Review: It's A Sin

Boys Just Wanna Have Fun – Why It’s a Sin is as joyous as it is heart-breaking

If anyone out there reads this blog, you might notice that I haven’t posted anything in quite some time. In truth, there hasn’t been anything I felt truly compelled to write about. I’ve watched some fantastic series, from Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit (who’d have thought chess could be so intense?), to the BBC’s skin-crawling drama The Serpent (which made me weirdly grateful that we can’t go travelling atm), but nothing quite managed to capture my heart. That was until I watched It’s a Sin, and my world turned upside down.

Before you panic, I mean that in the very best way. Russell T Davies’ latest offering has arrived and turned television on its head, and it is all the better for it. It’s worth noting that Davies has written some of my favourite series in recent years, from the mind-boggling Years and Years, to the wickedly funny A Very English Scandal. But in It’s A Sin, Davies truly offers us a televisual masterpiece. The story pulses with loveable (and equally despicable) characters, a glittering array of 80s pop-culture and music, and a palpable sense of hope and fear. As the threat of AIDS seeps into their community, we watch as a tight-knit group of friends try against all odds to live freely and to the full. Knowing that the story is at least loosely based on Davies’ own experiences makes viewing all the more devastating.

And yet, It’s A Sin is also the most heart-warming, genuinely lovely series I have watched in ages. When I say you will fall in love with the characters, I really mean it. Perhaps it’s due to my lack of social interaction in lockdown, but I actually think I would die for Colin. Even though I have the vocal chords of a drowned cat, I want to sing karaoke with Ritchie. I want Roscoe to teach me how to pull off blue eyeshadow. I want to go to Aldi with Ash, so he can reach tinned food for me from the highest shelf. And Jill? I would follow that woman into battle.

That’s just the core characters there – don’t even get me started on the rest. Davies is a master of his craft, tapping into our subconscious biases and twisting our expectations quicker than my Uncle Geoffrey can list Bananarama’s backlist. Just when you think you know what’s coming, Davies will come and pull the rug from under your espadrilles. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and shout expletives at particular characters (episode 5, anyone?), and get ready to binge the whole thing in one sitting. It’s a whirlwind ride of unpredictable events and cataclysmic consequences, and it’s completely and utterly addictive.

Of course, festering under the exhilarating partying, sex, and endless nights out, lies a terrifying disease. Prior to watching It’s a Sin, I didn’t know that much about the harrowing reality of AIDS. I’d heard snippets of secondary information, often diluted by time and dramatic interpretation: the undercurrent of AIDS in Matthew Warchus’s sensational feature Pride (2014), pictures of Princess Diana shaking the hands of AIDS patients, the deaths of Freddie Mercury and Rock Hudson. I’d seen the infamous infomercial of the AIDS tombstone. I wasn’t really sure what it was or how it was spread, or even what it did. All I knew was this: for most, it was a death sentence.

What I didn’t fully realise was the debilitating cruelty of the disease itself, and the extent of the homophobic culture constricting it. AIDS could cause cancer (?!), dark blotches on the skin akin to plague spots, a life-threatening decrease of immunity, and a degeneration of the mind of the patient, but the society surrounding it was perhaps just as deadly. For boys living in the shadow of shame cast by their peers, colleagues, and family members, many must have felt entirely alone, and, tragically, that they were some way at fault. For having sex? For loving people? Or even, for simply existing? Christ. I was sickened and disgusted to learn of dying men locked in solitary confinement, of police wearing gloves before beating peaceful protestors from the LGBTQ+ community, and of Thatcher’s callous introduction of Section 28 legislation. It reminded me how lucky I am to be growing up today. The previous generation who campaigned for gay rights and acceptance have really paved the way, and we should never forget their tireless work. It’s also a reminder that these rights were hard won and easily lost.

It’s pretty staggering to think that when this was being filmed, the Covid-19 pandemic was a mere blink on the horizon. In one especially ironic scene, we watch as Ritchie gives a blasé speech on how “this whole AIDS thing” is a massive hoax; I can’t quite believe Davies wrote the lines prior our current pandemic. I actually cringed as I saw myself in Ritchie, back in early 2020 when I turned to my friends and said “Covid? I’ll worry about it when I get it.” When a terrifying disease is coming to a head, none of us know what’s to come. At the beginning, nobody realises they’re stepping into a period of harrowing historical significance. It would be so easy to sit on a high horse and say that people in the 80s should have been more careful, but, living during a pandemic, I understand that feeling of being in complete denial. Because the point is, to begin with, you’re not deliberately living recklessly. You’re just living. Men and boys were having sex, just like we were all shaking hands and coughing and not wearing masks. But, for many, once you realise it’s a very real problem, it’s already too late.

However – I need to take a step back. While It’s a Sin is undeniably very sad, it’s also a story filled with immense hope, truth, and humanity. It’s oftentimes hilarious, touching and painfully relatable. When we think of AIDS, it’s very easy to feel sucked into a pit of anger, grief, and despair, yet Russell T Davies also emphasises a significant silver lining. Because while AIDS could be seen as a time of hate (from homophobic bastards), it was also a time of incredible love. Jill, a character based on a true friend of Davies’, shows relentless selflessness and compassion, and demonstrates that simply being there for someone can mean the world. Aside from disease, the 80s was, in many ways, an incredibly exciting time for the gay community, with the rise of iconic music artists, fashion experimentation, and the kindling of likeminded tribes of every colour under the rainbow. The party scenes make you want to get up and dance, and had me feeling a nostalgic pang for the absence of my student life. It’s a story of finding yourself and, perhaps more importantly, finding your friends. It’s reminded me of the power of treating people with kindness (cue Harry Styles), and how offering your time to others can be both rewarding and transformative. It’s made me excited to go out and meet new people (post-pandemic, obvs), and really try to live life to the full. Actually, it made me feel excited to live again, full stop. And for someone who often gets depressed (especially in lockdown), that’s no small feat.

But anyway, I’ve said enough. Please, just go and watch it. It’s an absolute wonder.

It’s a Sin is available to watch now on Channel 4 and All 4

To find out more about HIV, or to make a donation, please visit: George House Trust | (ght.org.uk)