BBC News have just reported that thousands of gay and bisexual men found guilty of decades-old sexual offences in England and Wales have been posthumously pardoned. The new law is being referred to as the “Alan Turing law” after the codebreaker and computer pioneer who was posthumously pardoned in 2013 for his 1952 conviction for “gross indecency”. In the final section of “A Man From The Future”, performed as part of the Proms in 2015, we referred to “an exception” being made for Turing while “the convictions for ‘gross indecency’ of tens of thousands of other men, dead and alive, remain unpardoned.” This injustice has now been corrected. Full report at the BBC link below. Neil x
Pet Shop Boys are pleased to announce the forthcoming album release of “A man from the future”, along with a special listening and conversation event in Manchester to mark the occasion.
Recent Pet Texts
Thanks to Ian McKellen for introducing us at the Attitude Awards in London last night with a wonderful speech! We’ve known him since we made the “Heart” video in 1988 and it was lovely to see him again. x
Photo: Vita Spalding
In a new BBC Bitesize interview, PSB and Andrew Hodges discuss their new collaborative album, “A man from the future”, which is out this Friday, and share the advice they would give their younger selves. Neil and Chris also remember their first days at school and explain how the technology that Alan Turing pioneered is at the heart of the Pet Shop Boys sound. Available to watch in the UK and to read at the link below.
The original cast recording for “Closer to Heaven” by Jonathan Harvey and Pet Shop Boys was released 25 years ago this week, following several months of shows at the Arts Theatre in London throughout 2001. The musical features Frances Barber as Billie Trix and has since returned to London theatre stages several times, most recently at the Turbine Theatre in 2024.
Pet Shop Boys would like to thank Stuart Maconie for giving “A man from the future” its world premiere on BBC 6 Music tonight. The album was played back in full, while Neil, Chris and Andrew Hodges enjoyed chatting to Stuart about Alan Turing, Kraftwerk and the Beatles, among other things. Available to listen via BBC Sounds.
Happy Birthday, Chris!
Photo by Eva Pentel
In advance of Sunday evening’s broadcasts of “A man from the future” on Radio 6 Music and Radio 3, BBC 4 TV in the UK tonight will be showing three PSB shows: “Pet Shop Boys at the BBC”, “Reel Stories” and “Radio 2 in the Park” (2024 PSB concert). And streaming on the BBC iPlayer is the 1997 film, “Breaking the Code”, a factual drama about Alan Turing. Links below.
Last night I went to a preview of Es Devlin’s spectacular exhibition at the Design Museum in London. Her career as a magical artist and designer of theatre, music shows and events is brilliantly laid out (and includes some of her designs for us). The show opens on Friday — link below. Neil x
(Photo with Nick Rhodes, Sadiq Khan and Es by Angela Becker.)
Pet Shop Boys’ classic “Suburbia” was released on this day 40 years ago. The music video was directed by Eric Watson and filmed in the suburbs of San Bernardino and Duarte in Los Angeles and in Kingston-upon-Thames in Greater London.