Not everyone was initially convinced by Mark Benton's involvement in the BBC comedy Smoggie Queens. The actor recalls a friend who said, 'I'm not watching drag queens.' After persuading him to watch an episode, the friend messaged back: 'I watched all six in one go – it's absolutely brilliant.'
Created by and starring Phil Dunning, Smoggie Queens is a wonderfully absurd slapstick comedy that thrives on being both cruel and kind. Since its release two years ago, it has been cherished by the queer community. At its centre is Dickie, a deluded drag act who, despite being unable to book gigs due to lack of grace or talent, possesses the impenetrable self-belief of Mariah Carey. Alongside a group of Smoggie (slang for anyone from Teesside) pals, they find themselves in comically obscene situations each episode.
A particular highlight from series one saw a Titanic-themed brunch turn into a camp bloodbath, including a surreal dance-off to B*Witched's C'est La Vie. It's somewhat of a throwback to a time when comedy's main objective was to make people laugh; it's clever without trying to be. 'For me, a lot of comedy at the moment isn't very funny,' says Benton. 'You watch certain programmes, and you go, "Brilliantly acted, brilliantly written, great storyline, really enjoyable, but does it make me laugh?" And it doesn't a lot of the time. Smoggie Queens is daft, but it just makes you laugh out loud – that's what I want from a comedy.'
Clearly, others felt the same. The first series pulled in 600,000 viewers per episode – no mean feat on BBC Three – and secured Dunning three Bafta nominations. Last summer, visiting the set of its second series at a Stockton community centre, Dunning said with genuine surprise: 'A lot of straight, burly men said, "I love this," and they weren't expecting to, and that's what you wanted to do.' It's a comedy about a queer community that's for everyone, focusing on chosen family.
Benton stars as 'Mam', an ageing drag queen who is the mother figure to this group of dopey Middlesbrough misfits. When Dickie is relentlessly cruel, Mam's bottomless kindness keeps Smoggie Queens' glowing warmth shining throughout. Midway through series one, after a fetish night at a Middlesbrough gay club turns into another typical disaster, Mam reveals he has a son he hasn't seen for years, his ex-wife banishing him from their lives once she discovered he was her husband, a father, and Mam. It was a crushing but beautiful gear change, and one that becomes more focused in this next chapter.
Bafta-winning Monica Dolan joins the cast as Mam's ex-wife, a dream get for the show. 'She's a friend of mine, but the thing about Phil is he loves to try to cast people from Middlesbrough, and I knew Monica was born in Middlesbrough, so technically, she is a Smoggie,' says Benton. 'She messaged me and said she loved the show, so I said, "Why don't you be in it?" She just adds a bit more depth, because that storyline with Mam and their son is so moving.'
Also joining this series are unexpected cameos: Steph McGovern returns as herself, joined by the naturally comical Soccer Saturday duo Jeff Stelling and Chris Kamara. 'Kammy steals the show in a lot of ways,' says Benton. 'Phil's given Kammy the punch lines, it's just hilarious.'
Benton's presence in Smoggie Queens is touching to watch – a straight man throwing himself into a culture arguably alien to his own and clearly having the time of his life. He previously played Edna Turnblad in the UK tour of Hairspray, so Smoggie Queens wasn't his first time in drag, but it was 'the first time I properly looked into it,' he says. 'I love it – probably slightly too much,' he smiles. 'The thing is, for me, it's the nails, because I get the makeup on and the wig and the costume, but as soon as the nails go on, it changes the way you use your hands. It goes into your body, and then the character comes to life from that. I know Dustin Hoffman said it was his shoes, but for me, it's my nails. Usually a drag queen would be in drag for four hours tops, probably, whereas I'm in drag for maybe 13 hours, so it's a weird half-life where you're half Mam and half yourself even off-camera.'
Reflecting on what he has learned from stepping into such a formidable character, Benton says: 'I've learned that people are people, and you should accept people for what they are. If they're good people, doesn't matter the sexuality or if they put a dress on. Be nice to people, don't judge, because you don't know people until you talk to them and get to know them.'
Smoggie Queens airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Three, and all episodes are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
