It's A Sin star speaks of the emotional experience of working with the real-life Jill

It's A Sin burst onto our screens last Friday (22nd January). It has been a huge success, receiving rave reviews from fans. Written and produced by the legendary Russell T Davies and starring Years and Years' Olly Alexander as the main character Ritchie Tozer, the TV show was destined for greatness.

It has been so popular, sparking an emotional response from viewers. There has been binge-watching, with some fans reported to have already watched the series five times through. With only five episodes, this is totally do-able!

Sparking memories for LGBTQIA+ people that were too growing up in the 80's, it has created an open forum for people who experienced the devastating landscape of the AIDS crisis to see this experience shown in an accurate way.

As the series is by and for queer people, it has created a community and began a conversation about the important topics touched on in the show: AIDS, homophobia, friendship, maternal figures and love.

Jill has become a beloved fan favourite, with many saying the character reminds them of their own best friends and allies. 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 is all so often replaced by a female friend within the queer community. For the queer community, your LGBTQIA+ friends are your chosen family! 🥰

With fans keen for all the gossip of the show, one shockingly lovely detail is that the real-life Jill appears in the show, starring as the mother of her on-screen self. Fans have been wowed by this beautiful full circle moment. One fan, @dcombesuk tweeted "did all 5 episodes today, I couldn't stop. It hasn't hurt so much to watch a TV show for a long time (laughed a lot too). I can see so many friends in all those characters - amazing TV #ItsASin #BeMoreJill".

Another said "Thank you all the Jills: for standing by us and dancing with us, for making joy bigger and sadness smaller, for your bravery in the face of fear, for that special love that isn’t gay or straight but something else entirely. Thank you all the Jills. You know who you are. #ItsASin".

Many fans have even been sharing their own Jill's too, @davidnash71 shared, "This is my Jill. She stole my home address from the register to send me a Valentine’s Day card when we were 13. I came out to her, we partied, fell out and experienced heartache and loss together. She came to my wedding and has been in my life for 37 yrs #itsasin #BeMoreJill".

Russell T Davies, writer and creator of It's A Sin, speaks of basing the show around his bestfriends' experience of living in London, going to drama school and living in the real-life Pink Palace (a beaten-down London flat). It is so satisfying to know that so much of It's A Sin is based on the creators' real life.

Speaking of the authenticity of It's A Sin, that draws on much of both Jill and Russell's life experience of growing up in the 80s, he said "She moved into a flat which she called the Pink Palace, and it felt like an endless party, the rooms filled with gay men and drag queens and show tunes. Jill met the crisis head on. She stood at the heart of the storm. She went to the hospitals and the funerals and the marches. She held the hands of so many men. She lost them, and remembered them, and somehow kept going. So I’ve written a drama with a woman called Jill living in a Pink Palace. And my Jill now plays the fictional Jill’s mother. Like it was meant to be".

The real life Jill Nalder is as passionate as Lydia West about being an ally to the gay community. Speaking of her experience of living through the AIDs crisis in the 80s, it is clear why Russell T Davies based the whole show around her experience. He said "I talked to experts and consultants and charities, but mainly, I went back home. To my friend Jill. We’ve known each other since we were 14, daft camp kids belonging to a wonderful youth theatre in West Glamorgan which was accidentally, brilliantly, the safest gay space imaginable. As we grew up, I went to university, got a job, started to write, but Jill lived a bigger, better life. She went to London. Became an actor".

It made the storyline come to life, as Lydia expresses how she learnt so much about the life of the character she was playing.

Lydia West, who plays Jill in the series, is new to the fame of the acting business. Working as a 'unfulfilled' PA before becoming the star of one of the most talked about shows. Her beautiful and intricate portrayal of an equally caring but bold and brave mother figure and best friend to the boys in the show is as realistic as it is heartfelt.

Lydia knows just how important the show is to so many peoples lives, she said, "Thank you for the response to #itsasin so far. Believe me when I say this story touched me just as much as you. I woke up this morning and browsed stories from @theaidsmemorial for an hour. Now I’m lighting my candle. #neverforgetthosewehavelost #gonebutneverforgotten".

She spoke of the emotional experience of working with the real-life Jill. She spoke of meeting the OG Jill, "Then I met her at the read-through and she was just everything that I hoped she would be. She’s absolutely gorgeous and stunning. It was very emotional. I couldn’t look at her throughout the read, I was looking down for it".

Sparking the #BeMoreJill hashtag, fans have become obsessed with Jill's character. She represents an element of the queer community that is often left out, the 'A', the Ally, and the true best friend. Many fans of the show related to her character and had a best friend just like her.

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 (sic)'.

The show is a reminder for us all to be allies and to #BeMoreJill. To fight for what we believe in and for our community. Jill inspires us all to be braver, kinder and stronger! 🏳️‍🌈

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You can watch It's A Sin on All 4 now.

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• it's a sin
• lydia west
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