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

Lydia West shares how having the real-life Jill play her mum was surreal

Author: Louise AveyPublished 29th Jan 2021
Last updated 29th Jan 2021

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! 🏳️‍🌈

Check out the best comfort TV boxsets to get you through lockdown:

Gogglebox (All 4)

Whilst new episodes of Gogglebox are gracing our screens right now, get your fix of the hilarious cast by watching series 7-19 on All 4.

Married At First Sight Australia (All 4)

Although the UK version of Married At First Sight is brilliant, the Australian series takes the drama to the next level! You can watch series 4-9 on All 4 now.

If that's not enough, you can also watch MAFS UK, USA and New Zealand on All 4.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race (BBC iPlayer)

With series 4 airing, you can binge all of series 1, 2 and 3 right now on BBC iPlayer.

The Great British Bake Off (All 4)

Fancy reliving some of the best GBBO episodes? Series 1-5 of is available now on All 4. You can also catch up on weekly episodes of series 6.

The Durrells (ITV Hub)

Series 3 and 4 of ITV's British comedy-drama The Durrells is available to watch now on the ITV Hub.

Call the Midwife (BBC iPlayer)

You can watch series 1-11 of Call the Midwife, as well as some Christmas specials, on BBC iPlayer right now.

The Repair Shop

You can watch series 4-10 of The Repair Shop on BBC iPlayer, with experts Jay Blades, Suzie Fletcher, Steve Fletcher, Will Kirk, Kirsten Ramsay and Dominic Chinea.

The Simpsons (All 4)

A classic that never fails to cheer anybody up! The Simpsons is available on All 4.

Sherlock (BBC iPlayer)

If you missed it the first time around, series 1-4 of crime drama Sherlock, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, are available now on the BBC iPlayer.

First Dates (All 4)

Fancy some love in your life? Join some singletons at Fred Sirieix's First Dates restaurant, with series 1-19 available on All 4.

First Dates Hotel and Teen First Dates are also available to watch.

Our Yorkshire Farm

Follow the lives of Amanda and Clive Owen and their nine children as they work and live on their sheep farm in Swaledale. Series 1-5 are available on MY5.

The Vicar of Dibley (BBC iPlayer)

Series 1-3, as well as the 2004 and 2006 Christmas specials are available to watch on the BBC iPlayer. The special 'lockdown' episode, which aired in December 2020, is also available for fans to catch up.

Taskmaster (All 4)

Series 1-13 of BAFTA-award winning game show Taskmaster, hosted by Greg Davies, are also available on All 4 right now.

MasterChef

Let your mouth water as Gregg Wallace and John Torode try and find the next MasterChef. As well as a number of celebrity series, you can watch series 15-18 of MasterChef on the BBC iPlayer.

You can also watch episodes of Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef Australia.

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

Now read:

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

Bridgerton fans spot 'Primark posters and yellow lines' on show 🙈

Netflix announce new membership price increase for 2021

How to listen to Tay FM:

For great music and incredible competitions tune into Tay FM on 96.4 and 102.8FM, online, on our Tay FM app, your DAB radio, or say ‘Play Tay FM’ on your Smart Speaker. We play you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists. You’ll find new favourites every day and hear the songs you've missed from the last few years.