Culture

It’s a Sin: Viewers praise incredible and much-needed LGBTQ+ drama

By Matt Moore

23rd January 2021

It’s a Sin premiered last night (22 January) and it got an emotional response from viewers.

It’s a Sin, the new groundbreaking drama from Russell T. Davies, premiered last night. The five-part drama follows a group of friends in 1980s London who grow up in the shadow of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander leads the cast as 18-year-old Ritchie Tozer, who leaves his family home on the Isle of Wight to move to the Big Smoke in search of fame and success.

He is joined by Roscoe Babatunde (played by newcomer Omari Douglas), Colin Morris-Jones (Callum Scott Howells), Jill Baxter (Lydia West) and Ash Mukherjee (Nathaniel Curtis).

And since all five episodes dropped on Channel 4 last night, it has been universally praised, with the series being incredibly emotional for LGBTQ+ viewers, some of whom were growing up and experiencing the epidemic at the time.

One viewer wrote: “‘It’s a sin’ is reminding me how fucking terrified I was back then, especially after my best friend, who was my age, died of AIDS related complications. I wondered if I’d even make it to 30, let alone 51.”

And Buzzfeed journalist Patrick Strudwick said: “Most people have no idea what it was like to be young + gay in the 80s/90s. When straight friends were holding hands in the playground I was in gay bars where there were guys in wheelchairs with KS on their faces. The 1st man I fell for had AIDS. That was my adolescence.”

He also explained the impact that Section 28, which was enforced in 1988, had, saying: “What’s hard to convey now is the silence: silence in schools because Section 28 meant teachers couldn’t talk about being gay. And silence because most of society turned the other way. We lived in a pandemic and many died – as everyone else carried on as normal. Blackout.”

Other fans were full of praise for show creator, Russell T. Davies, with one writing: “It’s a sin…so many emotions right now. As ever @TDaviesOfficial is doing our community proud.”

And another wrote: “Do I need to say that It’s A Sin was a masterpiece? Probably not because Russell T Davies NEVER fails. But honestly – masterpiece.”

And other fans posted about the sense of community within the queer community that the series spotlighted. “The thing thats really bringing me to tears with Its A Sin is how much it makes you see how special it is to be queer and be in queer spaces around all these peripheral LGBTQ+ icons in our lives,” wrote one. “It’s such a unique, special thing we all share.”