Richard Pointing was a highly regarded wardrobe supervisor in the film industry, credited with such classics as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bugsy Malone and Reds. “Richard was very talented and, fortunately, we met before all the Aids thing started, and were faithful to each other.”
Hodgson had set up his own recording studio, Electrophon, in Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden, and was joined there by Canadian composer John Lewis. Together they produced some delightfully experimental albums. In 1984, Lewis was hired to compose the music for a Colin Baker Doctor Who story, but “John was diagnosed with Aids and died during the production”. As well as processing his grief at his friend’s sudden death, “I had to deal with The News of the World and The Sun on the phone. They published a list of Aids symptoms, which were like the common cold. The whole world went mad.”
In 2002, Hodgson and Pointing left London for the Norfolk Broads, where they opened a high-end restaurant in the village of Staithe. Hodgson was delighted when Doctor Who was revived in 2005. “Richard and I were devoted fans of Russell T Davies and his work from Queer as Folk onwards.” The Time Lord’s return also meant Hodgson started receiving royalties for the sound of the Tardis, which he’d cannily registered as a piece of music decades earlier. “It was a great help when Richard was on chemo for leukaemia because it meant we could afford treats. He was only 68 when I lost him in 2011.” They’d been together 38 years.
Reflecting on his legacy, he says, “I’m eternally amazed that people seem to value my contribution so highly. And I’m proud to have been associated with such a significant part of television history.”
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