Then Barbara Met Alan: cast with Ruth Madeley and Arthur Hughes, is it a true story and when is it on TV?

Then Barbara Met Alan is a new BBC one-off special which tells the true story of two disability civil rights campaigners, Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth, who fell in love whilst fighting for equality.

The pair were instrumental in pressuring the government to act on issues of disability discrimination.

The BBC comedy drama finds humour in the seriousness of the battle for disability rights, a struggle which is part of Britain’s recent history and continues today.

The programme is set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the period when Barabara and Alan started campaigning and putting their safety on the line in the name of progress.

This is everything you need to know about the true story behind Then Barbara Met Alan.

Who is Barbara Lisicki?

Lisicki is a disability rights activist, comedian, and founder of Disabled People’s Direct Action Network (DAN).

When Lisicki was 14 she developed symptoms of Still’s disease and spent more than a year at a special hospital where she used a wheelchair.

In 1988 Lisicki entered the world of stand-up comedy, performing in a cabaret in London.

Through DAN, Lisicki became involved in acts of civil disobedience and protests as part of her fight for the rights of disabled people.

These nonviolent acts included chaining herself to buses and blocking roads.

Who is Alan Holdsworth?

Like Lisicki, Holdsworth, who uses a wheelchair, is also a disability rights activist and comedian.

He told iNews that when he was campaigning for accessibility on public transport and police arrested him, they couldn’t get Alan into the police van or police station because they weren’t accessible.

Holdsworth and Lisicki coined the slogan “piss on pity” to highlight the patronising way disabled people were treated.

When did Barbara meet Alan?

The pair met in Milton Keynes when they were both performing in the Disability Arts Cabaret in 1989.

The couple had a baby and they took part in activist events together.

Between 1990-92 they demonstrated against ITV’s block telethon events, which they believed made disabled people a subject of pity.

They organised a group of 1,000 protestors who blocked access for celebrities to ITV studios, leading to ITV ending its telethon after 1992.

Through DAN, Barbara and Alan had their greatest success, pushing the ConservativeConservaive government to pass the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 which made it illegal to discriminate against disabled people in relation to employment, the provision of goods and services, education and transport.

The act, which was replaced by the Equality Act in 2010, was a landmark step in improving protections for disabled people in the UK.

Who plays Barabara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth on the BBC show?

Ruth Madeley plays Barbara.

Madeley previously played Tracey McHarrie in Cold Feet and Ingrid Woodhouse in The Rook.

She is due to appear on the first episode of the upcoming series Disability Monologues and the drama film The Almond and the Seahorse.

Arthur Hughes plays Alan.

Hughes’ previous roles include playing Ryan in gothic horror series The Innocents.

He played Tim in the Coronavirus drama Help alongside Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham.

Where can I watch Then Barbara Met Alan on TV?

Then Barbara Met Alan will air on BBC Two at 9pm on 21 March.

You can watch the programme live, and on iPlayer shortly after it is first broadcast.

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