Is It's A Sin a true story? Real events behind the AIDS drama's cast of characters - and what Russel T Davies has said

A new Channel 4 drama recounts what life was like for young people living through the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

It's A Sin centres around five young people who we first meet in London in 1981 – gay men Ritchie (Years and Years’ front man Olly Alexander), Roscoe (Omari Douglas), Colin (Callum Scott Howells) and Ash (Nathaniel Curtis), and their best friend Jill (Lydia West).

As their lives collide and friendships blossom, there are romances, nights out and parties at their lively flat – but a new virus, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is on the rise.

But while the crisis itself was and remains a very real thing, what about the characters at the show’s heart? Were they inspired by real people?

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What happens in It's A Sin?

The drama explores the young cast of characters’ romances and friendships as new virus HIV is on the rise.

HIVS can lead to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by HIV.

And, as the decade continues, we see the group of friends tested in the most heartbreaking of ways.

But while the HIV/AIDS crisis was prevalent in the United Kingdom, writer Russell T Davies has confirmed that It’s A Sin is a work of fiction, a decision he took early on because penning a docu-drama would be “just not me.”

The former Doctor Who writer said that writing the show’s first episode took a long time because he “had to make a very big choice as to whether to make this very factual”.

He said that he is “genuinely sorry” to have to cut one moment that would have made it into the series had he gone down the factual route; Princess Diana taking a man’s hand on an Aids ward.

“It’s no small event that, and actually, then you think, ‘Oh gosh, you’ve got to get an actor to play princess Diana’ and it starts to become about that,” he said.

“It starts to become about the clothes and hair and that’s actually all we’d be talking about right now. I can guarantee you, all we’d be doing is talking about that Princess Diana actor, so I’m glad I made that decision in the end.

Are the characters real people?

That being said, the main cast of characters are “inspired” by real people he knew at the time, though they’re certainly not “based on” them.

Davies is quick to clear that up, as “there’s always those lawyers making sure I don’t say anyone’s actually based on someone.”

Davies has said he hopes the series will educate young people, who do not know about the Aids epidemic in the 1980s, and also encourage them to be safe, and says it’s important to note HIV is “a virus that’s still around”.

According to the Terrence Higgins Trust, there were 105,200 people living with HIV in the UK in 2019; around 6,600 of these are undiagnosed and so don’t know they are HIV-positive.

There’s currently no cure, but with an early diagnosis and effective treatments, most people with HIV will not develop any Aids-related illnesses and will live a near-normal lifespan.

When can I watch it?

It’s A Sin began on Channel 4 on Friday 22 January.

All five episodes of the series are available to stream through the Channel’s All4 service.