We’ve seen that with U=U [Undetectable equals Untransmittable], which means that a person who is taking effective treatment can’t pass the virus on. OD: All the things that people feel like they haven’t seen just demonstrate how much there is still to be told. RC: The other thing to remember is that the activist effort concentrated itself on where it could go, and a lot of that was popular culture. He was founding editor of Gay Community News (Dublin) and … It’s a celebration and it’s joyful, but it’s triggering. All of my engagement with the epidemic and everything I had seen had been from an American perspective. … Richard Coles: My first engagement with Aids was through the gay press – there were rumours of this “gay cancer” that was happening in America. A leading source of entertainment listings since 1985. It's A Sin: 15 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Channel 4's Hit Drama From scrapped storylines, to Easter eggs and behind-the-scenes secrets. Although there is a selection of acting royalty involved (Stephen Fry as a creepy Tory politician, Neil Patrick Harris' menswear clerk who succumbs to the disease, and Keeley Hawes playing a mother who refuses to confront the truth about her gay son), the main plaudits should deservedly go to its young cast. It's here! And black gay men were disproportionately, and continue to be disproportionately, affected by HIV. But that tired old trope is thankfully long behind us, thanks in part to Davies himself after his seminal 1999 show Queer As Folk depicted gay life in Manchester as riotous, irresistible fun. Yeah, this is an AIDS drama. I was doing some research for a podcast and I looked at the index and searched for the word ‘black’. Episodes. There’s that reference by a police officer who quotes the former chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, James Anderton. MT: We worked with so many stroppy lesbians and cis women. He said in the mid-80s that [people with Aids] were swirling around in a cesspool of their own making. There are just so many stories that we can tell. OD: That’s really interesting to hear Marc. It could have been an opportunity to show the conversations that were happening that people don’t know about. And it’s … I think sometimes we’re at a risk of conflating what the actual virus is. ‘I had to dig to find any documentation of black gay life in the 80s’ … Omari Douglas, who plays Roscoe. It showed that people were allowed to pursue pleasure, but it was never reconfirmed at the end. It was totally astounding to me. Viewers were left reeling on Friday night as Channel 4 drama It's a Sin wrapped up with its most emotional scenes yet. I work in Wales and a lot of people here don’t know that HIV isn’t transmissible if you’re on effective treatment. To discuss these topics, we convened a roundtable discussion with influential queer figures who lived through the crisis, and those who have grown up in its wake. 'It's a Sin' Review: HBO Max AIDS Drama is Revolutionary But Rushed Samuel Spencer 2/18/2021. Omari Douglas: As an actor, I knew from the get-go that there was going to be a lot to immerse myself in. Russell has spoken a lot about how he imagined this show as being long-running. A joyful yet devastating series centred on a group of friends whose lives are changed irrevocably by the HIV/Aids epidemic, It’s a Sin is not only the most talked-about TV show of 2021 so far, but also Channel 4’s most watched drama series in its history. I was hoping to get in another four weeks of reviews, Channel 4 really fucked me on that one. ‘It captures the ropey pubs with dirty dancefloors, snogging boys’ … Omari Douglas (right) as Roscoe. Finally, I have put Aids at the centre of a drama’. The first-look clip from the hotly anticipated new five-part series It’s A Sin, from BAFTA-winning writer Russell T Davies. It’s a Sin review: Russell T Davies’s new Aids drama is a reminder to find joy in the scariest times. Now he's got another gay-centric drama coming to Channel 4 next year, titled It's a Sin. IT'S A SIN Official Trailer (2021) Neil Patrick Harris, Drama Series© 2021 - HBO Max We have treatment, it’s successful and nearly everyone who is diagnosed will lead a good life. Drama from Russell T Davies about five friends. Find organisations providing information and support for the issues raised, including the progress made in HIV treatment since the It’s a Sin days Visit 4Viewers It made a huge impact when Diana visited an HIV/Aids unit and was seen touching, and being close to, people with the virus. Advertisement. Despite being completed just before Covid struck, the resonances are almost spooky: frenzied decontaminating of skin and surfaces, masks and isolation wards, and above all the misinformation and conspiracy theories which run amok when an epidemic is beginning to spread. joyful yet devastating series centred on a group of friends whose lives are changed irrevocably by the HIV/Aids epidemic, It’s a Sin is not only the most talked-about TV show of 2021 so far, but also Channel 4’s most watched