“Do you seriously think there is an illness that only kills gay men?”
Olly Alexander’s character in It’s a Sin is revealed to be an AIDS denier in the brand new trailer.
The five-part drama from Queer as Folk visionary Russell T Davies follows a group of friends in 1980s London who grow up in the shadow of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Years & Years frontman Olly 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).
Neil Patrick Harris, Keeley Hawes, Stephen Fry, Tracy Ann Oberman, and Shaun Dooler also star in the series, which airs January on Channel 4 and HBO Max in the US.
An official synopsis for the show reads: “It’s 1981, the start of a new decade and Ritchie, Roscoe and Colin begin a new life in London.
“Strangers at first, these young gay lads, and their best friend Jill, find themselves thrown together, and soon share each other’s adventures.
“But a new virus is on the rise, and soon their lives will be tested in ways they never imagined. As the decade passes, and they grow up in the shadow of AIDS, they’re determined to live and love more fiercely than ever.”
In the new two-minute teaser, Richie questions the legitimacy of HIV/AIDS as he calls the epidemic “a pack of lies” and “a racket” as well as “a money-making scheme for drug companies”.
Breaking the third wall, he tells the audience: “Do you seriously think there is an illness that only kills gay men? It can calculate that you’re gay and kill you, but only if you’re gay and no one else?”
You can watch the latest trailer for It’s a Sin here or below.
In the latest issue of GAY TIMES Magazine, Olly shared that Ritchie’s social and political views don’t always align with what we might expect from his character.
“When I read the script, that’s what really blew me away about Ritchie’s character,” he explained. “I was so excited to try and get into his headspace.
“Ritchie makes a lot of questionable choices, you might say, watching the show. But playing him was so much fun because I really felt like I could understand where he was coming from.
“It’s really important to have a character that makes questionable choices. I really empathise with Ritchie going from a small town to London. That’s what I did.”
Olly appeared on our latest cover in conversation with his fellow It’s A Sin cast members Omari, Lydia, Nathaniel and Callum, as well as Russell, who serves as showrunner.
The Winter 2020/21 Issue of GAY TIMES Magazine is available now in stores and on Apple News+.
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