Social media was ablaze yesterday following the release of It’s a Sin. A new British mini-series chronicling the life of three young gay men in London during the early years of the AIDS pandemic.
Scheduled to be released in the US in coming months, It’s a Sin is a British production that was released in its entirety on Saturday in the UK and Australia and all five episodes were eagerly watched back to back. The summation being you will need tissues.
Russell T Davies, the name might not ring a bell, but his list of shows he has written over the years you might recall including Queer as Folk, Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures, A Very English Scandal and Years and Years.
Set in the early 1980s It’s a Sin follows the lives of Ritchie (Olly Alexander), Roscoe (Omari Douglas) and Colin (Callum Scott Howells) as they move to London and as every young adult does when they move from home, find themselves and their tribe.
Arriving in London in 1981 the gay scene around SoHo was thriving with pubs and clubs, so many people and places to sample. The world is their oyster and they are hoping to enjoy themselves.
Around this time an undiagnosed virus was making people sick and alienated an already marginalized part of the community. It’s a Sin aims to demonstrate the ignorance and shame the gay community experienced during the AIDS pandemic.
A superb supporting cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Fry and Keeley Hawes.
Also the series has a stellar soundtrack including Pet Shop Boys, Culture Club and Kate Bush. A number of gems that are blasts from the past.
In a world where fake news has become part of the norm and readily blamed on the internet, back in the 1980s when the gay community was being ravaged by false information about the AIDS epidemic that was perpetrated by the print media and news.
British Newspapers like the Sun published headlines like “US Gay Blood Plague Kills Three in Britain” and so began the hysteria that engulfed the public and pointed the finger of blame.
It’s a Sin highlights how the damage falsehoods and downright cruel stigmas can traumatize an already suffering community. The inaccuracies published caused families to alienate and ignore children affected by the disease. Governments were very slow to act on this pandemic as it started out as a “gay cancer” with many people glad it was affecting individuals that were not looked at in a positive light. Many gay men were bullied and hated at the time, some even were fired from the jobs if they disclosed they were ill with AIDS. There is a trauma that still affects people today who lived through this horrific period of history that devastated the gay community.
This series brings humor and humanity to what was a very difficult period for the gay community living in London. Reviews that are in are calling it “sublime” “heartbreaking” and “arguably Davies’ masterpiece – an involving, devastating and often very funny piece of TV”
.It’s a Sin will be available on HBO Max in coming weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqd2Jq_w80c