drama series in its history. Then the first person close to me who died was the activist Mark Ashton, who was a very significant person on the gay scene. I’m 24, and looking at that period I had always thought of it as a dragged-feet response from homophobic governments. I can remember in 1987, Jimmy Somerville, myself and Andy Bell from Erasure were repeatedly rung up by the Sun, the Mirror and the News of the World. Pop singer Olly Alexander leads a cast of young newcomers in the Channel 4 and HBO Max drama It’s A Sin (formerly called ‘Boys’). It's a Sin - News and updates on the Channel 4 drama All the latest from the new show from Russell T Davies. Elton John and Years & Years' Olly Alexander teamed up for a cover of Pet Shop Boys' 'It's A Sin' at the BRIT Awards 2021 tonight. OD: These are fictionalised characters and yet there’s such a raw truth in it. At no point across the show's ten episodes was the word 'AIDS' mentioned. The five-part series, about the … It's a Sin (available on Stan here) was created by Welsh screenwriter Russell T Davies, a legend of British TV who broke new ground with Manchester-set series Queer as … But it’s not everywhere. JO: I think something that also struck me about the show is something that we still don’t have a good grip on now: the conversation around pleasure. What is it caused by? Russell T Davies’s 80s-set series has started conversations around Britain about the realities, both political and personal, of living through the HIV/Aids crisis, led to an increase in people getting tested for HIV, and helped raise awareness about preventive medication (PrEP) and the effective treatment now available for people living with the virus. Some people think that MPs or rich people suddenly became really magnanimous and clued up, but where was that information coming from? We kept learning all the time and things kept changing – the ground was shifting under us. And then, how do we do something about it, and what do we do that’s appropriate? It’s a Sin injected some much-needed humanity into the crisis. In doing my research it became glaringly obvious to me that I had to dig to find any documentation of black gay life in the 80s. You also had the problem that if someone black was diagnosed with HIV, they weren’t asked about whether they might be gay or have sex with men. Drama from Russell T Davies about five friends living and loving in the shadow of AIDS. The series follows a group of gay men who move to London in 1981. I asked why, and a nursing auxiliary said in front of the whole ward, “He’s HIV positive.” I couldn’t believe it. Biden opening second camp in Texas to hold 500 migrant children . That’s something that was quite triggering for me. It’s A Sin airs on Friday nights on Channel 4 Tonie Walsh, 60, was raised in Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Our panel (clockwise from top-left) … Marc Thompson, Lisa Power, Jason Okundaye, Omari Douglas, Owen Jones and Richard Coles. It’s an overwhelming thing to take in. It’s a Sin, named after the Pet Shop Boys song, ... As pure drama, it leans too heavily on its recreation of the period. Set in London, beginning in 1981 and travelling into the early 90s, we follow a group of pals who have converged in the metropolis from different parts of the UK (Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Wight among them) to live out their dreams in wild abandonment only to find them crumble into a nightmare as HIV and AIDS close in. It's a Sin has already become one of the most critically-acclaimed TV shows of 2021. It's A Sin, Russell T Davies's hit TV drama, has helped Channel 4's streaming service to a record-breaking month. I remember Jimmy once got a call telling him they were going to run a story about him being HIV positive unless he could produce a negative test. They won’t watch it yet. It opened my eyes to how we actually document black gay history. Channel 4 have scored a ratings smash hit with its new drama It's A Sin. Bands and musicians like Elton John played an important part. The five-part series, about the … Home. Starzplay has swooped for Russell T. Davies’ hit drama “It’s a Sin” in Germany and Italy. So there is still a long way to go even in the UK. Which means my challenge is to convince you that this isn’t some soap-opera misery porn. It’s not acceptable. OJ: I was glad that the sheer violence of the homophobia in the 80s was showcased. Jason Okundaye: Yes – I think what surprised me was the lack of urgency from some of the characters. There was one paragraph about black communities and it talked about a black HIV organisation mismanaging funds. We are also still seeing low rates of testing, and we see late diagnosis in black African communities, in heterosexual communities and with eastern European migrants. At the same time, the Sun printed that readers should forget the idea that ordinary heterosexual people can contract Aids and that anything else is just homosexual propaganda. And it’s not! But perhaps this is Davies both squaring his own creative circle and handing out