Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Telly addicts

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

It's a Sin, 9 pm Channel 4, 22nd Jan CONTAINS SPOILERS **titled edited by MNHQ**

934 replies

notawittyname1954 · 21/01/2021 13:13

I keep seeing trailers for this. Anyone else looking forward to it?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Lepetitpiggy · 24/01/2021 10:36

I had a Barclaycard in 1984!

FlimFla · 24/01/2021 10:54

Yes I also had a credit card but you would at least have to tell the person using it what the pin was. Wasn't so casual "there's my card" in those days - but I'm nitpicking and don't want to derail!

PomegranatePip · 24/01/2021 11:16

@FlimFla

A few thoughts - I thought Keeley Hawes was utterly amazing in this. Really enjoyed her performance, she stole the final episode.

I also liked the main character, her son.

I thought Jill's parents seemed a bit unbelievable.

The American guy who played the original bloke who worked in the tailors when Colin started there had a terrible English accent. Why do they cast people like this ??

There was another unconvincing bit when the first guy Jill was looking after - the Scottish one - asked her to do shopping for him. He said, there's a list and my card on the table. Well people then didn't pay by card for small items of shopping. There was no such thing as debit cards.

Not enough people smoked.

I really disliked the Isle of Wight sister.

The card thing bugged me too- leaving a fiver would have been more fitting!

I think the sister was representing the discord in the family- she felt all of the oppression that nobody was addressing and expressed it- think she was deliberately unlikeable for that reason?

FlimFla · 24/01/2021 11:25

Yes I think the sister resented her brother for always causing drama and upsetting her cosy little Isle of Wight family world.

I also felt she suspected he was gay - look at her body language when Richie sits in the family sitting room with Jill, saying he has something to tell the family. He tells them he is switching courses to do drama - but sister seems to be expecting him to come out. Just a hunch I had from observing her. (I'm not gay but I left home for London in the same era leaving a narrow minded family behind, including a sanctimonious younger sister).

Chalkcheese · 24/01/2021 11:25

I loved Jill. I think she didn't have a love interest intentionally. Because it would have distracted for the un-romantic love she had for the boys. I don't think that needed to be in there, and it's not that uncommon for a woman of 30 to have not had a serious relationship. A lot of people settle down after that.

Chalkcheese · 24/01/2021 11:26

I used all my best swear words for Ritchies mum in episode 5.

Lepetitpiggy · 24/01/2021 12:13

@FlimFla

Yes I also had a credit card but you would at least have to tell the person using it what the pin was. Wasn't so casual "there's my card" in those days - but I'm nitpicking and don't want to derail!
I know!! Sorry :)
GetOffYourHighHorse · 24/01/2021 12:25

'I felt so sad that Colin didn't get to have a loving relationship but that guy who treated him like dirt'

I know and it was just utterly devastating how he suffered being locked in the ward at the hospital. Did things like that really happen?

I wonder how many families like Gloria's look back with horror and shame at how they reacted, burning belongings. It was just so harrowing to watch.

I don’t know much about the facts, who was at fault with the inadequate public health information was it PHE in the 80s?

PomegranatePip · 24/01/2021 12:32

Regarding Colin...I had a bit of an alternative thought to how he caught it when I saw his boarding house Mum turn up at the hospital...

That she had been infected and a carrier through her Thursday night 'cinema club' that was actually a swingers club and she had seduced Colin...

I felt like that could have worked because obviously it wasn't just through man to man sex that it was being transmitted etc

HIVpos · 24/01/2021 12:41

@PomegranatePip

Regarding Colin...I had a bit of an alternative thought to how he caught it when I saw his boarding house Mum turn up at the hospital...

That she had been infected and a carrier through her Thursday night 'cinema club' that was actually a swingers club and she had seduced Colin...

