British Film Institute

Simon McCallum, programmer of the BFI's Gross Indecency season, introduces Victim, the 1961 film, starring Dirk Bogarde, that was a mainstream crime thriller unlike any other. The first English-language film to use the word "homosexual", Victim was a campaigning work, calling for an end to legislation that made homosexual relationships illegal and left thousands of men vulnerable to blackmail. Here Simon takes us through the making of the film and talks about the bravery of its star, a gay man who chose not to reveal his sexuality, but still to take a stand. The British Film Institute's podcast is an audio adventure through the BFI's archives. Each fortnight host Henry Barnes will be joined by a special guest to dig into their cinematic passion, be it an actor, a director, a genre, a franchise or meme. This episode of The BFI Podcast contains clips from the following: - Victim. Directed by Basil Dearden and released in 1961 by Rank Film Distributors. - Penny Princess. Directed by Val Guest and released in 1