If there was a disease that only affected straight white men in the western world and was killing them off by the thousands there would be an unprecedented effort to find out what’s causing it, and how it could be cured. Unfortunately, for decades we have allowed such a thing to exist and go mostly ignored because it only affects gay men and people in third world countries. I am of course talking about HIV/AIDS. A virus that is transmitted through blood and semen, and destroys the immune system, in turn allowing for other illnesses to set in and become vastly more life threatening. In the 1980’s there was an AIDS epidemic, but because of societal attitudes towards homosexuals thousands were isolated, locked up, and ignored as they were left to die from this vicious illness. Forty years later there is still no cure.
It’s A Sin follows the lives of five friends who meet after moving to London and moving in together. Richie Tozer (Olly Alexander), Ash Mukherjee (Nathaniel Curtis), and Jill Baxter (Lydia West) are all drama students at the same university, Roscoe Babatunde (Omari Douglas) is a bartender, and Collin (Callum Scott Howells) is an apprentice tailor. The four boys are gay, some proud, some still afraid to let it be known publicly. As they go about their lives, discovering more about their newfound sexuality, the threat of a mysterious new illness lingers over them and they begin to see their friends, and each other, succumb to its horrifying effects over the course of the decade.
I love how unflinching It’s A Sin is with its sexual promiscuity and the repercussions of it. Though I have not personally known anyone to suffer from AIDS it is still an issue that’s very much prevalent today, but something that’s not spoken about as much as it should be. It was a real eye opener for me as to just how awful AIDS is (having only ever lived in a world where AIDS isn’t necessarily a death sentence anymore), and how people reacted to it in the 1980’s within the gay community and outside of it.
The script for the show is fantastic too. Created by Russell T. Davies, the show is based on aspects of his own life growing up as a gay man in the 80’s. The characters are believable, flawed, and often misguided people. From the first initial rumblings in the group where they simply believe it’s caused by a lack of cleanliness, right up to dodging HIV tests out of fear. It doesn’t shy away from the pain and destructiveness of the disease and is regularly a very difficult watch. But it’s not all doom and gloom, It’s A Sin follows these young men finding themselves and living their lives to the fullest. It’s funny, the characters are extremely easy to fall in love with, and despite the depressing subject matter the show always finds ways to pick the mood back up.
It’s A Sin follows the lives of five friends who meet after moving to London and moving in together. Richie Tozer (Olly Alexander), Ash Mukherjee (Nathaniel Curtis), and Jill Baxter (Lydia West) are all drama students at the same university, Roscoe Babatunde (Omari Douglas) is a bartender, and Collin (Callum Scott Howells) is an apprentice tailor. The four boys are gay, some proud, some still afraid to let it be known publicly. As they go about their lives, discovering more about their newfound sexuality, the threat of a mysterious new illness lingers over them and they begin to see their friends, and each other, succumb to its horrifying effects over the course of the decade.
I love how unflinching It’s A Sin is with its sexual promiscuity and the repercussions of it. Though I have not personally known anyone to suffer from AIDS it is still an issue that’s very much prevalent today, but something that’s not spoken about as much as it should be. It was a real eye opener for me as to just how awful AIDS is (having only ever lived in a world where AIDS isn’t necessarily a death sentence anymore), and how people reacted to it in the 1980’s within the gay community and outside of it.
The script for the show is fantastic too. Created by Russell T. Davies, the show is based on aspects of his own life growing up as a gay man in the 80’s. The characters are believable, flawed, and often misguided people. From the first initial rumblings in the group where they simply believe it’s caused by a lack of cleanliness, right up to dodging HIV tests out of fear. It doesn’t shy away from the pain and destructiveness of the disease and is regularly a very difficult watch. But it’s not all doom and gloom, It’s A Sin follows these young men finding themselves and living their lives to the fullest. It’s funny, the characters are extremely easy to fall in love with, and despite the depressing subject matter the show always finds ways to pick the mood back up.
It’s difficult to discuss much more of what I liked about the show without spoilers so be aware.
The story primarily focuses on Ritchie, however my favourite characters were Collin and Jill. Jill is the only female in the group and also the only one with her head screwed on straight. She’s often the voice of reason and also the first to look into the mystery illness targeting gay men, as well as the one who was always trying to convince the others to be safe and take precautions. Her words usually fell on deaf ears, but as the series progresses she becomes more involved with AIDS charities, partaking in rallies, fighting for the rights of patients, and visiting patients in hospital to be a friend when they are alone.
