Matthew Todd
Encyclopedia
Matthew Todd is a playwright, stand up comedian and journalist. He is the author of the critically acclaimed play Blowing Whistles and is currently the editor of the UK gay magazine Attitude
and was nominated by the British Society of Magazine Editors as Best Editor of the year 2009, 2010 and 2011 in the 'Men's magazines' category alongside the editors of GQ, Mens Health and Esquire amongst others.
He appears on the Kate Silverton Show on BBC Radio Five Live as a monthly debate panelist and appears regularly on TV and radio including on BBC News 24, The Truth About Take That (Channel 4), Out To School (Channel 4), The Most Annoying Celebrities of 2009 (Sky One) and Take The Mike (ITV1) amongst many others.
He has written for The Guardian
, The Sun
, Heat!, 'The Evening Standard,What's On in London, Top of the Pops
, and Time Out.
For Attitude he has interviewed celebrities including Madonna, Daniel Radcliffe, Adam Lambert, Gareth Thomas, Armistead Maupin, Stephen Gately, Boy George, Bette Milder, Kathleen Turner, Harvey Fierstein, David Furnish, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Victoria Wood, Alan Carr, Stephen Fry, Graham Norton, Anthony Sher, Sir Ian McKellen, Peter Tatchell, Paul O'Grady, Ricky Gervais, Russell Brand and the Pet Shop Boys. He conducted Madonna's only UK gay press interview, Daniel Radcliffe's first and only gay press interview in the world, gay rugby player Gareth Thomas's first gay press interview, Boy George's first national magazine interview after he came out of prison and Stephen Gately's first interview after he came out in The Sun.
Todd worked for gay rights group Stonewall in the early nineties before joining Attitude magazine as editorial assistant in 1996. He subsequently worked at both Top of the Pops and Live & Kicking magazines and was the lesbian and gay editor of What's On in London in 2006-2007. He has been the editor of Attitude since May 2008.
As a stand up comedian Todd played numerous clubs in London, Brighton, Leicester and Bristol and was a finalist of the Mardi Gras Comedy Competition and The Big Big Big New Act Competition. In 2004/5 he ran and hosted a popular weekly comedy night at the Yard bar, Rupert St London at which performers such as Marek Larwood and Greg Davies of We Are Klang, Shazia Mirza, Simon Amstell and Alan Carr all made appearances.
Todd is a supporter of the work of gay psychologist Alan Downs (author of The Velvet Rage which Attitude based an issue around in September 2009) and also gay therapists David Smallwood and Joe Kort, all of whom currently write for Attitude. He is also a firm supporter of environmental organisations and charities and created a facebook group called Green Gays.
centers around gay culture and the difficulties it presents gay men. It had a first run in June 2005 at the Warehouse Theatre
, Croydon, where it was directed by Phil Willmott
. Following this it was performed at Sound Theatre, off Leicester Square, London, in 2006, and it has since seen productions in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fire Island (New York), Boston, Palm Springs and Fort Lauderdale.
It returned to London transferring to the Leicester Square Theatre in 2008 in a production by Jonathan Altaras, directed by Pete Nettell who directed the Sydney production. It received positive notices from such diverse publications as the gay press through to the right wing Spectator. The London Evening Standard
compared it to Henrik Ibsen
's A Doll's House
, and The Stage
compared it to the work of Larry Kramer
.
Editor of the Year (Mens Magazines) 2009, 2010 & 2011.
Campaign of the Year (For 'Issues Issue: How to be Gay & Happy) 2011
Stonewall awards:
Journalist of the Year 2011
Attitude nominated for Publication of the Year 2010
In 2009, Todd moved up five places to 85 with the Independent stating that he had 'taken Attitude by storm'.
In 2010, Todd moved up 30 places to be named 55th most influential gay person in the UK.
Attitude (magazine)
Attitude is a British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Vitality Publishing. It is sold worldwide as a physical magazine and a digital download for the iPad and iPhone via the App Store. The first issue appeared in May 1994....
and was nominated by the British Society of Magazine Editors as Best Editor of the year 2009, 2010 and 2011 in the 'Men's magazines' category alongside the editors of GQ, Mens Health and Esquire amongst others.
He appears on the Kate Silverton Show on BBC Radio Five Live as a monthly debate panelist and appears regularly on TV and radio including on BBC News 24, The Truth About Take That (Channel 4), Out To School (Channel 4), The Most Annoying Celebrities of 2009 (Sky One) and Take The Mike (ITV1) amongst many others.
He has written for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, Heat!, 'The Evening Standard,What's On in London, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops (magazine)
Top of the Pops magazine is a monthly publication published by BBC Magazines. It features chart information, star gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics and posters. It is a supplementary magazine for the TV show Top of the Pops....
, and Time Out.