I felt like that could have worked because obviously it wasn't just through man to man sex that it was being transmitted etc

Now that would have been a great plot twist, and point made that although HIV predominantly affected MSM (men who have sex with men) women did contract HIV then too.
FlimFla · 24/01/2021 12:46

@Lepetitpiggy no problem Smilebut I've made a mistake myself! You wouldn't have told the person borrowing your card your pin because pins didn't exist for purchasing things in shops.... Jill would have had to ask to use the card in the shop and the shopkeeper would have had to search for the massive slide along machine thingy, to take an imprint of the card, probably with much huffing and puffing. Said shop keeper would probably have also looked at the card and seen it was a man's and refused to accept it. They may well have not accepted credit cards anyway. Sorry to drone on but just in case some creative writing person is reading the thread for research 🤪

Regarding Richie's mum I think she was a more complex character than some posters credit her for. She did love her son very very much, that was clear. She was trying desperately to process all this new information. I felt she had a point that Jill kept him away from her. If he had managed to come out to her earlier, it would have been terribly difficult but she did love him very much and that would have come through in the end. Both she and Richie would have both had to be very brave in different ways. Don't forget he was as much in denial as she was - in his case, denial about the actual infection. I think he was her favourite deep down, hence horrible resentful manner of the sister. I can't see Keeley burning his stuff like Gloria's family did.

His father on the other hand - he struck me as a bit of a weak tosser.

Doublefaced · 24/01/2021 12:47

‘I know and it was just utterly devastating how he suffered being locked in the ward at the hospital. Did things like that really happen?’

Yes.
One of the wards where I worked (early 90’s) still had hatches at the bottom of the doors. They were no longer used by then but had beed used previously to pass food, supplies etc in and out of the rooms.
And even in the 90s, we had families who told us to dump their sons belongings after they’d died.

notawittyname1954 · 24/01/2021 12:54

Those poor young people must have been so terrified. Heartbreaking. I loved when the lawyer busted Colin out of the hospital where he was locked in.

OP posts:
GetOffYourHighHorse · 24/01/2021 12:56

@Doublefaced

‘I know and it was just utterly devastating how he suffered being locked in the ward at the hospital. Did things like that really happen?’

Yes.
One of the wards where I worked (early 90’s) still had hatches at the bottom of the doors. They were no longer used by then but had beed used previously to pass food, supplies etc in and out of the rooms.
And even in the 90s, we had families who told us to dump their sons belongings after they’d died.

It is just so shocking, I'm sorry if I sound naive but I had no idea. My heart breaks for what the victims of the virus endured. I want to learn more about it, can anyone point me in the right direction? Who spoke up for the rights of patients and when did public opinion change. It's all such recent history yet seems so under reported. Were there any high profile court cases for the inhumane treatment by human rights legal teams?

The uncaring families though! I can understand it to a degree with hcps who were working in an infection prevention and control situation but even so, patient's dignity should have always been a priority regardless of any infection risk.

MoonriseKingdom · 24/01/2021 13:12

Thank you for this thread. I have learned a lot from it and the show. I only planned to watch the first episode last night and ended up watching the first 3.

I was a medical student in the late 90s. While things had changed a bit I think there was a lot of stigma still. If anyone saw the drama series ‘Cardiac arrest’ a doctor was diagnosed with HIV and it was leaked to the press. I do remember being told how important it was to do a detailed consent with someone before doing an HIV test because there were implications of having a test even if negative. I think at that time insurance companies considered someone who was tested to be a risk for life insurance.

The locked ward and Colin being detained was absolutely shocking and I didn’t know things like that had happened.

notawittyname1954 · 24/01/2021 13:18

This is such an important piece of drama and a great jumping off point for finding out more. If it doesn't win awards for the writing and the actors "It's a sin". sorry couldn't help myself. Also Years and Years have released a wonderful version of it's a sin and a portion of the proceeds are going to an AIDS charity so well worth purchasing.

OP posts:
SimonJT · 24/01/2021 14:04

@GetOffYourHighHorse

'I felt so sad that Colin didn't get to have a loving relationship but that guy who treated him like dirt'

I know and it was just utterly devastating how he suffered being locked in the ward at the hospital. Did things like that really happen?

I wonder how many families like Gloria's look back with horror and shame at how they reacted, burning belongings. It was just so harrowing to watch.

I don’t know much about the facts, who was at fault with the inadequate public health information was it PHE in the 80s?

