The recent short series from Channel 4 and Russell T. Davies, ‘It’s a Sin’, has received massive acclaim for its relevant, authentic and heart-rending chronicle of five friends navigating life during the rise of AIDS. If you’re one of the people who hasn’t already seen it, I’m going to tell you why I think it’s one of the must-watch programmes of 2021.
‘It’s a Sin’ follows a group of young friends, Richie, Colin, Roscoe, Jill and Ash, who all live together in a run-down flat in the iconic Pink Palace apartment block. Set in 1980’s London, the channel 4 series shows us the AIDS perspective of the everyday LGBTQ+ community and the struggle, fear and stigma they faced alongside the virus’ early threat. Though fairly short with just five episodes, the programme paints a devastating yet glorious picture of the ’80s in London. A large majority of the group’s life is a fantastically enviable riot of the best parties, friendships and the best shags – an intoxicated world that those who look down on them in the real world will never experience nor understand. For as many highs as the series bring us, there are just as many devastating lows as we see the group learning about the devastating AIDS epidemic. Gradually, the threat begins to become a reality for our characters. ‘It’s a Sin’ doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable subjects and does not minimise the horrendous treatment towards members of the LGBTQ+ community at the end. In fact, it emphasises how the association with homosexuality caused AIDS in Britain to be taken less seriously or mishandled by the general public and the media. The series was made to tell the stories of the early victims of the virus, those who had fallen deathly ill with no known cause, those who heard stories of a mysterious illness only present in the USA. Even those who believed it was a hoax; created to prevent the LGBTQ+ community from living their lives.
The characters are also one of the most appealing aspects of the programme. With such a diverse array of personalities and styles you’ll find at least one character that you’ll be able to strongly relate to and emphasise with. Importantly, the characters are regular people who all have their own sets of dreams, aspirations, and goals – primarily students who are making their way into the world for the first time. They are simply normal people; who do not expect something as significant as AIDS to affect their lives. The ability to relate with the characters on this level is important to understand the enormous impact of the AIDS crisis like Colin, Richie, Jill, Ash and Roscoe. The close bond between the main friendship group is incredibly endearing and family-like, which is significant. This is because we see many of the characters have complicated relationships with their biological families, primarily due to their sexuality. You’ll quickly begin to root for each and every member throughout the series and feel as though you’re experiencing every highlight and downfall with them from Roscoe’s feisty “f*ck-you’s”, Jill’s unwavering loyalty to Colin’s lust for the simple life.
‘It’s a Sin’ additionally boasts an incredible soundtrack: with classic hits like Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’ and Blondie’s ‘Call Me’ enhancing the envy-inducing party scenes with an electric atmosphere of freedom and pure enjoyment. The use of the music in ‘It’s a Sin’ also intensifies the powerful emotions the series makes you feel, Queens ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ will never feel quite the same after the episode it’s featured in. The series’ namesake is the 1987 ‘It’s a Sin’ by the Pet Shop Boys, a song covered beautifully by Years and Years’ Olly Alexander, who also plays Richie. The song’s poignant tone adds an even deeper dimension to the series, with the religious undertones of the lyrics contributing to the feelings of shame and rejection explored through the characters’ treatment in the series and the victim-blaming narrative expressed by other characters towards those suffering from AIDS.
The series already boasts glowing reviews and is breaking viewing records, which is unsurprising considering it’s the work of ‘Queer As Folk’ and ‘Years and Years’ Russel T. Davies. ‘It’s a Sin’ has even been referred to as this generations ‘Queer as Folk’, which was a ground-breaking programme in terms of LGBTQ+ representation on mainstream television. ‘It’s a Sin’ is just another incredible series to add to Davies’ fantastic legacy of brilliant British TV.
Ultimately, I feel this series is definitely my favourite series of the year so far and an absolute must-watch. ‘It’s a Sin’ offers an incredibly informative perspective on the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community during the AIDS epidemic in Britain. Russel T. Davies portrays these experiences magnificently, even drawing from experiences in his own life to create the show. As cheesy as it sounds, we laugh with them as an audience, we love with them and cry with them. Our hearts break every time we think about what could have been if the LGBTQ+ community received the support and compassion they deserved rather than the rampant homophobia encouraged by the time’s political and cultural climate. The positive response to ‘It’s a Sin’ on social media is just one example of how important it is to have real, adequate representation of the everyday struggles the LGBTQ+ community faced during the AIDS crisis that was rarely spoken about. It’s also incredibly important to depict a group of friends who represent pure joy, love and lust for life, as much of the LGBTQ+ representation in the media does tend to focus on the tropes of tragedy and shame. Seeing these wonderful characters shamelessly liberated in London, seizing the day and becoming the brightest stars in the city is valuable in terms of representation and makes them all the more lovable.
The programme has introduced and educated a whole new generation on the discriminatory response towards the AIDS epidemic in the ’80s. It gives an insight into the misinformation and stigma held by the general public and the media towards sufferers and the LGBTQ+ community. More importantly, it has led to many young people understanding the reality of current HIV positive status. With an HIV+ status no longer being a death sentence as it was for many at the time, there are now millions of people living happy and fulfilling lives while suffering from the virus. This is all thanks to the innovation of modern medicine and the community sacrifices made by those who suffered from this illness in the early years.