For Attitude he has interviewed celebrities including Madonna, Daniel Radcliffe, Adam Lambert, Gareth Thomas, Armistead Maupin, Stephen Gately, Boy George, Bette Milder, Kathleen Turner, Harvey Fierstein, David Furnish, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Victoria Wood, Alan Carr, Stephen Fry, Graham Norton, Anthony Sher, Sir Ian McKellen, Peter Tatchell, Paul O'Grady, Ricky Gervais, Russell Brand and the Pet Shop Boys. He conducted Madonna's only UK gay press interview, Daniel Radcliffe's first and only gay press interview in the world, gay rugby player Gareth Thomas's first gay press interview, Boy George's first national magazine interview after he came out of prison and Stephen Gately's first interview after he came out in The Sun.
Todd worked for gay rights group Stonewall in the early nineties before joining Attitude magazine as editorial assistant in 1996. He subsequently worked at both Top of the Pops and Live & Kicking magazines and was the lesbian and gay editor of What's On in London in 2006-2007. He has been the editor of Attitude since May 2008.
As a stand up comedian Todd played numerous clubs in London, Brighton, Leicester and Bristol and was a finalist of the Mardi Gras Comedy Competition and The Big Big Big New Act Competition. In 2004/5 he ran and hosted a popular weekly comedy night at the Yard bar, Rupert St London at which performers such as Marek Larwood and Greg Davies of We Are Klang, Shazia Mirza, Simon Amstell and Alan Carr all made appearances.
Todd is a supporter of the work of gay psychologist Alan Downs (author of The Velvet Rage which Attitude based an issue around in September 2009) and also gay therapists David Smallwood and Joe Kort, all of whom currently write for Attitude. He is also a firm supporter of environmental organisations and charities and created a facebook group called Green Gays.
Blowing Whistles
Todd's play Blowing WhistlesBlowing Whistles
Blowing Whistles is a two-act theatrical play written by Matthew Todd, the current editor of the UK's best selling gay magazine Attitude. It centers around gay culture and the difficulties it presents gay men. It had a first run in June 2005 at the Warehouse Theatre, Croydon, where it was directed...
centers around gay culture and the difficulties it presents gay men. It had a first run in June 2005 at the Warehouse Theatre
Warehouse Theatre
The Warehouse Theatre is a professional producing theatre with one hundred seats in the centre of the London Borough of Croydon, south London, England based in an oak-beamed former cement Victorian warehouse...
, Croydon, where it was directed by Phil Willmott
Phil Willmott
Phil Willmott is a British director, playwright, arts journalist, teacher, and founder of London based theatre production company, The Steam Industry.He was the Artistic Director of the Finborough Theatre in London's Earl's Court from 1994 to 1999....
. Following this it was performed at Sound Theatre, off Leicester Square, London, in 2006, and it has since seen productions in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fire Island (New York), Boston, Palm Springs and Fort Lauderdale.
It returned to London transferring to the Leicester Square Theatre in 2008 in a production by Jonathan Altaras, directed by Pete Nettell who directed the Sydney production. It received positive notices from such diverse publications as the gay press through to the right wing Spectator. The London Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
compared it to Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
's A Doll's House
A Doll's House
A Doll's House is a three-act play in prose by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premièred at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month....
, and The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
compared it to the work of Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBT rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for Women in Love in 1969, earning...
.
The Issues Issue
In August 2010 Todd wrote a ten page feature entitled 'How To Be Gay and Happy' about the generally unspoken about subject of gay men and mental health. Citing the work of US author and therapist Alan Downs, author of the book The Velvet Rage, Todd suggested that the high levels of depression, addiction and suicidal thoughs amongst gay men was due to the overwhelming shaming of gay people during childhood and suggested ways forward for the gay community. The issue provoked the magazines largest mail bag in its history and Todd was subsequently asked to speak about the subject at the Home Office and as the closing plenary of the annual Terrence Higgins Trust CHAPS Hiv prevention conference in Manchester in March 2011. A public event at the Drill Hall on 8th May 2011 was held and more are planned across the country.Award Nominations
British Society of Magazine Editor Awards:Editor of the Year (Mens Magazines) 2009, 2010 & 2011.
Campaign of the Year (For 'Issues Issue: How to be Gay & Happy) 2011
Stonewall awards:
Journalist of the Year 2011
Attitude nominated for Publication of the Year 2010
Independent Pink List
In 2008, The Independent Pink List named Todd as the 90th most influential gay person in the UK, the first time an editor of Attitude magazine had been included in the list.In 2009, Todd moved up five places to 85 with the Independent stating that he had 'taken Attitude by storm'.
In 2010, Todd moved up 30 places to be named 55th most influential gay person in the UK.
External links
- www.blowingwhistles.co.uk
- www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2010/aug/22/gay-attitude-depression-isolation