Information packs for those participating in   the Berena zine project   are now ready (finally! No photocopiers were harmed in their making, though one was very loudly sworn at this evening). If you have already emailed me to express an interest in taking part, you will have received an email from me, asking whether you want to   contribute in person on 10 February 2018, or whether you would prefer to contribute remotely.  If you haven't already emailed me,   click here   and let me know how you want to participate - at the moment there are about 10 places left for coming to Liverpool. There's no limit on the number of people who can participate remotely, though!   N.B.   If you are contributing remotely, please still let me know, because I have forms for you to read and sign, and I'll need your contributions   before   10 Feb.

For most of 2017, I’ve been working on a research project related to the BBC Holby City characters Bernie Wolfe and Serena Campbell, known by the ship name ‘Berena’. My research has always focused around questions of gender, sexuality, and media representation, and it was hard to miss the buzz around these older women-loving women falling in love. (How often does that happen on your telly on a Tuesday night?!) In particular, I was struck by the way that viewers talked about the impact that Berena had had on their lives – and I knew from personal experience that the storyline had been a source of joy and comfort (and sometimes virtually shared frustration and sadness) through a difficult time in my own life. I wanted to explore that. I currently have a journal article under peer review that reports on the key themes that emerged from a survey of Berena fans that I ran at the start of the summer; what was striking was how many of the survey participants talked about the impact ...