Collin is a shy young man who’s very content with his lot in life. He initially doesn’t seem to accept his sexual urges, and seemingly never acts upon them. He is the first of the core group of characters to die from AIDS related problems though, and at least to me was the most upsetting. After witnessing the passing of his first friends after moving to London in the early stages of the AIDS epidemic, Collin moves in with Richie and the gang in their new flat. A few years later he develops a degenerative brain disorder from his affliction with AIDS which he contracted from his previous landlords’ son, the only person he ever had sex with. The show takes its time with him as we see his decaying mental state, he’s imprisoned in the hospital he’s admitted to, and by the time he’s got out he doesn’t remember an awful lot about anything. He progresses into a complete vegetative state before finally dying of the illness.
Whilst he is not the only person to die in the show, and he isn’t the first either. His was the one that affected me the most simply because of how he contracted it, and the toll it took on him. I was unaware that AIDS could have that kind of effect on people, and it was very upsetting to watch.
The series ends with Ritchie dying of AIDS, alone in his childhood bedroom as his mother has denied his friends the right to visit him. I was incredibly happy to see Jill confront Ritchie mum Valerie (Keely Hawes) about how his death was her doing. How the environment she and his father fostered in his childhood home led not only to him never being able to fully confront the reality of his homosexuality, but then led to not only his death, but also Ritchie passing on the virus to other men because he was too ashamed to get himself tested. I was overjoyed by how the show tackled this sensitive subject matter and hit back against those who hold such stigmas and continue to raise their children in such a poisonous environment.
It’s A Sin is essential TV. Not only because it’s incredibly well made and has some fantastic performances, but because the battle against HIV/AIDS is far from over. It is a fantastic educational tool into what the virus is and what it’s capable of. It’s a very short series, only five episodes in total so perfect for binge watching. Plus it’s a Channel 4 series so you don’t even need to pay to watch it in the UK! There’s no reason not to watch this show as far as I’m concerned, an incredible drama series with a very important message.
The story primarily focuses on Ritchie, however my favourite characters were Collin and Jill. Jill is the only female in the group and also the only one with her head screwed on straight. She’s often the voice of reason and also the first to look into the mystery illness targeting gay men, as well as the one who was always trying to convince the others to be safe and take precautions. Her words usually fell on deaf ears, but as the series progresses she becomes more involved with AIDS charities, partaking in rallies, fighting for the rights of patients, and visiting patients in hospital to be a friend when they are alone.
Collin is a shy young man who’s very content with his lot in life. He initially doesn’t seem to accept his sexual urges, and seemingly never acts upon them. He is the first of the core group of characters to die from AIDS related problems though, and at least to me was the most upsetting. After witnessing the passing of his first friends after moving to London in the early stages of the AIDS epidemic, Collin moves in with Richie and the gang in their new flat. A few years later he develops a degenerative brain disorder from his affliction with AIDS which he contracted from his previous landlords’ son, the only person he ever had sex with. The show takes its time with him as we see his decaying mental state, he’s imprisoned in the hospital he’s admitted to, and by the time he’s got out he doesn’t remember an awful lot about anything. He progresses into a complete vegetative state before finally dying of the illness.
Whilst he is not the only person to die in the show, and he isn’t the first either. His was the one that affected me the most simply because of how he contracted it, and the toll it took on him. I was unaware that AIDS could have that kind of effect on people, and it was very upsetting to watch.
The series ends with Ritchie dying of AIDS, alone in his childhood bedroom as his mother has denied his friends the right to visit him. I was incredibly happy to see Jill confront Ritchie mum Valerie (Keely Hawes) about how his death was her doing. How the environment she and his father fostered in his childhood home led not only to him never being able to fully confront the reality of his homosexuality, but then led to not only his death, but also Ritchie passing on the virus to other men because he was too ashamed to get himself tested. I was overjoyed by how the show tackled this sensitive subject matter and hit back against those who hold such stigmas and continue to raise their children in such a poisonous environment.
It’s A Sin is essential TV. Not only because it’s incredibly well made and has some fantastic performances, but because the battle against HIV/AIDS is far from over. It is a fantastic educational tool into what the virus is and what it’s capable of. It’s a very short series, only five episodes in total so perfect for binge watching. Plus it’s a Channel 4 series so you don’t even need to pay to watch it in the UK! There’s no reason not to watch this show as far as I’m concerned, an incredible drama series with a very important message.