Barely two weeks ago, just 15 people knew Cleckheaton filmmaker Sam Teale was gay. Now over 8.5 million know.

There was a time in Cleckheaton-based filmmaker Sam Teale’s life where only 15 people knew he was gay.

That was barely two weeks ago.

Now, after producing an emotionally powerful 240-second video, which was shown at his 24th birthday party, over 8.5 million people know.

The four-minute short, filmed at his old school, Mirfield Free Grammar, explores his experiences of growing up, of “a little boy who taught himself to see something wrong”, how he prayed “just to be different”, and how it took him years to “pluck up the courage” to utter three words.

“I’ve had shame in my stomach all my life – which I never realised – and it has lifted,” Sam, founder of Sam Teale Productions, told the Reporter Series. “It has evaporated. The thing inside me that was sad has gone.

“I’ve known I have been gay since I was a kid and I never, ever wanted to tell anyone about it. I went to therapy and worked on myself. I had an idea a while ago that if I am going to tell anybody then I want to make a really nice film about it.”

The result is a poignant accumulation of all the things Sam heard as a child that gave him the impression that “being gay is not okay” – which millions of people have now seen and related to.

“It was important to me to let everybody know,” he revealed. “I wanted people to know exactly what it is like being gay. Being gay on the outside sounds like one thing but nobody thinks about the journey you go on, realising who you are and all the rubbish you get on the way.

Sam was invited to the Attitude Awards where his film was shown to an audience including the new host of Strictly Come Dancing, Emma Willis.

“I was so nervous. I have never been as nervous in my life. If you are gay or LGBT+ you watch it and can relate to it, but what is more impressive is that people are relating to it who are not, and they are then changing their actions and changing what they are saying to people, being less homophobic and that is beautiful.”

He added: “I knew it would do well but I didn’t think it would do as well as it has done. Two weeks ago, 15 people in my life knew I was gay. Now over 8.5 million people know, which is absolutely crazy.

“All I am is just a kid who likes to make videos, to make people think and feel something. I sometimes forget the power that has. It has tremendous power.”

Three days after posting the video on social media, Sam was contacted by British gay lifestyle magazine Attitude and subsequently invited to their 2026 awards ceremony – where the room was “brought to tears” after the film was shown to a celebrity-filled audience including new Strictly Come Dancing host, Emma Willis.

There are now calls for the moving composition to be shown in schools.

Asked about the overwhelming message he hopes to achieve from the powerful film, Sam said: “Just to say, ‘you were never broken’ and no matter what rubbish you get growing up as a kid, or even as an adult, and no matter what people throw at you, it is never a reflection of yourself. Me learning that really really helped me.

“I didn’t ask to be gay. A lot of people seem to think it is a choice. It is not. And I am not ramming it down people’s throats either. I’ve just shared my experiences and lots of people have related to it. That is the magic of what this job is.”

He also advised on talking to others, adding: “It is good to talk. Six months ago I would dodge any conversation about relationships.

“Speak to other human beings about how you feel. It properly changed my life. Everybody needs to talk. I am a massive advocate for it.”