It's A Sin viewers left in tears at powerful AIDS drama

New hit drama It's A Sin left viewers in tears in emotional portrayal of the 80's AIDS crisis. Starring Years and Years' Olly Alexander (as the main character Ritchie Tozer) and written and produced by the legendary Russell T Davies, the TV show was dubbed to be a huge success. And it was! From the stunning character portrayals, gripping storylines, kaleidoscopic 80's looks, and tons of dancing and fun portrayed, it is a must-watch! 🤩

The show tells the story of the AIDS crisis, through the eyes of a group of young queer characters, living in their 'Pink Palace' in London and trying to make it as BIG stars (drag queens, actors, musicians - you know the usual). It begins at the beginning of the 80s and tells the AIDS story through the decade, through the eyes of the loveable main characters of Ritchie, Roscoe, Craig and Jill! The ultimate friendship group, they face all the trials thrown at them.

It has received glowing feedback from the queer community who have finally seen themselves represented on screen. This is an emotional feat in itself. As well as exploring the AIDS crisis intimately, the inherently political nature of It's A Sin manages to tell an untold story with unheard voices. There wasn't a dry eye in the room when the show simultaneously made us fall in love with, and then lose three main characters to AIDS.

Overall, it is beautifully told. We expected no less from Russell T Davies who was made famous with his Queer As Folk show that follows the lives of three gay men exploring Manchester's Gay Village scene.

The seamless, fast-paced nature of the show made the deaths even more sad. With five amazing episodes, the last one shows main character Ritchie's tragic death, which has left fans devastated.

One fan said, 'Episode 5 of It's A Sin, oh my god I'm in tears, the whole series is perfect. Russell's a great writer. Jill is an absolute saint and I hope men dying of AIDS had a Jill in their life. The family that group of friends made is so beautiful. #ItsASin' (sic)

The emotional nature of the show is expected given the subject matter, but it is full of heart-warming happy moments too!

Fans of the show adored it, connecting with the storylines and sharing their own experience. With it receiving glowing feedback, one fan said 'Binge watched #ItsASin this morning / afternoon. Powerful and honest drama. Incredibly touching and damn right hilariously. Had me laughing one minute, angry the next then crying'. (sic)

Others said, 'I just finished ‘It’s A Sin’ and I am in actual tears, it was so good'. and 'Literally hyperventilating crying at the final ep of 'It's a Sin', the best thing I've seen in a long time. Wondering if I have enough tears in me to watch it all over again'. (sic)

It's A Sin has become much more than a five-part drama and has instead become a community for LGBTQIA+ to feel safe to share their experiences of AIDS, homophobia and stigma, still surrounding so much of the queer experience.

A star-studded cast including Stephen Fry (Arthur) and Neil Patrick Harris (Henry) are met with new talent of Nathaniel Hall (Donald), Lydia West (Jill) and Omari Douglas (Roscoe). The queer community were finally met with some accurate, well-rounded, lovely representation that they could get onboard with! The AIDS crisis has famously been not well documented, both in the 80s when it devastated LGBTQIA+ communities, to now when the misunderstanding and stigma surrounding AIDS still persists.

The show also touches on other political challenges met by queer people in the 80's. Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister, classism, homophobia and Section 28 (Thatcher's controversial law that banned the "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities and in schools) are painted against a backdrop of working class London. The characters hail from the Midlands, Isle of Wight, Manchester and Scotland to meet in the London's queer melting pot.

Olly Alexander has long been an activist for the queer community. As a gay man, he has been open in his views, challenging brands for hopping on board with the rainbow flag trend, and that iconic viral Glastonbury 2020 speech. About the importance of the show, he said "There’s still so much stigma.. I remember being scared that if I had sex, I would get HIV. There’s such a huge amount of shame that surrounds our sexuality, but the issue of what it means is something we’re still unpacking now”.

Also, Years and Years' new song 'It's A Sin', refreshes the Pet Shop Boys hit, coincided with the show's release and fans are going wild for it!

Nathaniel J Hall (Donald) stars as one of main character Ritchie's partners in the series. Nathaniel Hall is an HIV+ activist who has led many campaigns surrounding HIV+ stigma. The HIV+ community are urging watchers to realise that the stigma surrounding AIDS still exists, which in turn leads to queer people fearing sex and their sexuality, which the show tries to tackle. Nowadays, scientific advancements have led to current treatments which means that a person living with HIV on effective treatment cannot sexually transmit HIV.

The UN have stated aims to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. If AIDS will be no longer by 2030, it will mean that in 50 years AIDS has managed to be eradicated with effective treatment, less stigma and more understanding of the condition. In a tweet from charity Terence Higgins Trust on the #CantPassItOn campaign, 'HIV has changed a huge amount since #ItsASin — but too many people haven’t been paying attention. Including that we can now say with absolute confidence that someone living with HIV & on effective treatment #CantPassItOn. Tell everyone'.

The real star of the show is Jill Baxter, who is based on Russell T Davies' childhood best friend Jill. The OG Jill actually stars in the series, playing Jill's mum. Fans have been wowed by the beautiful full circle moment. Jill takes on the female best friend/mother figure that for many gay men rings true. The show hones in on the absence of mother figures as a central storyline, highlighting how the mother figure all so often replaced by a female friend within the queer community. For the queer community, your LGBTQIA+ friends are your chosen family! 🥰

One fan of the show, @bonnielongford, tweeted 'Can’t stop thinking about how Jill became confidante, primary support system and carer to all of those boys without ever asking for anything in return. She was the mother to Ritchie that he never had. I really hope I can be more like Jill in my life'.

Seyan Sarvan plays Lizbeth Farooqi, a badass lawyer who sues the police who keep AIDS sufferers captive in hospital wards in the show.

Of the show she says, 'It is so beautiful to see how much #It'sASin continues to touch people's souls. And that's because a story like this has never been told. It educates. It gives a voice to the voiceless (truly). It represents and gives visibility to those individuals that our world has ignored and boxed away for so long'.

We couldn't have said it better ourselves! For queer people to see themselves reflected back to themselves is so important. For some gay men living in the 80's this will be the first time they see their experience reflected accurately, and for the baby queers, it may be the first time they see queer joy, liberation and freedom celebrated on screen! 💜

It's A Sin reminds us that although we enjoy the freedom of LGBTQIA+ rights in the UK now, it has been a long journey. Pride still remains a protest for much of the world, and It's A Sin celebrates the beauty and love as well as the tragedy and pain experienced by the queer community. The show reminds us to keep fighting for a brighter, happier, queer-er future! 🏳️‍🌈

For support on HIV+, the charities below offer resources, support and information below. National Aids Trust, Positively UK and Terrence Higgins Trust.

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