an ongoing health warning: according to UNAIDS figures, over half a million people continue to die from AIDS-related illness across the world. One of my favourite theorists, Walt Odets, says that what Aids education has come to call the “exchange of bodily fluids” was once acknowledged as an important aspect of intimacy for many men. Seeing all the death and the neglect, the responses from families … What Russell T Davies also captured was the accuracy of the gay community at the time, in the early 80s: the ropey pubs with dirty dancefloors, snogging boys. Creator of HIV drama 'It's a Sin' on opening old wounds, prioritizing gay actors. The Terrence Higgins Trust’s Can’t Pass It On campaign aims to end stigma and transmissions of HIV, Russell T Davies: ‘I looked away for years. Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin was the big winner in The Version’s 2021 TV Drama Awards.. Read writing about Drama in It’s a Sin 1x2. The Lionsgate-backed platform, which has been steadily expanding its global footpri… It's a Sin, however, is not that interested in playing politics with the AIDS crisis. I may be an outlier, but I think these counter narratives must be told. I say this time and time again, but I had an incredibly supportive family and they are Jamaican. 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Including Cobra Kai, The Serpent and It's A Sin. It’s a Sin Season 1 Episode 2 : A chronicle of four friends during a decade in which everything changed, including the rise of AIDS. But the most weaponised person in that activist movement was the Princess of Wales. I think you need to get it out in the open and show exactly what it is. Granted, queers on TV have historically been forced to suffer in order to shine. This was 2018! People don’t ask for it and doctors don’t think about prescribing it a lot of the time. The moving drama follows the lives of … It is the streaming service’s biggest ever instant box set and the most binged to date, contributing to record All 4 growth in 2021. In my defence, It’s A Sin totals less than four hours, but here I am all the same. There was this disconnect between black African communities and gay communities. When I got there, he was on a ward but in a bed that was curtained off and I was asked to put on a gown and gloves. But what these two groups eventually found was that HIV was a common enemy. It’s A Sin airs on Friday nights on Channel 4 Tonie Walsh, 60, was raised in Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Looking at It’s a Sin, I was struck by how it evokes that period: it did feel like I was almost watching home movies, except with much higher production values. I find it horrifying that people of my generation, people who I worked with for liberation in the 80s and 90s, are now engaging in the kind of transphobia that they were horrified about when it was homophobia. One of the most powerful things I’ve seen is a cartoon of the things that people said in the 80s, and you can just swap the words gay and trans. It's a Sin star Nathaniel Curtis opens up about Ash's love story, filming sex scenes on set, and why the show is "not an AIDS drama" in the traditional sense. Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin was the big winner in The Version’s 2021 TV Drama Awards. ‘I wanted to hear more from stroppy dykes’ … Jill (right) with Ritchie. Mark Ashton was on Switchboard. I was born in 1984, so wrapped up in the homophobia of the playground at the time was the stigma of HIV/Aids. Here's how to watch watch It’s a Sin online today. LP: The story with Roscoe [who sleeps with a Conservative MP] has a basis in reality. Pleasure is something that is valuable, and something that we have a right and entitlement to. Early episodes of the series shows Ritchie’s pursuit of pleasure was important. And although we were really quick to get PrEP [medication which eliminates the possibility of contracting the disease] in Wales, its usage outside the gay community is very rare. The five-part drama depicts life growing up gay during the 1980s AIDS crisis. There was an absolute assumption that all the black communities were equally affected, when, in fact, in the early days, it was a problem among quite specific African groups who had migrated to the UK. Everyone's buzzing about Russell T. Davies's It's a Sin, and for good reason.Both laugh-inducing and utterly heartbreaking, the show tells the story of … LP: There’s a direct parallel between the tropes being used now of trans people and the ones that were used of gay people. It seemed very distant and hypothetical. Sex is not the virus. Now that is a sin. Watch the trailer for Russell T. Davies’s British AIDS drama It’s a Sin, starring Olly Alexander. Darren Scott and Josh Milton January 25, 2021 The central cast of It's A Sin. That’s the power of storytelling. As the academic Ben Weil has said, the virus is HIV. I want to hear more about the stroppy lesbian solicitor, who most people have not even managed to read as a lesbian. 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