Evan Davis: "Vicious was treated harshly by the critics"
The Dragons' Den presenter claims the "clichéd characterisations" in Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi's sitcom enlightened viewers without being scary
Despite boasting a star-studded cast that included Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi and Frances de la Tour, ITV sitcom Vicious was vilified by many critics earlier this year – something Dragons' Den presenter Evan Davis takes issue with.
Davis – who lives with his partner, French landscape architect Guillaume Baltz – comments on the portrayal of gay people on television, telling the new edition of Radio Times: "I believe Vicious was treated overly harshly by the critics. We enjoyed it and I don't think gay people mind some of the clichéd characterisations – they are enlightening to viewers without being scary."
He added: "It's useful to normalise the promotion of gay relationships, inasmuch as you ever get a normal relationship in comedy."
But while Davis commends the representation seen in Vicious, it's US sitcom Modern Family that he and his partner never miss.
"Every character has their own comedy value, from the conventional family to the old father with his Colmbian wife and stepson and the gay couple with their child," says Davis. "It is a very warm and lovely programme while being a bold political statement about the different families that exist today."
Evan Davis is interviewed in this week's edition of Radio Times, on sale from Tuesday
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