It’s a sin C4

cozar

Really good drama about AIDS in London in the 80s. Neil Patrick Harris in it.

Atlantic Dawn

Entire series is now on All4 for anyone wanting to watch the lot in one go, recent convert to All4, great compared to RTE Player.

Hellokitty1212

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Entire series is now on All4 for anyone wanting to watch the lot in one go.

Can we get All 4 in Ireland ? Really impressed with the first part, would love to binge the rest.

Lisha

Hellokitty1212 wrote: »

Can we get All 4 in Ireland ? Really impressed with the first part, would love to binge the rest.

Yes it’s a great app, I use it a lot. It’s free but with ads. You can pay for no ads but I haven’t yet.

Atlantic Dawn

Hellokitty1212 wrote: »

Can we get All 4 in Ireland ? Really impressed with the first part, would love to binge the rest.

Lisha wrote: »

Yes it’s a great app, I use it a lot. It’s free but with ads. You can pay for no ads but I haven’t yet.

Yes I find it a great job, they show 24 Hours In Police Custody full series/show after initial episode goes out too. There are ads but nothing like RTE Player, if you want to watch part 3 of a show you watch one set of ads, not 3 like RTE. The ads are regionalised for Irish viewers, great service for free, they have an app or you can watch from your web browser, need to create a free account.

Be right back

Binged watched it today. Very good series. All 4 app is good too.

Hellokitty1212

Thank you! Watched all five today - brilliantly done!

Basq

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Got through about half an episode on C4 last night and had to turn it off, was way too gay for me. I know, I'm a dinosaur.

"Too gay"? Jaysus!

Watched the first one and enjoyed it. Nothing too groundbreaking but interesting array of characters and a banging 80's soundtrack.

banie01

Watched the 1st ep and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Have yet to decide if we will binge it or do it weekly but I am looking forward to finishing it.

Great visuals, really grabs the aesthetic of 80's London IMO, fantastic soundtrack and some interesting foreshadowing.

JP Liz V1

Is that the lead singer from Years and Years in it?

Basq

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Is that the lead singer from Years and Years in it?

Yes, Olly Alexander. Very good he is too.

cozar

Basq wrote: »

Yes, Olly Alexander. Very good he is too.

It’s written by the same guy who wrote Queer as Folk and Years and Years.

Hellokitty1212

cozar wrote: »

It’s written by the same guy who wrote Queer as Folk and Years and Years.

And ran Doctor Who for a wee while - hence one of Richie’s acting roles in it!!

angel eyes 2012

Just finished binge watching It's a Sin, thought it was brilliant, final episode was emotional.

Be right back

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

Just finished binge watching It's a Sin, thought it was brilliant, final episode was emotional.

Thought Keeley Hawes was brilliant. Fab acting from everyone.

iguana

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Is that the lead singer from Years and Years in it?

Well now I'm embarrassed. I'd read that this starred Olly Alexander from Years and Years and assumed he was in Russell T Davies last series, Years and Years. I've been racking my brain for 3 episodes trying to work out which character he was in it.:o

gmisk

I have only watched episode 1.

I absolutely loved it, beautifully done, it looks terrific (nice to see the vauxhall tavern on the tv!) and the acting is excellent.

I grew up in a slightly later time but I can relate to that sense of excitement/terror of being gay and all that involves.

It's really brilliant to see something like this done from a British perspective, a few american programmes have tackled it like a normal heart or angels in america but this was totally different.

I am going to have to ration it.

Russell T Davies is a bit of a genius imo.
I have enjoyed pretty much everything he has done.
He was on the pilot tv podcast promoting this recently and he was so engaging and funny.

If anyone hasn't seen it there is an absolutely outstanding doc called how to survive a plague which focuses on the early years mostly of the aids epidemic in the US, it had me in floods of tears.

The White Wolf

Callum Scott Howells as Colin, Lydia West and Keeley Hawes were brilliant.

This topic and time period has been done ad finitum by the likes of Angels in America, The Normal Heart and Pride! so it's not easy to produce something original at this point, but it was really well done.

