Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit (television program)

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit was a critically acclaimed BBC television 1989 mini-series, directed by Beeban Kidron . It was an adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's semi-autobiographical first novel of the same name (published 1985). The BBC produced and screened three episodes, running to a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes. Each episode was seen by more than six million viewers. Winterson herself wrote the screenplay. The series was released on DVD in 2005.

Charlotte Coleman starred as Jess, a girl growing up in a Pentecostal evangelical household in Lancashire, England in the 1970s, who becomes a lesbian. The allegorical fairytales that are woven into the novel do not appear on the screen. Miss Jewsbury's love-making with the underage Jess, which appears in the novel, was also excluded. Even despite these cuts, the series still caused controversy when shown; due the remaining lesbian love scenes, and its portrayal of the Elim Pentecostal faith.

The series won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Drama.

Further reading

• Hallam, J. & Marshment, M. "Framing Experience: Case Studies in the Reception of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit." Screen No. 36, 1995: pages 1 to 15.