Andy The Furniture Maker

A favorite from the archive. Andy the Furniture Maker remains the best known episode of Six of Hearts, an LGBT-themed series of documentaries made for Channel 4. It’s an invigorating glimpse of the 1980s gay scene, with visits to long-extinct Earl’s Court gay bars and rare on-screen appearances by stars of the 80s queer counterculture. Valuable commentary is provided by Jarman, production designer Christopher Hobbs and Royal Academy curator Norman Rosenthal, but Andy is undoubtedly the star of the show, cutting an iconic dash as he forages for arts materials in London wastelands or spins his latest outrageous story. Andy, a laddish Essex boy with a knack for creating gorgeous furniture from found wood, has had a life packed with excitement. He tells a string of riveting anecdotes with his trademark cocky swagger in this fondly remembered documentary. From his work as a rent boy to a spell stealing cars to his discovery by filmmaker Derek Jarman, Andy makes for a hilariously blunt and bawdy raconteur. Sadly Andy was injured in a bike accident some years after the film was made and died soon after. But this remains as a powerful testament to his unique talent and zest for life. It is also one of the documentaries that I am most proud of making. "Brilliantly upbeat sketch on rebellion ... fabulous" - Time Out