Really impressed by Lydia West....I had only seen her in BBC's Dracula in that 3rd episode that went off the rails.

Be right back

The White Wolf wrote: »

Callum Scott Howells as Colin, Lydia West and Keeley Hawes were brilliant.

This topic and time period has been done ad finitum by the likes of Angels in America, The Normal Heart and Pride! so it's not easy to produce something original at this point, but it was really well done.

Really impressed by Lydia West....I had only seen her in BBC's Dracula in that 3rd episode that went off the rails.

Thought Colin is the best and most likeable of the male characters.

Basq

3 episodes in and it's a helluva watch - but a funny, uplifting, sad, devastating, emotional watch.

Fully formed characters which is refreshing after seeing a lot of representation of gay characters on television be quite two-dimensional and stereotypical.. but then again, RTD would never allow this.

The cast are sublime - from Olly Alexander (Richie) to Lydia Ward (Jill) to Callum Scott Howells (Colin) in his first TV role.

Less than a month into 2021 and I can't see another drama topping it this year!

Hellokitty1212

gmisk wrote: »

I have only watched episode 1.

I absolutely loved it, beautifully done, it looks terrific (nice to see the vauxhall tavern on the tv!) and the acting is excellent.

I grew up in a slightly later time but I can relate to that sense of excitement/terror of being gay and all that involves.

It's really brilliant to see something like this done from a British perspective, a few american programmes have tackled it like a normal heart or angels in america but this was totally different.

I am going to have to ration it.

Russell T Davies is a bit of a genius imo.
I have enjoyed pretty much everything he has done.
He was on the pilot tv podcast promoting this recently and he was so engaging and funny.

If anyone hasn't seen it there is an absolutely outstanding doc called how to survive a plague which focuses on the early years mostly of the aids epidemic in the US, it had me in floods of tears.

I’d recommend The Normal Heart and Angels in America too.

The White Wolf

Be right back wrote: »

Thought Colin is the best and most likeable of the male characters.

What I liked about Colin above all else is how they subverted expectations in the right way;

from his shy smile and Ritchie's barbs at him over being a virgin which turned out just be an incorrect assumption, just because he was quiet and had a different way of operation.

New2Dubs

Fantastic series. Like others, I binged over 2 nights.
As a child of the 80s, I was aware of AIDS but didn’t appreciate how it must have torn through friendship groups. It was harrowing to see the discrimination faced by the gay community too. Colin broke my heart & the final scene with Gill & Richie’s mum made me gasp out loud.
The show felt all the more poignant now we’re living through another uncertain virus. Superb acting.

gmisk

The White Wolf wrote: »

Callum Scott Howells as Colin, Lydia West and Keeley Hawes were brilliant.

This topic and time period has been done ad finitum by the likes of Angels in America, The Normal Heart and Pride! so it's not easy to produce something original at this point, but it was really well done.

Really impressed by Lydia West....I had only seen her in BBC's Dracula in that 3rd episode that went off the rails.

Oh I loved Pride! as well!
My mum loved also it tbh and she is fussy lol

Lydia west is great really charismatic, it just shows you what a good script will do...that third dracula episode I thought she and the whole episode were a disaster.

JP Liz V1

iguana wrote: »

Well now I'm embarrassed. I'd read that this starred Olly Alexander from Years and Years and assumed he was in Russell T Davies last series, Years and Years. I've been racking my brain for 3 episodes trying to work out which character he was in it.:o

I didn't know he acted

Basq

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I didn't know he acted

Was an actor before Years and Years.

Just finished it... absolutely exhausting!

And I stand by what I said, I can't see another drama topping it this year. Sublime!

PS - anyone else think it strange seeing Big Mandy from This Country in episode 5 as

Richie's nurse

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjIBZIz0qiY

LordBasil

3 Episodes done;

Colin I loved him and his poor mum. What a horrible death for such a lovely young man. The thing that irked me slightly is that Colin jumped into bed repeatedly with his former landlady's son but was supposed to be living with the gang for about 4 years and didn't have sex with anyone else in that time despite being surrounded by so much opportunities. He was good looking so would have had lots of interest from other young men when out partying with his friends.

