Russell T Davies says he’s thought about ‘revisiting’ It’s A Sin
"I'm very much interested in writing something that's much darker"
It’s A Sin’s creator, Russell T Davies, has said he has thought about “revisiting” the ground-breaking series.
The drama about the HIV and Aids crisis in the 1980s debuted on Channel 4 in 2021 and quickly became the channel’s most-binged series.
Speaking at a talk during the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday (14 October) Davies said the series had the opposite reaction to another of his creations, Years and Years, which “died a death” on screen.
“The opposite of that is when we made It’s A Sin, we were absolutely convinced that would be unpopular. We felt like we were making a drama for the health board just so that it existed.
“So there’s a record of what happened in the 1980s with HIV in Great Britain. We thought it would be seen by the faithful few.”
“There is something to say there”
The Doctor Who showrunner was also asked whether he would want to revisit the series and pick up the story in the modern day, examining the advances in HIV care and treatment.
“I have thought about revisiting it,” he confirmed adding, “and I hope I do.”
He said if he did that, it wouldn’t follow It’s A Sin‘s characters but would aim to commentate on the current political and social climate around LGBTQ rights and freedoms.
Referencing the anti-drag, anti-trans, and anti-LGBTQ sentiments worldwide, Russell said, “I’m very much interested in writing something that’s much darker that would, I hope, involve HIV today.
“So, there is something to say there but I think it would be part of a bigger statement about where we’re heading now.”
As well as becoming Channel 4’s most-binged show, It’s A Sin also drove an increase in HIV testing, later awarded the Inspiration Award at the 2021 Attitude Awards.
It’s A Sin is streaming now.