Yes people were detained, it was very common for people to die alone, it was also common for gay men to be evicted from their properties as landlords believed the property would be ‘infected’ with HIV.

People were often sacked for being gay, even before the HIV pandemic.

A significant number of people didn’t have funerals as funeral directors wouldn’t handle people who had HIV.

In some areas around half of the gay male population died, in other areas it was higher. If you go to some places now there is a real lack of gay men who are 35-45ish because so many died, in some areas an entire generation of gay men died.

The attached picture is a choir in San Fran, the men in white are original members who were not killed by HIV, the members in black represent every member who was a victim of HIV.

Numbers in the States were much worse than ours, between 1981-1989 there were 120,000 deaths, thats a lot, but when you consider that most of those deaths were gay men, so around 2.5% of the population.

In 2021 there are still people who want to criminalise HIV.

It's a Sin, 9 pm Channel 4, 22nd Jan CONTAINS SPOILERS **titled edited by MNHQ**
HIVpos · 24/01/2021 14:04

[quote notawittyname1954]This is such an important piece of drama and a great jumping off point for finding out more. If it doesn't win awards for the writing and the actors "It's a sin". sorry couldn't help myself. Also Years and Years have released a wonderful version of it's a sin and a portion of the proceeds are going to an AIDS charity so well worth purchasing.

[/quote] Yes, it’s an HIV charity called George House Trust, based in Manchester supporting those living with or affected by HIV. In the U.K. nowadays the term late diagnosed or stage 3 HIV is more likely to be used than AIDS. ght.org.uk/
Shimmyshimmycocobop · 24/01/2021 14:07

I have been completely undone by this show and have been crying off and on everything I think about it.

Had been feeling fragile last week anyway and I think the parallels of what we are currently experiencing really resonated. This was my era too and although I had no direct experience of it well remember the shame and stigma attached to a diagnosis and the perception of "innocent" victims ie haemophilia.

@AnyFucker my ds also gets told he looks like Olly Alexander,he is a young gay man just moved away to Uni and having the time of his life. I'm crying just typing this out fgs Grin

dexterslockedintheshedagain · 24/01/2021 14:09

@FlimFla

Yes I also had a credit card but you would at least have to tell the person using it what the pin was. Wasn't so casual "there's my card" in those days - but I'm nitpicking and don't want to derail!
Did we have PINs in those days to pay for stuff? Thought PINS were only for ATM withdrawals. Sorry OP
dexterslockedintheshedagain · 24/01/2021 14:11

Ignore my last comment, it's already been covered.

unique1986 · 24/01/2021 14:26

I've read a few comments on Twitter asking if any lesbian or bisexual women will enter the series.
Obv there isn't. I wasnt expecting any as the series was supposed to be about young guys only really.
But maybe a series focused on younger gay women would be good sometime.
On Channel 4 Sugar Rush was the only decent fun series.
Hardly surprising the RTD only writes about gay men.

zafferana · 24/01/2021 14:33

I binge-watched this and thought it was a really lovely piece and very important, because the AIDS crisis has not been addressed from a British POV in popular culture. While a lot fewer men died here than they did in big liberal cities in the US like San Francisco and New York, it was clearly devastating for the gay communities of big cities like London.

I liked that the drama didn't shy away from the really tough reality too - that some people who caught HIV or who managed to avoid it literally had sex with hundreds of people, that others only had sex with one other person and that was enough for them to die of AIDS, that some people with HIV continued to have unprotected sex with others in the knowledge that they may well infect them, that fear and shame and stigma were a terrible additional burden for people who contracted HIV and their families/friends.

I haven't FTWT, but this book is newly out and addresses the same material (but in the US): www.waterstones.com/book/all-the-young-men/ruth-coker-burks/2928377051044

unique1986 · 24/01/2021 14:40

Was there really that big a gay scene in London that you could sleep to 100s of men?
The same equivalent of certain player types of straight men sleeping with 200 girls in 3 years.

unique1986 · 24/01/2021 14:41

I could imagine some young people would go to gay pubs or clubs and rarely pick up anyone.