Overall it's very good so far.

JupiterKid

Absolutely superb show. Was really looking forward to the debut episode of It’s A Sin and it certainly did not disappoint.

But then, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the brilliant Russell T. Davies who wrote the daring and utterly groundbreaking Queer As Folk back in 1999. All the main characters are so well developed in just the first episode alone. Keely Hawes is also excellent as Richie’s mum, as I’d expect from an actress of her calibre. Neil Patrick Harris is also very good.

For viewers perhaps not old enough to recall the AIDS crisis at first hand, Its A Sin provides a really good insight into those times. Post-Stonewall and the first wave of gay liberation in the West, but the party is about to come crashing down with the tragedy of HIV/AIDS and the massive homophobic backlash.

I was only a young child back then but clearly remember the panic, ignorance and hysteria in and around the mid-1980s with AIDS - and a LGBT community that was marginalized and stigmatised horribly. You have to remember that so many of those gay men who died horrible deaths from AIDS had been disowned by their families and often had no-one to care for them (apart from hospital staff) in their final weeks and days. It was the gay community who fought back against the tide of ignorance and homophobia and pioneered the safe sex message at that time.

maudgonner

Binged the lot last night and would happily have watched it all again this morning if work hadn't got in the way.


Fantastic series, wonderful writing, great cast (Keeley Hawes!) Felt like an epic subject dealt with in a personal way. And in an entertaining way, which is damned skillful given the subject matter. Russell T Davies is back to his best and that is so good!

Shelga

Like others, I binged it all at the weekend, after meaning to watch 1 episode. It was excellent. AIDS is a topic that I of course was aware of, and knew lots of gay men died horrible deaths in the 1980s, but It's A Sin gave me so much more understanding of what it must have been like back then- isn't that what great drama does.

When Colin started having seizures, it was horrible, but I thought, oh phew, at least he doesn't have AIDS. Little did I know

I thought it really portrayed the horror of it all, yet the pure carefree joy they also all experienced, really well.

As Ritchie says in the final episode- "no one ever talks about how much fun we had", or words to that effect.

Really heartbreaking, really funny. I've been thinking about it since Saturday so that says something, in an age where we all just mindlessly burn through "content".

cozar

Shelga wrote: »

Like others, I binged it all at the weekend, after meaning to watch 1 episode. It was excellent. AIDS is a topic that I of course was aware of, and knew lots of gay men died horrible deaths in the 1980s, but It's A Sin gave me so much more understanding of what it must have been like back then- isn't that what great drama does.

When Colin started having seizures, it was horrible, but I thought, oh phew, at least he doesn't have AIDS. Little did I know

I thought it really portrayed the horror of it all, yet the pure carefree joy they also all experienced, really well.

As Ritchie says in the final episode- "no one ever talks about how much fun we had", or words to that effect.

Really heartbreaking, really funny. I've been thinking about it since Saturday so that says something, in an age where we all just mindlessly burn through "content".

i've been thinking about it since too, it was so sad.

The White Wolf

I've never seen the paranoia amongst the Community done like this either, it honestly never occured to me that two gay men that hadn't slept together would be looking at each other suspiciously when there was no information to hand.

EltonJohn69

Fairly depressing stuff, but how could it not be.....

EltonJohn69

It really is scarier then most horrors.

maudgonner

There's a really good interview with Davies here.


Spoiler for article:

The real life inspiration for Jill played her mother in the series

Rothmans

Every so often a film or mini-series comes along that has such an emotional impact on me that it has me reflecting for days after it. I think It's a Sin will play heavily on my mind for the next few weeks at least. Although I intended to watch it each week, I finished the series on All 4 two days ago, and I've been constantly thinking about it - in work, while out for a walk, while trying to watch other TV shows and so on. As other posters have mentioned, this topic has been well covered by other TV series and documentaries such as Angels in America, Tales of the City etc. But none have had anywhere near the profound emotional impact that this series has had (on me personally, at least). Maybe it's the fact that It's a Sin is much closer to home, or the turbulent Covid times we're currently going through, or just because it is a perfectly put together piece of work, but it is a truly heartbreaking watch. Or perhaps it's the fact that this miniseries is simply not just a piece of fiction, it is rooted in a cold, lonely and heartbreaking reality that we just can't leave behind.


