THE untold story of the murder of a gay police officer in Belfast in 1997 is part of a new BBC documentary series.
Blood on the Dancefloor investigates the killing of Darren Bradshaw, who was shot dead in the Parliament Bar, the city's only gay bar at the time.
Mr Bradshaw was off-duty and enjoying a drink when he was killed at the Dunbar Street venue in May 1997.
He was shot three times by a gunman in front of hundreds of people. He was just 24.
The INLA claimed responsibility for the killing at the time.
Blood on the Dance Floor...
— BBC Current Affairs (@BBC_CurrAff) April 17, 2023
The untold story of the murder of a gay police officer in Northern Ireland in 1997, and how the LGBT community fought back against prejudice and adversity during the Troubles.
Coming soon on @BBCSounds. https://t.co/S3IL63MrNG
Broadcaster Jordan Dunbar, who was once a comedian and drag queen performer in Belfast, presents the LGBT+ true crime podcast.
But Dunbar says despite his knowledge of the Belfast scene, Mr Bradshaw's murder and his life were never talked about.
"I grew up, I knew the scene," he said.
"It's a story that had never been told before."
The documentary looks at Mr Bradshaw's murder as well as examining what it was like to be gay during the Troubles.
It tells of how "his brutal murder by terrorists sparked fears of a return to all out violence as the new Labour government under Tony Blair sought to bring peace to Northern Ireland - on the road to the Good Friday Agreement".
During the first episode, Dunbar tells of his shock of learning of Mr Bradshaw's murder: "There's no way you would have had a gay policeman in 1997, no way".
He adds: "Darren's story grabbed me and it wouldn't let go".
In 1997 a gay police officer was on a night out when he was murdered by terrorists.
— BBC Radio 5 Live (@bbc5live) April 24, 2023
Darren Bradshaw was just 24 when he was shot in Belfast’s only openly gay bar.
Journalist @jordandunbar10 investigates how it happened and what it was like to be gay at the end of ‘The Troubles’
He meets Mr Bradshaw's brother Scott, who says: "I would like people to know what Darren was, he was a great brother, great son, great friend and for his story to be told".
Visiting Mr Bradshaw's childhood home near Antrim, Dunbar meets family, friends and people who knew him, including a friend who recalls how "good-natured" he was and his former teacher describing him as "one of the nicest pupils I have ever come across".
Dunbar also meets a man called Donal, who formed a relationship with Mr Bradshaw after they met at The Parliament bar, recalling how he was "smartly turned out" and how "I felt really at ease with him".
The episode also examines Mr Bradshaw joining the RUC and the difficulties faced by those who were police officers at the time of the Troubles.
But the episode also reveals how a chance meeting by Mr Bradshaw with someone from his childhood, in which he revealed he was a policeman, may have led to his death.
The series aims to "piece together for the first time how Darren was killed that night and why" as well as uncovering "stories of bigotry, bravery and betrayal".
Other episodes in the series will look back on how Belfast got its first Pride parade only in 1991 and its very first openly gay club in 1994 - the Parliament bar where Mr Bradshaw was tragically shot dead.
Dunbar also meets the original drag queens, DJs and club pioneers determined to claim back the city centre from the terrorists and create a safe place of their own.
