It's a Sin is a British drama miniseries written by Russell T Davies. Set in London between 1981 and 1991, it depicts the lives of a group of gay men and their friends during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United Kingdom. It's a Sin features a main cast consisting of Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, Callum Scott Howells, Lydia West, and Nathaniel Curtis. Other actors cast were David Carlyle, Keeley Hawes, Shaun Dooley, Tracy Ann Oberman, Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Fry. The series was directed by Peter Hoar, produced by Red Production Company, and premiered in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 on 22 January 2021.
Its subject matter made the series a difficult sell to broadcasters. BBC One and ITV passed on the series, and Channel 4 took it on only after their commissioning editor of drama, Lee Mason, fought for it and the series was shortened from a planned eight episodes to five. Principal photography commenced on 7 October 2019. Despite its London setting, It's a Sin was filmed mainly in Manchester, with other locations used in Liverpool, Bolton, Eccles, Bangor, and Rhos-on-Sea. The series was executive produced by Davies, Hoar, and Nicola Shindler, with Phil Collinson serving as producer.
The show received critical acclaim for its emotional scenes, writing, performances and accurate depiction of HIV/AIDS. All episodes were released to Channel 4's online streaming service All 4, where it was viewed in its entirety more than 6.5 million times; making it the most binge-watched show to stream on the platform. The first episode also became Channel 4's biggest drama launch. The show was also credited for creating an upsurge in HIV testing in the weeks after its release. It was the most nominated show at the 2022 British Academy Television Awards, receiving eleven nominations, including Best Mini-Series.
Cast and characters[]
- Olly Alexander - Ritchie Tozer
- David Carlyle - Gregory "Gloria" Finch
- Nathaniel Curtis - Ash Mukherjee
- Shaun Dooley - Clive Tozer
- Omari Douglas - Roscoe Babatunde
- Callum Scott Howells - Colin "Gladys Pugh" Morris-Jones
- Tracy-Ann Oberman - Carol Carter
- Lydia West - Jill Baxter
- Keeley Hawes - Valerie Tozer
- Neil Patrick Harris - Henry Coltrane
- Stephen Fry - Arthur Garrison MP
- Moya Brady - Millie
- Neil Ashton - Grizzle
- Nicholas Blane - Mr Hart
- William Richardson - Mr Brewster
- Ashley McGuire - Lorraine Fletcher
- Calvin A. Dean - Clifford
- Nathaniel Hall - Donald Bassett
- Jill Nalder - Christine Baxter
- Andria Doherty - Eileen Morris-Jones
- Nathan Sussex - Pete
- Toto Bruin - Lucy Tozer
- Shaniqua Okwok - Solly Babatunde
- Michelle Greenridge - Rosa Babatunde
- Delroy Brown - Oscar Babatunde
- Ken Christiansen - Karl Benning
- David Fleeshman - Father
International broadcast[]
| Country | Network | Local title |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Channel 4, All 4 | It's a Sin |
| Scandinavia | HBO Nordic | |
| Australia | Stan | |
| Belgium | Canvas, Auvio | |
| Canada | Amazon Prime Video | |
| France | Canal+ | |
| Germany | Starzplay, ZDFneo | |
| Greece | Cosmote TV | |
| Italy | Starzplay | |
| Netherlands | NPO Plus, NPO 3 (VPRO) | |
| New Zealand | TVNZ OnDemand | |
| Spain | HBO España | |
| United States | HBO Max | |
| Czech Republic | ČT art, HBO Go | Byl by to hřích |
| Israel | yes Drama, yesVOD | החטא |
| Russia | Amediateka | Это грех |
| South Korea | Watcha | 잇츠 어 신 |