WHEN Matt Cain's third novel The Madonna of Bolton became a bestseller it was the culmination of a long struggle to make his voice heard.

A leading commentator on LGBT+ issues, and a former journalist, Matt was Channel 4's first Culture Editor, but suffered years of rejection when he turned to writing with the accusation that his stories were "too gay" one of the many hurtful comments he received.

Thankfully The Madonna of Bolton's semi-autobiographical tale of growing up homosexual in his hometown changed all that and paved the way for his latest book, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, which sees him once-again explore the theme of hidden sexuality and life in a certain northern town.

"It's set in a fictional town in Lancashire, but anyone who knows Bolton will recognise a lot of landmarks," said Matt. "The book is about a shy, lonely and socially awkward postman in his 60s who is secretly gay and unhappy.

"He realises that to be happy he needs to find the love of his life who is a man he hasn't seen for nearly 50 years when they used to meet in secret."

Matt vividly explains the location of one of these meetings as a bunker close to the entrance to the Jumbles Country Park, one of numerous places in the book he hopes to celebrate.

"There is so much of a local feel to the book," he said. "But I must add I didn't have any romantic moments in there myself!"

Looking back on Albert's life half a century ago presented its own challenges for the 43-year-old who ran a number of scenes past his dad for authentication.

"I was worried about how to describe things like clothes, cars, food and they way they spoke but then it suddenly dawned on me that if it was a forbidden relationship they wouldn't be together in normal settings like bars or their homes," said Matt. "I remember asking my dad at one point if a 16-year-old 50 years ago would have said 'tits' or 'knockers'!

"I might live in London now but I still feel part of that Bolton community and I felt I was able to write authentically."

Acclaimed TV writer Russell T Davies is a confirmed fan of Matt's novels and unsurprisingly, the Boltonian is thrilled that his hometown was used as the backdrop for much of Davies' recent TV hit It's A Sin.

"Le Mans Crescent seems to be on TV all the time now," he laughed. "The truth is because of persecution, imprisonment, parental rejection, professional dismissal and of course and AIDS epidemic, you could argue that every ordinary gay person in the past has had an extraordinary story.

"The success of It's A Sin has shown there's a massive public appetite for those stories. For a long time the public weren't interested but now they are much more accepting and that's partly what my book is about.

"It certainly makes me feel slightly vindicated."

The drama, which tells the story of a group of young friends living in London through the HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s, attracted 18.9m viewers on Channel 4's streaming service, proof according to Matt that much has changed even since his younger days.

"It's not just that being gay is simply accepted," he said. "I would go further and say that in certain quarters it is actually celebrated now.

"In my book Albert stays in the closet for so long because he lived in a hostile world, but he can't get his head around the fact that the world has changed now.

"As he starts to open up about who is he is really surprised by the reaction and it shows how much society has changed and improved.

"I want everybody who has stood up for a gay brother or friend or anyone who has been an ally to feel proud of the part they've played in improving society.

"Everytime you call out homophobic language at work you're doing your bit to boost visibility and improve things."

Another fan of Matt's writing is Sir Ian McKellen who describes The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle as a "rollicking romance" on the book's cover.

"You sometimes wonder if you ask someone to read a book if they'll have time," added Matt. "But with everyone stuck at home I thought I'd send it to him and he read it literally that week and gave me a lovely review."

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain is published by Headline and is available in all good bookshops now.