Alexandra Taylor: Writer

I never see myself portrayed on TV. In fact, I rarely see characters like my friends or family, or the worlds I inhabit, on screen. And that's OK. I'll happily watch dramas about lawyers or aliens or Russian nuclear disasters. But the stories and characters that really hit home, that take over my head and my heart to the point where I'm heading to online discussion forums, reading the scrips, watching YouTube interviews with the writers, even penning my own fan fiction - those are the ones with worlds and characters that I know, that I've met, that I understand and relate to. It just happens so rarely that when it does it hits me like a sledgehammer. The first time I remember feeling that punch was with Queer As Folk. I knew people like that, I understood that world. The bars, bitchiness and hedonism of Manchester's Canal Street reflected my own experiences of Birmingham's gay village. I was seeing an aspect of my life portrayed on screen for the first ...

Moseley village, Saturday afternoon. It’s a sunny day, and the pavements are busy with shoppers popping in and out of doorways, clutching bags, window shopping and meeting friends. But one figure isn’t going anywhere. She stands in the same place every weekend, whatever the weather. Some people ignore her, some say hello, some stop and chat, but eventually they all move on, leaving her where they found her, ready to talk to the next passer by. Romanian-born Daniela Pueka has been selling the Big Issue outside the Co-op in Moseley for over five years now, and has become one of the village’s most familiar faces. But how many people actually stop to get to know her? As it turns out, quite a lot. When I arrive she is talking to someone and our subsequent conversation is constantly punctuated by people calling out ‘Hi Daniela!’ and ‘Morning!’ as they come and go.  Daniela’s English is quite basic, and my Romanian is non-existent, so our ability to communicate was fairly limited....