Stage & Screen

Holby City’s David Paisley to lead Adam Zane’s ‘Jock Night’ at Seven Dials Playhouse this Autumn.

August 3, 2023

David Paisley in Jock Night interview — David Paisley (Image supplied).

Holby City’s David Paisley will be returning to the stage after a four-year absence this autumn. He’ll lead Adam Zane’s Jock Night at Seven Dials Playhouse. Russell T. Davies called the show ‘a razor-sharp skewering of modern gay life, but done with compassion, intelligence, and hope’.

David is well known for playing midwife Ben Saunders in BBC1’s Holby City, with his on-screen same-sex kiss sparking conversation nationwide. Also known for his contribution to diversity and inclusion, Paisley was honoured at the Attitude Pride Awards in 2021.

The play unfolds over a year of wild nights in Manchester’s vibrant Gay Village. Paisley’s character, Ben, is a Victoria Wood enthusiast in his forties, striving to find love amidst a culture of chemsex and casual encounters. Jock Night casts a light on mental health – peeling back the veneer of modern gay culture – and uses comedy to highlight provocative issues within the LGBTQIA+ community.

David told QX, ‘I am absolutely ecstatic to be a part of Jock Night, an unapologetically queer exploration of contemporary gay life and the complexities of friendships, sex and relationships. Adam Zane’s script is hilarious, cuttingly honest, and thought-provoking, and I feel honoured to bring the character of Ben to life.’