The Jack Murley Sports Show
Off The Pitch: Award-winning author Patrick Gale on writing, LGBTQ+ history and finding his voice in literature
Published: 29 May 2026 at 04:01 Europe/London
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Episode notes
Patrick Gale is one of the UK’s most celebrated novelists — and a storyteller whose life has been every bit as fascinating as his work.
From early days in a Notting Hill bedsit to life in a crumbling French château, Patrick Gale has lived a rich and unconventional life — working as a singing waiter, typist and ghost-writer before establishing himself as a leading literary voice.
By the late 1980s, Patrick had published his first novels and made the move to Cornwall — a place that continues to inspire his writing to this day. His work includes multiple acclaimed books and the Emmy Award-winning screenplay for Man in an Orange Shirt, a powerful exploration of LGBTQ+ lives across generations.
In this captivating conversation on The Jack Murley Sports Show, we talk about:
- Patrick’s lifelong love of reading and writing
- Breaking into the literary world
- Life in London during the HIV/AIDS epidemic
- The evolution of LGBTQ+ rights and representation
- Finding home and inspiration in Cornwall
Insightful, reflective and full of warmth, this is a brilliant conversation with one of the UK’s most important LGBTQ+ voices in literature.
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