Desperately Desperately sad. I knew going into this, that this was a miniseries about gay men in 1980s London so I knew exactly what to expect. But this series still managed to take me completely off-guard. It was just so touching and gut-wrenching and unbelievably upsetting.

Each death in the show I found to be upsetting, but none more so than the protagonist, Ritchie. I was always hopeful for him. He managed to survive for so long with HIV/AIDS, he was so determined that he was going to overcome it. This gave me hope for him, only for it to be snuffed out in the end.

I think it was in the fourth episode that he went back to the Isle of Wight (I suspected to tell his family the bad news). He got cold feet though, leaving the house, telling his parents that he was going out to meet friends. Of course, he got to the pub, and this wasn't the case at all - there was no one there to greet him. I think this illustrated that there was nothing for him in his homeplace, and was possibly a foreshadow of what was to come in the future (i.e. as was mentioned many times in the show - when boys go home, never to be seen again). Ritchie did meet his secondary school crush in the bar, but this was sadly a dead end (although it was nice to see the genuine concern that he had for Ritchie).

Then of course, the 5th episode comes. Ritchie sadly becomes one of those boys I alluded to above. And it's just something I can't fathom - why did he go home? He loved London, and all of his friends there. Anyhow, he was brought back home and the mother wouldn't allow any of his friends to see him in his dying weeks and days. As the 4th episode highlighted, there wasn't anything for him in the Isle of Wight. Certainly no friends to speak of. Hell, when he asked his mother if his aunts or cousins would be coming to see him, she replied that none of the extended family had been even been told he was sick (not to mind with AIDS), and that it was none of their business. And added to this, the mother wasn't able to relate one bit to poor Ritchie about all the joys he had in London. This all highlighted the poignancy of the situation and highlighted how alone he was in dying, and indeed the imposed shame around him dying in this way.

It was just so sad that he had to die like that. So desperately sad. And it is sad because it was true. It was something which happened thousands of times over in that era.

Towards the end of the episode we were given hope. When Ritchie's mother asked to meet Jill and told her that he had asked to see her. Only to dash her hopes, and mine, by following that up with 'but he died yesterday morning'. The cruelty of that. The cruelty of his death.

I don't think I've articulated myself particularly well here, but it's difficult to put into words how this miniseries had made me feel and I hope ye understand my ramblings.

I read elsewhere that somebody put it to Russell T Davies what was it that he wanted to achieve, how he wanted people to feel after watching this show. He replied that he wanted people to miss the characters. I think he has achieved that goal completely and flawlessly. I'm in bits.

EltonJohn69

Rothmans wrote: »

Every so often a film or mini-series comes along that has such an emotional impact on me that it has me reflecting for days after it. I think It's a Sin will play heavily on my mind for the next few weeks at least. Although I intended to watch it each week, I finished the series on All 4 two days ago, and I've been constantly thinking about it - in work, while out for a walk, while trying to watch other TV shows and so on. As other posters have mentioned, this topic has been well covered by other TV series and documentaries such as Angels in America, Tales of the City etc. But none have had anywhere near the profound emotional impact that this series has had (on me personally, at least). Maybe it's the fact that It's a Sin is much closer to home, or the turbulent Covid times we're currently going through, or just because it is a perfectly put together piece of work, but it is a truly heartbreaking watch. Or perhaps it's the fact that this miniseries is simply not just a piece of fiction, it is rooted in a cold, lonely and heartbreaking reality that we just can't leave behind.


Desperately Desperately sad. I knew going into this, that this was a miniseries about gay men in 1980s London so I knew exactly what to expect. But this series still managed to take me completely off-guard. It was just so touching and gut-wrenching and unbelievably upsetting.

