Flashback: Revelations
ATV Today remembers the 1990s late night soap Revelations which starred Paul Shelley and Judy Loe.
Revelations revolved around Edward Rattigan (Paul Shelley), a Bishop who is certainly anything but holy. It is perhaps surprising that a soap revolving around the Church hadn’t made it to screen before but then the central premises of Revelations wasn’t the day-to-days working of the Church of England and its priests – it was, if you like, more about the dark side of human nature and those who operate in the church.
To the outside world Edward Rattigan was a good, decent man who had risen to a position of power in the Church and was a respected member of the community. But appearances can be deceptive and it certainly was the case with Rattigan. Edward may have seemingly been a happily married man to wife Jessica (Judy Loe) but the Bishop was having an affair with his secretary Anne (Margo Gunn). A little clichéd perhaps but a neat twist was that Jessica knew about the affair and allowed it to continued.
The Rattigan family was about as dysfunctional as they could come; elder son Gabriel (Stephen Mapes) was a former heroin turned methadone addict and a repressed homosexuality who had, in his teens, an affair with best friend Thomas (Grant Thatcher). Revelations opens with his marriage to Rachael (Lucy Robinson) who is oblivious to his addiction or his past homosexual relationship with his Best Man at the wedding and it soon becomes clear that for Thomas the affair isn’t dead and buried.
The Rattigan’s two daughters were also led dysfunctional lives; Helena (Nina Marc), or Lenny as the family call her, is married to husband Marc (Matthew Radford) but after discovering his infidelity moves back home with their baby son. Youngest daughter Charlotte (Emma Roberts), or Charlie as everyone refers to her, may still be at school but is a party girl and thoroughly spoilt brat. Charlie humiliates and then dumps boyfriend Nick (Ben Hull) for Thomas little realising his true past with her older brother who she is completely devoted to.
Revelations was a soap that dealt with homosexuality, drug addiction, infidelity, betrayal, lust and murder (several) despite it being about a Bishop and his family. As the series progressed it became firm cult viewing with Edward’s mistress Anne being killed, Gabriel’s wife Rachel (and later her brother) being murdered and a lesbian vicar, played by Sue Holderness, joining the cast.
