Was my friend the first gay man in Britain to come out?

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When Christopher Stephens agreed to read out loud to an older blind man, Roger Butler, it was the start of an enduring relationship that changed both their lives. When Roger died, he bequeathed Christopher a pink folder containing letters to be opened after his death. In it were letters to Christopher himself, and meticulous instructions as to how Roger's unpublished memoirs (which made up many files of close-typed pages) were to be handled. Roger had always hoped his story would be told and Christopher wanted to honour that. But he soon realised one important letter was missing - and that if he could find it, it might just rewrite the history of gay liberation in Britain. Extracts from In the Light of Day by Christopher Stephens appear courtesy of Headline Press. Humberto Restrepo from Medellin in Colombia is a locksmith by day, but outside his working hours he plays Cupid by writing love letters for other couples. Clayton Conn reports. First broadcast in 2018. Canadian teacher Bruce Farrer wanted to set his students an assignment they would remember. And so he asked them to write a letter to their future selves. He would mail the letter back twenty years later, he explained. The assignment soon became a way of life for Bruce. First broadcast in 2015. Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 Photo: Christopher Stephens, Roger Butler, and one of Roger's letters Credit: Christopher Stephens Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Laura Thomas