Each death in the show I found to be upsetting, but none more so than the protagonist, Ritchie. I was always hopeful for him. He managed to survive for so long with HIV/AIDS, he was so determined that he was going to overcome it. This gave me hope for him, only for it to be snuffed out in the end.

I think it was in the fourth episode that he went back to the Isle of Wight (I suspected to tell his family the bad news). He got cold feet though, leaving the house, telling his parents that he was going out to meet friends. Of course, he got to the pub, and this wasn't the case at all - there was no one there to greet him. I think this illustrated that there was nothing for him in his homeplace, and was possibly a foreshadow of what was to come in the future (i.e. as was mentioned many times in the show - when boys go home, never to be seen again). Ritchie did meet his secondary school crush in the bar, but this was sadly a dead end (although it was nice to see the genuine concern that he had for Ritchie).

Then of course, the 5th episode comes. Ritchie sadly becomes one of those boys I alluded to above. And it's just something I can't fathom - why did he go home? He loved London, and all of his friends there. Anyhow, he was brought back home and the mother wouldn't allow any of his friends to see him in his dying weeks and days. As the 4th episode highlighted, there wasn't anything for him in the Isle of Wight. Certainly no friends to speak of. Hell, when he asked his mother if his aunts or cousins would be coming to see him, she replied that none of the extended family had been even been told he was sick (not to mind with AIDS), and that it was none of their business. And added to this, the mother wasn't able to relate one bit to poor Ritchie about all the joys he had in London. This all highlighted the poignancy of the situation and highlighted how alone he was in dying, and indeed the imposed shame around him dying in this way.

It was just so sad that he had to die like that. So desperately sad. And it is sad because it was true. It was something which happened thousands of times over in that era.

Towards the end of the episode we were given hope. When Ritchie's mother asked to meet Jill and told her that he had asked to see her. Only to dash her hopes, and mine, by following that up with 'but he died yesterday morning'. The cruelty of that. The cruelty of his death.

I don't think I've articulated myself particularly well here, but it's difficult to put into words how this miniseries had made me feel and I hope ye understand my ramblings.

I read elsewhere that somebody put it to Russell T Davies what was it that he wanted to achieve, how he wanted people to feel after watching this show. He replied that he wanted people to miss the characters. I think he has achieved that goal completely and flawlessly. I'm in bits.

Check out the French movie 120 bpm if you want something similar... good but heavy

Buddy Bubs

Just finished it, wow. Think it's the first gay piece of art, literature, TV, stage etc that I've ever consumed but what an eye opener. I have no gay friends or really know anyone openly gay but I have read plenty about AIDS over the years.

Watched in 2 sittings, 3 last night and 2 this evening.
Recommended to be by a work colleague that I thought had stitched me up by making me watch gay sex scenes in opening half episode or so but it turned into one of the most poignant, powerful pieces of entertainment I've ever watched.
Characters so well developed in what is only a short miniseries, congrats to the writers and actors on that one. The Jill character was excellent, apparently very closely based on real person.
Excellent soundtrack too, 80s music is the best.
18 stone shaved head, bearded, sometimes emotional rugby player here fighting back tears at final scene. Will probably rewatch it to be honest. It will stick with me for long time to come.

opus

Really enjoying this. I've managed to avoid binge watching it so not finished yet. Some mix of feelgood & depressing with a sense of dread as to what's coming in the last two episodes. Loving the sound track as some people have mentioned as well.

Total aside is that it's made me even more determined to see the Pet Shop Boys live as had tickets for a concert in Germany last Summer which needless to say bit the dust. Haven't given up yet!

Rothmans

EltonJohn69 wrote: »

Check out the French movie 120 bpm if you want something similar... good but heavy

I will add it to the list. But I think I'll need to give it a while before I can take on something so heavy again.

Buddy Bubs wrote: »

Just finished it, wow. Think it's the first gay piece of art, literature, TV, stage etc that I've ever consumed but what an eye opener. I have no gay friends or really know anyone openly gay but I have read plenty about AIDS over the years.

