It’s A Sin (2021) — review

It’s a Sin was awaited and ultimately welcomed with the fervour a Russell T. Davies show usually is. And it didn’t disappoint.

Boasting the 80s soundtrack you can just see coming (it was named after the Pet Shop Boys number 1 hit, after all), It’s a Sin follows a group of friends — Ritchie (Olly Alexander), Ash (Nathaniel Curtis), Roscoe (Omari Douglas), Jill (Lydia West) and Colin (Callum Scott Howells) — as they navigate through life in London in the 80s, amidst the looming devastation of the AIDS crisis. Spanning 5 episodes — perhaps a nod to The Boys from The Black Stuff, another Thatcher-era drama -, it is, like any Davies-penned masterpiece, joyful, painful, celebratory, mournful, soul-crushing and hopeful. And it proves once again, that Russell T. Davies’s ability to lift his audience up and then punch them in the heart is still unparalleled. From his ground-breaking Queer as Folk, to Cucumber, to Years and Years, nobody does it quite like him. And It’s A Sin might just be his most poignant and personal creation. A raw and truthful look at the desolation, homophobia and misconceptions the AIDS crisis brought with it as well as a sorrow tribute to the generation it took from us. Filled with some of the most ‘beautifully gay’ characters British television has ever had, the show’s main group of friends live in a constant party haze after leaving their families behind in order to find and be themselves in the big city. These blissful days soon come to an end, though, as the world changes for the worse and they find themselves confronted with a new reality, one that, among other things, will bring with it the dreaded reactions of their respective families — Keeley Hawes, in particular, is astonishing as Ritchie’s mother and perhaps the most comprehensive representation of the parental figure in the drama. The group’s relationships with each other, themselves and the world are, of course, central to the show, as we root for them to achieve everything they dreamed of, even though deep down, we can guess the outcome will not be quite like that. Because of this, every episode breaks your heart. Because of course it does. But don’t let that fool you. There’s so much joy, love and fun to be had. And so much to celebrate in the lives of those Heaven sent and stole.