Watched in 2 sittings, 3 last night and 2 this evening.
Recommended to be by a work colleague that I thought had stitched me up by making me watch gay sex scenes in opening half episode or so but it turned into one of the most poignant, powerful pieces of entertainment I've ever watched.
Characters so well developed in what is only a short miniseries, congrats to the writers and actors on that one. The Jill character was excellent, apparently very closely based on real person.
Excellent soundtrack too, 80s music is the best.
18 stone shaved head, bearded, sometimes emotional rugby player here fighting back tears at final scene. Will probably rewatch it to be honest. It will stick with me for long time to come.

Yeah, I held out reasonably well until the last scene, that's when I lost it

Buddy Bubs

Rothmans wrote: »

I will add it to the list. But I think I'll need to give it a while before I can take on something so heavy again.



Yeah, I held out reasonably well until the last scene, that's when I lost it

Yes, early on I wasn't as invested but as you got deeper into the world they were living in, get to know the characters and probably become more compassionate to them as humans, the emotion came out.

eviltwin

Watched the 1st episode on Channel 4 last week and binged the rest of it today with my husband and kids. It’s an incredible piece of tele, not just from a dramatic point of view but as a social history. My kids are still finding it hard to believe how AIDS was a literal death sentence. I’m not the better for it. I’m bawling writing this. I hope it wins every award going and I hope people never forget how awful society treated gay people and those infected.

appledrop

I have just watched episode 3 and I am bawling here, didn't see that one coming but won't give it away.

It is an unbelievable programme. So powerful. I think we sometimes forget how difficult it was for people who were gay back in 1980s.

Most of them were shunned by their families or couldnt tell them their secret and their friends meant everything to them and then to be shunned again by society because they have aids its heartbreaking.

The characters are so well developed. I love all of them and Jill is a great addition so not just all the lads.

I'm sure there are more tears to come ill watch final two episodes tomorrow!

spurious

I thought Keeley Hawes was outstanding in this.

AnnaSophia

spurious wrote: »

I thought Keeley Hawes was outstanding in this.

Absolutely, she didn’t have much to do until the final episode but Jesus Christ did she do it well. She’s excellent at playing a very complicated character.

appledrop

Ah Jesus noooooooooooooo.

That last episode was absolutely horrific.

That was not the ending I wanted for that character.

Devasted for them all.

prinzeugen

Brilliant series. I discovered Jills character was based on a real person, also called Jill.
The real Jill played fictional Jills mum in the series.

fritzelly

Excellent series but that finale was a real tear jerker - both of us in tears

Tork

I binge-watched this as well and thought it was terrific. I didn't want it to end

even though Colin and Ritchie died

and found myself wondering what happened to

Ash, Roscoe and Jill

afterwards. In some ways I saw parallels with Covid, especially when nobody knew exactly how HIV was transmitted and there were people locked in isolation wards. Then there were the characters who had had sex with each other wondering if they were infectious.

Ritchie's death was cruel. But in a weird way, I'm glad they didn't resort to a clichéd ending for him with his friends making it to his bedside in time. I thought the use of silence when his mother told Jill that he had died was very effective too.

On a lighter note I loved that they wrote a Dr. Who scene into it and that they recreated the style of TV picture that was around in that era. The soundtrack and score were spot on too. The cast was uniformly excellent and I hope we'll see these new faces do more good work in the future. The one actor I'd not have cast on it was Stephen Fry. I can't say that he was terrible or anything but he just seemed to be Stephen Fry doing Stephen Fry, parachuted into an intense drama.

prinzeugen

Tork wrote: »

The one actor I'd not have cast on it was Stephen Fry. I can't say that he was terrible or anything but he just seemed to be Stephen Fry doing Stephen Fry, parachuted into an intense drama.

I believe it's a reference to scandals involving members of the UK government at the time. There were multiple rumours about multiple people at the time. I think Mellor was one.

Tork

prinzeugen wrote: »

I believe it's a reference to scandals involving members of the UK government at the time. There were multiple rumours about multiple people at the time. I think Mellor was one.

The character was fine. It was the casting of Stephen Fry that I found jarring.